Panasonic DMP-UB900 for music

Mayandi2

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I am thinking of getting the Panasonic DMP-UB900 4K BD player as part of my new Home Cinema set-up. There will be no room for a dedicated CD player and so I'll have to use the UB900 to play my large collection of CDs. Does anyone know what its performance with music CDs is like?

Also, I have some DTS CDs and DVD-Audio; will those play on the UB900?
 
Your receiver/speakers will have a bigger impact on cd performance.

Martin
 
Also, I have some DTS CDs and DVD-Audio; will those play on the UB900?

I don't think the UB900 is DVD-Audio compatible. You'll be able to play the lower resolution DVD-Video compatible tracks on your DVD-Audio discs but not the higher resolution DVD-Audio specific ones.

See: DVD-Audio - Wikipedia
 
Spend a little extra for the Pioneer LX500 which should be a lttle better for music (Although a soundbar is not ideal for music) and also supports SACD & DVD Audio discs which the Panasonic does not.

Bill
 
I am thinking of getting the Panasonic DMP-UB900 4K BD player as part of my new Home Cinema set-up. There will be no room for a dedicated CD player and so I'll have to use the UB900 to play my large collection of CDs. Does anyone know what its performance with music CDs is like?

Also, I have some DTS CDs and DVD-Audio; will those play on the UB900?

The DMP-UB900 is nearly four years old. Do you mean the DMP-UB9000?
 
I am thinking of getting the Panasonic DMP-UB900 4K BD player as part of my new Home Cinema set-up. There will be no room for a dedicated CD player and so I'll have to use the UB900 to play my large collection of CDs. Does anyone know what its performance with music CDs is like?

Also, I have some DTS CDs and DVD-Audio; will those play on the UB900?
Yes, sorry my bad. :oops:. I did mean the DP-UB9000. Those numbers!!!
In that case much would depend on the DAC in the receiver you are using. The UB9000 has a high quality DAC which will be better than that found in most receivers. So if you use the UB9000 on board DAC and output by analogue the UB9000 may be better for audio than using digital out via HDMI etc.

UB9000 does not play DVD-Audio.
 
In that case much would depend on the DAC in the receiver you are using. The UB9000 has a high quality DAC which will be better than that found in most receivers. So if you use the UB9000 on board DAC and output by analogue the UB9000 may be better for audio than using digital out via HDMI etc.

UB9000 does not play DVD-Audio.

Thanks again. As I said, I am plugging it into the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar via HDMI. I don't know how the soundbar's DAC compares with the UB9000 but in any case I'll have no choice. The soundbar has no RCA inputs.

As for the few DVD-Audio discs I have, I can play it on the old Sony DVD player that my wife has. That is on a different setup.
 
Thanks again. As I said, I am plugging it into the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar via HDMI. I don't know how the soundbar's DAC compares with the UB9000 but in any case I'll have no choice. The soundbar has no RCA inputs.

As for the few DVD-Audio discs I have, I can play it on the old Sony DVD player that my wife has. That is on a different setup.
In that case the UB9000 is total overkill at around £800. You could do the same job with the £500 cheaper UB820. That £500 is around the cost of a decent stereo amp and a pair of stereo speakers if CDs are your main concern and would give you far better sound than a UB9000 into a soundbar would..
 
As for the few DVD-Audio discs I have, I can play it on the old Sony DVD player that my wife has. That is on a different setup.

Sony have only very recently, long after the format effectively died, started making a small number of players that are DVD-Audio compatible. Your wife's old Sony DVD player will only be playing the DVD-Video compatible tracks on your DVD-Audio discs. The Panasonic will also be able to do this.
 
Sony have only very recently, long after the format effectively died, started making a small number of players that are DVD-Audio compatible. Your wife's old Sony DVD player will only be playing the DVD-Video compatible tracks on your DVD-Audio discs. The Panasonic will also be able to do this.
That is interesting. I have an old Panasonic DMP-BDT130 which I am keeping plugged on direct to the TV via HDMI and to the optical input of the soundbar. That is to play my large collection of Region A locked BDs, mostly Criterion before they came to the UK. The BDT130 has been 'worked-on'.

I have never tried playing DVD-audio on it and will check if it does.
 
As long as the discs have DVD-Video compatible versions of the songs (most I've seen do) then it should work fine.

Wikipedia said:
With the introduction of the DVD-Audio format, some kind of backward compatibility with existing DVD-Video players was desired, although not required. To address this, most DVD-Audio discs also contain DVD-Video compatible data to play the standard DVD-Video Dolby Digital 5.1-channel audio track on the disc (which can be downmixed to two channels for listeners with no surround sound setup). Many DVD-Video players also offer the option to create a Dolby MP matrix-encoded soundtrack for older surround sound systems lacking Dolby Digital or DTS decoding. Some discs also include a native Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, and even a DTS 96/24 5.1-channel, audio track.

Since the DVD-Audio format is a member of the DVD family, a single disc can have multiple layers, and even two sides that contain audio and video material. A common configuration is a single-sided DVD with content in both the DVD-Video (VIDEO_TS) and DVD-Audio (AUDIO_TS) directories. The high-resolution, Packed PCM audio encoded using MLP is only playable by DVD players containing DVD-Audio decoding capability. DVD-Video content, which can include LPCM, Dolby or DTS material, and even video, makes the disc compatible with all DVD players. Other disc configurations may consist of double layer DVDs (DVD-9) or two-sided discs (DVD-10, DVD-14 or DVD-18). Some labels have released two-sided DVD titles that contain DVD-Audio content on one side and DVD-Video content on the other, the Classic Records HDAD being one such example.

LINK
 
Seems a waste playing music through a soundbar. If the player is primarily for film use it will do just a good a job at playing CDs into the soundbar. Good standalone CDPs and especially SACD players will do a better job but that improvement would be lost with the inclusion of the soundbar in the audio chain.
 
The Panasonic UB9000 is overkill for a soundbar.If you are going to connect with hdmi the Panasonic UB82O will do the job.
If you want dvda/sacd the Sony UBPX800 or UBPX800M2 if you want dolby vision as well,if you listen to alot of cds the lack of player display may be a pita.

Martin
 
OK, thanks people. I have opted for the Panasonic DP-UB820 as the choice for the Home Cinema system and since this is going to be plugged into the soundbar, should do a good job with movies and will forget about the UB9000.

Based on what you have said, I realised that do have a choice. I still have perfectly working but 20 year old NAD C520 CD player that is plugged via RCA Cables into Onkyo HTX-22HD Receiver/Subwoofer with twin stereo speakers. I was planning to get rid of the NAD as part of the upgrade but keep the Onkyo because its other RCA input is using my Pioneer Vinyl Record Player (I have a large collection of Vinyl and intend to keep them. Some are collectible). I could keep the NAD and use it for music only OR, hacing saved some £400 thanks to you guys (by opting for the UB820 instead of the UB9000), get a new Marantz CD6006.
 
I would certainly keep stereo music separate from the soundbar, especially as you have said that you have a good collection of both vinyl and CDs. The Marantz cd6006 is a very good player. Perhaps you should keep an eye on the Forum's classifieds as Marantz players pop up now and again.
 
Record your vinyl onto your computer with a decent ext sound card, (Get one from a pro sound shop) then store the files in Flac format (They will sound identical to your vinyl) on an ext HDD or server, you can then listen to them on pretty much anything with a USB or Network connection without getting any more wear on your vinyl.
The CDs can also be ripped to Flac format (EAC is a good ripping program) and stored the same as the vinyl for use anywhere. (Again the Flac files will sound identical to the CDs)

Bill
 
Abacus, you got me wrong there. I am almost 64 years old and grew-up with Vinyl as a teenager. Some of my records are carefully preserved originals (For example Harry Belafonte's 1959 Live Concert at Carnegie Hall that I acquired in 1968) and I like the act of taking a record out of its sleeve, placing it on the turntable and playing it. Call it nostalgia, if you like.

Though CDs are not nostalgic, I still like to listen to them as they are.
 
Abacus, you got me wrong there. I am almost 64 years old and grew-up with Vinyl as a teenager. Some of my records are carefully preserved originals (For example Harry Belafonte's 1959 Live Concert at Carnegie Hall that I acquired in 1968) and I like the act of taking a record out of its sleeve, placing it on the turntable and playing it. Call it nostalgia, if you like.

Though CDs are not nostalgic, I still like to listen to them as they are.

I also grew up on vinyl and still have them (Including the playback equipment) however being able to listen to them anywhere is one one the best things there is, yes there is no substitute for sitting down and handling the vinyl, but you have to have the time and can only listen in one place.

Bill
 
Thanks, Abacus. After 41 years as a relentlessly busy doctor, I retired 11 days ago. Completely. Very few encumbrances and so hopefully, TIME is something that I will have from now on.

The Duplex flat we bought has a fully converted upstairs loft room that is 30x11 feet and bit of multipurpose use. At one end we'll put a Furl Sofa bed for guests and there is a en suite here. Rest of the room is partly my wife's studio ( she is an artist) and partly my 'listening room'. I'll place the CD and record players here connected to stereo speakers while the Home Cinema systems will be downstairs in the lounge and master bedroom.
 
Abacus, you got me wrong there. I am almost 64 years old and grew-up with Vinyl as a teenager. Some of my records are carefully preserved originals (For example Harry Belafonte's 1959 Live Concert at Carnegie Hall that I acquired in 1968) and I like the act of taking a record out of its sleeve, placing it on the turntable and playing it. Call it nostalgia, if you like.

Though CDs are not nostalgic, I still like to listen to them as they are.
That's the way. Score 1 for us old farts. Save the silver disc.:thumbsup:
 
@Mayandi2: Although I no longer have any vinyl (lack of space, permission from SWMBO), you're right, there is something about vinyl that CDs just don't offer. I've recently grabbed an 820 and, when my endolymphatic hydrops isn't ruining my day I can confirm that it's fine for decent CD playback, and sounds fine through my Yamaha YSP4100 soundbar. Just remember to turn off the VieraLink option if you don't want/need your TV to be powered-up when listening to music.

Enjoy your retirement!

Clem
 

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