Mr. C
Really could use your opinion on this. Recently bought a Pana 37PV60, and have a 4year old DVD-player. Mates 2 year old Sony priced at ?50 at the time with progressive comp looks better than what we have thus need a new DVDplayer of some kind. I'm not a movie fanatic, and dont know what to aim for to be honest. A used Arcam DV79 has been offered me for half the retail price and Im really considering this. Don't know if its a bit better then needed though, would also use this as a CD-player, which I also need to upgrade (a bit more important, 2-channel. Have a set of Dynaudio contour 1.3SE, good match?)
So my question is if this is a set I would appreciate and is the picture that good for someone who don't have "trained eyes", or if a ?00 DVD would be enough for my needs (guess please) picturewise and go for a DVD-recorder with harddrive instead (which I think also would be a nice thing to have, with timeshift and recording possibilities). I can sort of relate it to my 2-channel setup; I can now hear and apreciate things my friends, how do not listen to music in that way, can not hear at all.... is this the same with DVD-players? Do you need to sort of know what to look for and have a trained eye to find differences at those pricelevels? Don't know if this is more Arcam-section, but it's ment a bit more in general. Do need your input since I need to decide on the Arcam by tomorrow....
It's quite simple:
The Arcam will give you top notch DVD playback and above average CD playback. :thumbsup:
A ?00 DVD (Denon 1930 /Oppo) will give you good DVD playback - and upscale to an acceptable level via HDMI - CD playback ok, but nothing to write home about. :)
DVD + Harddrive - purely for convenience :god: the above 2 will outperform and outshine on all fronts
Simple :devil:
Mr. C
Good points made by snick. I wouldnt go with the arcam as going for electronic equipment second hand is abit risky IMO.
I just bought the denon 1730 for only 115 pounds and it is a real steal. Good build quality by the looks even though it is made in china and very light. The cd playback is very nice either through optical or analogue out (has good DAC). I have B&W dm601 s3 speakers and the sound is very good. vision wise it is very impressive as well. The 1930 is double the price and has the faroudja chip for better vision but basically same on the sound front as the 1730. Read somewhere one guy tested both for vision and apart from one film of his collection couldnt tell the difference in video playback. I tested the 173
0 with my old phillips with the old faroudja chip through component and honestly couldnt tell the difference on all the the films i tried.
Good advices, thanks.
As for second hand, I don't think it's that risky in general when buying at those price levels. Bought a NAS interspace TT second hand, my dyn speakers was second hand, my amplifier was second hand. When people spend ?000 or more on new gear, they tend to take care of the stuff I think. Or do you think Arcam is worse due to build quality? Never really looked at their stuff to be honest. I've only auditioned an CD73 and the FMJ33 a few years ago and the only remaining impression was that the 3D-soundstage was better with the FMJ33.
Anyone know how the Arcam DV79 compares to Denon 2930? Not sure if the scaler in my plasma is better then the one in Denon, but the Denon is new, Arcam 2 years old and "only" 576p output. Been reading about lasers giving up after 3years, makes me a bit scared buying a 2 year old arcam, but perhaps I shouldn't be?