"Hi-fi" CD Player vs Budget DVD-A player

barkingpig New member Username: Barkingpig Post Number: 4 Registered: Jun-04	Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 10:02 GMT Is it wise to spend my only source budget on a cheap DVD-A player like the entry-level Panasonic, Pioneer, Apex etc? Or should I get a "hi-fi" cd player? My budget is limited to 250USD and I can get a used NAD521 or Arcam Alpha 7 CD player for that price. The player will pair up with my AE Aegis Evo3/Arcam Alpha 7 combo. I'm able to play DVD-A on my computer and I'm really impressed with the quality. Tried hooking my hi-fi to my computer and even in 2-channel mode it sounded very good! That's the reason why I thought of getting a DVD-A player but I'm not sure of it since I'm able to purchase a dedicated "hi-fi" CD player with the same budget. Any advice?
John A. Gold Member Username: John_a Post Number: 1586 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 11:35 GMT Speaking personally, there is no contest, since the sound from DVD-A is so superior to anything that any Cd player can do. BTW you are not getting real DVD-Audio from your computer - if you are please say how! It is probably Dolby AC-3 (5.1) or a two-channel downmix. If you think THAT is better than CD, wait till you hear DVD-Audio. Good low-price DVD-A players include Cambridge Audio DVD57 and Cambridge Audio Azur 540D; NAD T533, and Pioneer 656A (also plays SACD; there is a cheaper model, too, I think), also Denon 2200. See Twilight of the compact disc, my own NAD T533 DVD/CD player user's review, and DVD-Audio also threads in the category here "DVD-Audio & SACD".
barkingpig New member Username: Barkingpig Post Number: 5 Registered: Jun-04	Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 23:11 GMT Hi, I think I'll save up some more money and get the NAD T533 since it also plays mp3. Is the player control intuitive enough that a TV is not necessary? I'm asking because I don't even have a TV set at my place (struggling college student) John, I'm getting real DVD-Audio on my computer using the Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2ZS. The soundcard comes with a software DVD-A player. ALternatively you can use WinDVD 6.0 that has DVD-A playback capabilities. I have the Altec Lansing 5100 5.1 speakers but I don't think they do justice to the quality of DVD-A. Come to think of it, I bought the Evo3/Alpha 7 because I wanted to hear DVD-A in its glory even though I'm limited to 2-channel with that setup. I played Santana's Supernatural on my hi-fi (2-channel) and it sounds so "real". I just can't imagine what a full-blown 5.1 hi-fi system will do! P/S. John. can you post some pictures of your hi-fi setup? thanks.
John A. Gold Member Username: John_a Post Number: 1588 Registered: Dec-03	Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 08:22 GMT barking, Thanks. I think you need the On-Screen-Display for set-up; usually a one-off procedure; true of most DVD players. Normal playback, you don't need it, usually. There may be a way around this, you can get the user manual from "Support" on the NAD web site. There are some photos of the player on the second link of June 30 (above). I put one of my receiver back panel on June 18 on NAD to be or not to be. Thanks for mentioning the sound card. I will investigate. You can maybe help people who want to know about writing DVD-A files/discs and playing on computer (see same linked thread June 30 above).

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