Does anybody know if this a good DVD player? Is this going to be a better dvd player than the Denon 1910? I have a Yamaha RXV1500 receiver and would like it to match.
Tangent
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I bought a s1500 about 10 days ago and run it into an RXV1300 receiver and Infinity Interlude speakers. So far I'm happy with it. The sound and picture are extraordinary. Zero problems playing SACDs. DVD-As are fine for the most part but I did have to return a David Sanborn disc that had momentary dropouts in practically every song. Some people have experienced problems with this disk on other players. The remote on this player leaves alot to be desired. With every button pretty much the same size and shape you will 8 times out of 10 hit the button above or below the one you think you are hitting. A couple of times when the player is first turned on I get a green line that runs along the top of the TV screen. The rest of the startup screen looks OK but the green line is annoying and shouldn't be there. Shutting off the s1500 and then turning it back on doesn't clear it up. Only inserting a DVD-A disc that displays it's own menu screen will reset the chip to display it's own screen properly. If this happens anymore then I'll exchange the player for another s1500. However, for the most part, this player has been great. I haven't come across any problems listed on the internet like I've seen with the Denon players. I've had two Denon players over the years, a CD player and a DVD player but was not happy with their performance so I would not try one of their universal players.
Tangent
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HAVING TROUBLE WITH WEAK BASS OR LOW VOLUME ON SACD'S OR DVD-A'S? Then here's some info that some may find useful. This Yamaha player like many(most) others outputs the 6 analog signals at a lower volume than the digital or stereo analog outputs. This can be compensated for somewhat by adjusting the speaker volume in the setup menu. All speakers are set to 0 to begin with but this is an attenuated signal which can be brought up to its max. level buy adjusting the levels to +6. 6 channel analog will still be quieter than the digital output but not by as much. Use these speaker level adjustments to equalize the volume of each speaker so the settings may need to be varied from one speaker to the next.
Also, the subwoofer level for SACD and DVD-A on this (and many other players) is quieter than the dolby digital or DTS levels you will get from your amplifier's decoding chip. To compensate, make sure that the sub woofer levels in the speaker setup menu for the S1500 is set to max.(+6) and boost the level on your subwoofer volume control until the bass sounds right. Then on your amplifer, dial down your subwoofer level -8db. This should equalize the bass so that is sounds correct in both 6 channel analog from the S1500 or decoding Dolby/DTS from your amplifier. If you don't equalize the sub correctly then you will either have too little deep bass in 6 channel surround or way too much bass when listening to a movie's surround sound track.
I believe these suggestions will work for many players/amplifiers so if you've been having problems with low volume or weak bass on your DVD-As or SACDs then you can give this a try.
Unless your amplifier's decoder isn't too good I would suggest not using the Dolby/DTS decoding from the S1500 as it is a little weak.
Once everything was calibrated properly, (no thanks to Yamaha's owner's manual which could have told me so much more that it did) the hi rez surround sound/stereo was truly supurb with this player.
The remote is weak, using various functions to move around a movie (such as slo-motion, zoom) is quite a pain. I would not recommend this as a movie only player. Mine is dedicated to hi-rez surround sound DVD-a and SACD so I have no qualms about recommending it for that purpose.
I have a Philips CD650 CD player and a Panasonic S35 DVD player for CDs and movies so I can live with the Yamaha's less than easy menus and functions for those formats.
Hope this helps someone. Say something if it does. This forum is great because you don't have to sign up to post a message. More forums should be like this... so simple. Thanks
Matt, et al - I have a Yamaha 5770 - same as the 1500, only silver, not black. Yamaha states that this player was designed from the ground up to be first a musical player, then a video player - and I believe them. Not that the video is bad - indeed, it is sparkling. But as a long-time musician and audiophile, I like the Yamaha especially for its CD and especially SACD performance. The Only negative things I have to say about the Yamaha are first that it takes about 17 seconds to "read" a disc after you insert it and before it starts playing - and second that it starts playing automatically. I'd rather have the option to start it myself. But both of those you can get used to - so they don't "knock" the Yamaha im my opinion. Yes, the SACD output is a bit weak - and I have jacked up the speaker levels, with good success. I personally think this player is better than the Denon 1910 - and better than many players in the under-$700 price range. I don't hesitate to recommend it. I use mine with a NAD 763 and some Polk RTi6 speakers. The NAD is wonderful, the Polks a bit underwhelming for classical music. Hope that helps. . .
I am waiting for the Yamaha DVD-S2500 to come out. I want the hdmi hookup. This model replaces the S2300 which was a their top of the line model. I can't wait to try it out. It's supposed to be available anytime.
Tangent
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I'm finding with the Yamaha s1500 that it plays most kinds of discs very well EXCEPT DVD-A, many of which will have a few short, random skips when playing. Since that's why I bought the player it's a big let down. I've tried a second player and it did the same.
So although I have a number of DVD-A discs that I listen to (half of which skip a few times during play), I try to only buy SACDs since they don't exibit any problems. I've come to prefer SACD anyway due to ease of use compared to DVD-A.
I'd take it in for repair but my experience with local repair shops is that they would have trouble changing a battery in a remote let alone tracking down any kind of random problem. Has anyone else had this problem or heard of any software upgrades for this player?
Tangent: Well, I finally had to send my 5770 (1500 with silver front) back to the Yamaha Service Facility.
First, it would often make loud, "grinding" noises when playing some discs. Not always, and not on all discs. Just sometimes. And it would simply refuse to play a few discs - especially a Phillips set of Beethoven string quartets. Arrggghhhhh!!!!
Also - on the digital output, the sound would magically change in volume level. Again, randomly and without apparent cause. Very strange!
So - back it went to Yamaha - and we'll see what they send back. They do have a special division that deals with DVD/CD player problems - and they promise a 5-day turnaround. But - will they repair or replace? With factory refurbished or new? I'll post whenever mine comes back.
Never heard of DVD-A skipping - but I have only SACDs, so don't know first-hand. I basically love the unit - though you are right on the remote control - the buttons are confusing.
I set up my NAD 763 remote (a GREAT remote) so that it controls the Yammie as well.
Note on the remote: to open/close the disc drawer. To close the drawer and start playing immediately, press "play" and it will do that. To close the drawer without auto-start, press "stop" and the drawer will close only. to open the drawer, just press and hold the "stop" button for about a 4-count. My manual said nothing about that.
I have 2 Maraantz DV6400's and have had no problems whatsoever. Performance is excellent in every way. SACD will sound quiet on all players. Just like a good phono section SACD has great dynamic contrast. Just be careful when turning up the volume as crescendos can overwhelm a system in a hurry. It was a tough choice between the Denon universal and the Marantz. Especially when you feel how substantial the build quality is on the Denon. It is big and heavy. In contrast the Marantz weighs 5lbs and is very small. What made my decision is two things (1) I have a Marantz AVR (with NAD and Hafler seperates;NAD preamp,Hafler power amp and NAD C542 cd player in the same system for 2channel) and (2) a three year warranty, by far the best for any universal player that I know of at that price (499.00 ea).
Arthur: Congrats to you on the Marantz gear. I nearly went with them, but heard so many good things about the Yammie's sound quality, that I bought the 5770. Sounds like you made the better decision?
But I'm a tad confused by your last sentence. Do you mean the NAD C542 is the best universal player? Or the Marantz? Marantz and Denon, BTW, are coming from the same company. . .
I meant that the Marantz DV6400 has the best warranty of any universal player at that price. The Denon has comparable performance but with much less warranty. And yes my NAD C542 sounds better with redbook CD's than the DV6400. As far as the Marantz equipment I'm blessed to have 2 great dealers in my area. Northwest Audio labs, Jim Ott proprietor. I have been working with Jim for over 20 years great guy, services what he sells. Unfortunately his store is so small that he doesn't carry enough variety to keep me interested. He carries Marantz, NAD, Paradigm, and Boston A. The other is Bradford's who carries Marantz, Denon, Rotel, Musical Fidelity, Creek, Rogue, Music Hall, Magnepan, Paradigm, Vandersteen, B&W and many more that I'm just not thing of right now. And those are just my 2 favorite stores close by. So I have alot of great audio resources at hand.
AK - lucky you, sir! Down here in Swampville, aka Naples, Florid-Duh! we have but one good audio emporium. Sigh. And they give NO discounts on anything, so I turn elsewhere for gear. Mostly the Internet.
Anybody know if NAD is bringing out a good universal player? I love the 763 receiver that I have, and would like someday to upgrade to one of their players - but only if it "does" SACD.
BTW - I've been gently tugging at my dear spouse to "perhaps" move out to your fair state. But she has elderly parents close by here, and feels that she must remain here until they pass on. Sigh. Florida is OK - but we have lived in the West - Colorado and Arizona - and truly miss it.
Arthur - may I invite you over to "Teaching an old dog new tricks" under the "Home Audio" section of this forum? You might enjoy the hilarity and insanity to be found there.
Judging from what I read more and more on various forums - the Yamaha S1500/5770 (same unit, black or silver face) would seem to have some firmware problems.
Same complaints: vibration or loud noise when playing many CDs - drop-outs or sound level changes at random points during playback.
I sent mine back to Yamaha two weeks ago, and hope to get some answer from them soon. I'd like to hear from any Yammie owners who share my concern - misery loves company! (grin)
To any interested - just got word from Yamaha that they "could not fix" my 5770/1500 - so are sending me a brand new one. Should get it by mid-week next week. Hope this production run is better than the last one!
Arthur Kyle et al - here's a good puzzle for you. Yamaha sent me a brand-new DVD player - said my first one could not be fixed. Thanks, Yamaha!
Seems to play well - no vibration this time - however I notice one disturbing thing: the bass management on the 5.1 analog output is very weak. In order to match the digital output, I have to raise the volume on all channels to 6 - the maximum.
Even then, the subwoofer output is so weak that I have to boost it on my remote control for most discs.
Anybody out there have similar problems? There doesn't appear to be anything "broken" on the unit, so I am at a loss to understand the situation.
thanx to anyone who might know about such quirks on the Yamaha 5770/1500.
Well - in re-reading this thread, I see that, on January 13, "Tangent" pretty much answered my questions. Thanks to him - and to any who might offer any additional information!
Tangent
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Posted on
Larry R
I just looked at this page again after some time and read your comments about using the stop button to open the drawer on the s1500... fabulous! Thanks a heap, that was one of the most annoying things on this player was having to stoop down to find the little open drawer button all of the time... problem solved thanks.
I am using a yamaha s1500 universal reader since december and the only real problems I had so far were the cables...! I was wondering why I never had any LFE or sometimes the surround speakers didn't work (for a source that was supposed to be multi channel). I had to replace them... My only regret is that neither SACD nor DVD-A provide the capability of a 7th channel (which is only used in DTS or DD 6.1). For the rest many hours spent to ajust the parameters for bass management (as mentioned by others already, and by the way coming to the exact same conclusions). Other bit of frustration: the limited number of recordings in high res (SACD and DVD-A). Last comments for today: my best experience in SACD : Diana Krall : When I look in your eyes (Verve).... Magic. My best experience in DVD-A : Vivaldi, L'estro Armonico op3 (Arts Music, 24b/96khz).... I feel just transported . What a space....! Fantastic.