To anyone who values sound quality, and who wishes to use a DVD player for music, such as playing CDs.
Ensure that any new DVD player you buy is capable of playing DVD-Audio.
DVD-Audio, also known as "DVD-A", is, today, the absolute top of the pile for sound quality.
Every DVD-Audio player will also play DVD-Video ("DVD-V") discs and CDs.
Every DVD-Audio disc has DVD-Video tracks, too. So you can already play any DVD-Audio disc, and get excellent sound, on any DVD player.
Try one, and see.
But a DVD-Audio disc played on a DVD-Audio player gives more than excellent sound, it gives fantastic sound.
DVD-Audio renders CD obsolete for sound quality. DVD-Audio is a 5.1 surround format. In addition, most DVD-Audio discs also carry a stereo (2.0) version of the same material.
For technical background, and more information, one clear, accurate summary is from a UK disc manufacturer:-
DVD-Audio Introduction
I am an audio and home cinema/theater enthusiast, with no competing interest, commercial or otherwise, nor any connection with any relevant commercial organisation.
Sorry John, I am a little confused by your statement. I get the point that DVD-A will play on ordinary players but when you say DVD-A has video tracks - don't you mean audio tracks?
The Pioneer DVD-45A down-samples the digital out from 192kHz or 176.2kHz to 48kHz. Does every DVD-A player do that? If so, wouldn't it be advisible for people to use the 5.1 analog outputs for connection? I ask this because a lot of people opt to use 1 digital cable.
Ben, my NAD T533 will do that, too, but you only get CD-quality sound that way. You would not choose it. I guess that option is there for people who do not have 5.1 analogue inputs on their amp/receiver. I guess you could get the real two-channel 192 kHz 24-bit DVD-A by feeding the signal to the CD analogue two-channel input. I haven't tried that. If it works, it should be a much better option than down-sampling.
generally true, except with the Pioneer Elite 49TXi that I have connected to my Pioneer Elite 59Avi universal player. It plays everything except video through a single firewire connection to the receiver. For video I connect the player to the TV component output. When I get a new HDTV with HDMI, I will connect that directly to the TV too. I guess I have to wait until Pioneer Elite makes a receiver with HDMI.
What is also great about the firewire connection between the receiver and player is that it automatically "knows" what disc is in the tray and plays the appropriate format, unless you tell it otherwise.
I put my "Last Waltz" DVD-A/cd stereo disc in the player last night and it automatically played the DVD-A. Then I presses the remote later and played it in cd stereo. Both formats are on the same side of this disc.
I think Pioneer are leading the field in this. There is no technical reason why the DVD-A processor has to be in the player and not the receiver; it is to do with "format rights agreements" or similar. Although it has great bandwidth, maybe Firewire aka iLink is a legal loophole, not a technical necessity?