Replacing CD-R with universal player

I've decided that it's time to hoof my Marantz DR6000 recorder and replace it with a universal player. This will have the effect of giving me a very minimal hifi set up (TT, Phono, Amp & Speakers) as basically I only bought the thing to record vinyl for the car. I've now got an MP3 jobbie and itunes etc means the CD-R must go.

So I want a DVD player that will be OK for music (ish) to be honest I'm not that fussed about CD performace as I only buy them if vinyl is completely unavailable, however I'd rather it didn't sound completely ****e. I dont need HDMI, Dolby processing or any of that but it would be good if it had reasonable sound and an OK picture as I have a 42 inch telly.

Anyway I reckon i'll end up with about £250 or so maybe a bit more so has anyone got any ideas on what I should get.

 

Personally I would recommend a Pioneer DVD 575A,It's Cheap plays everything including SACD & DVD-A. You can probably get one for around £100. Picture quality is OK, not the best.I found the Audio Side of things to be a bit average,although there are plenty of places now that can improve the audio output for you, and you will still be under your budget.One thing the Pioneer DVD players have going for them,they seem to get Firmware upgrades,and they will play any disc! I just had a Toshiba 350E foe 4 Months now,it's great when it's working, but it's the worst DVD Player for jumping and skipping I've every owned, so think twice before you purchase any Toshiba stuff. TBH you will probably have pay more than £250 before you see Value For Money improvement on the picture side of things. There are some great 2nd Hand bargains out there, dare I mention ebay.
Good luck, and I hope this helps a little.

 

I'll qualify this by saying that I've owned all four of the following players and still have use philips & sony. The following would be on my shortlist:

Pioneer DV-757AI - £225-£275
Philips DVD-963SA - £100-£150
Sony DVP-NS900V - £100-£150
Denon DVD2200 - £250

(All used/ex-dem prices.)

Sweeping generalisations:

The Pioneer was the most reliable, but is bright & splashy with CD. Excellent PQ.

The Philips has very average build and the transport is a bit ropey, but it has the best overall mix of capabilities IMO. Good PQ and very good with CD.

The Sony is another good all-rounder. Smoother CD playback than the Philips and slightly more dynamic SACD playback. Ropiest transport of the lot though.

The Denon has nice build quality but is a bit dull/boring with cd and has numerous reliability issues & bugs. Excellent SACD capabilities.

Very difficult toss-up between the four, and I'd struggle to openly recommend one over the other. If you really, really aren't bothered about the brightness & occasional treble glare, the Pioneer would be the one to go for, as it has been the most reliable IME and will simply get on with what its told to do in a quiet & fuss-free manner.

DT

 

I've got a poineer dvd - tho its the only one I've played with and I can't really complain, had it since it first came out (about 3 years ago?) and there hasn't been any faults with it

 

thanks guys the pioneer seems like an option. I had considered the denon as I thought it might sound quite good, reading your post maybe not. I basically need the player to be good with films, and concert videos but I only ever listen to CD as background music when I'm doing other things so I'm not as fussed about that. I own no DVD-A or SACD and I don't need that capability at all. I think S/H is the way I'm going to go but I really have no idea about digital.

 

Re the denon, don't take my word for it - i'm sure there are plenty of satisfied users out there, but it didn't float my boat in CD terms, and that was when it could actually be bothered to read the disc in the first place!

Seeing as CD is just background music for you, then Pioneer may well be the best option.

DT