betty boop Posted September 23, 2018 Author Posted September 23, 2018 16 minutes ago, Soundasme said: This one: So do you think I should wait a bit to see what the LX800 delivers? i dont know the disc, but you'd expect decca to make a good job of it. re the lx800, i dont know but it does look quite a step up from the 205 I have just in base engineering and the efforts they have gone to, be surprised if it hasnt paid off ! 1
Guest PhilEStein Posted September 23, 2018 Posted September 23, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Soundasme said: This one: So do you think I should wait a bit to see what the LX800 delivers? I have the same Blu-ray, the 1980s CDs, the 2012 CDs that came with the Blu-ray set, and more recently acquired an LP set courtesy of this site. The Blu-ray is in 48/24 so it doesn't have a huge resolution advantage over CD. Decca didn't start remastering in 96/24 until after they had remastered this Ring cycle in 48/24 in 1997. Unfortunately by the time that they produced the 2012 edition the original analogue tapes had allegedly deteriorated. So they used the 1997 48/24 digital mastering for the Blu-ray rather than attempt a higher resolution transfer from the tapes. What you hear on the BD is effectively a 21 year old digital master. Apparently the BD is better than the expensive Japanese SACD set which I have not heard. I don't think that the BD sounds noticeably better than the CDs. Edited September 23, 2018 by PhilEStein clarity
cwt Posted September 23, 2018 Posted September 23, 2018 (edited) 11 hours ago, Raffinator said: The trick for me will be the multichannel SACDs. If I do DSD bitstream via HDMI I’ll need a AVR that handles it. Some do, some don’t, and I’m not sure what I want for my next AVR. Maybe rationalise it considering a preponderance of DSD tracks came from lpcm at one stage or another in their mixing . Or alternatively many dsd dacs convert to pcm in their circuitry anyway [ cant perform bass management on dsd ;only lpcm] . I once had a cary 11 that had the pcm version of the burr brown 1796 dac ' ; the 11a had the dsd version of the same dac ; couldn't pick the difference - through these cloth ears though Edited September 23, 2018 by cwt
Guest Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 On 22/09/2018 at 3:14 PM, al said: @Marc any news if we will get this here, looks like not going to the us. looks like going to the UK but would be heck of a pity if doesnt come here ! I can confirm that the LX800 will be available in Australia and is expected to sell for $3,999 RRP. StereoNET has secured both the LX500 and LX800 for exclusive AU reviews - with the 800 arriving in a couple of week's time. 6 1
betty boop Posted September 24, 2018 Author Posted September 24, 2018 9 minutes ago, Marc said: I can confirm that the LX800 will be available in Australia and is expected to sell for $3,999 RRP. StereoNET has secured both the LX500 and LX800 for exclusive AU reviews - with the 800 arriving in a couple of week's time. well done @Marc ! that is great news a fair price id suggest given what it is and how compares to their flagship 2ch player. great to hear Stereonet is going to have these to review in a couple of weeks look forward to how it fairs !
Hi-Fi Whipped Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 Cant seem to find any digital inputs on either machines to use the DAC for other items, am I seeing this right?
betty boop Posted September 24, 2018 Author Posted September 24, 2018 42 minutes ago, Hi-Fi Whipped said: Cant seem to find any digital inputs on either machines to use the DAC for other items, am I seeing this right? I think they are presuming if going to be spending $k on a disc player you likely have the processing side with hdmi inputs and switching sorted but yeah it doesnt seem to have that capability like the oppo does ....
Hi-Fi Whipped Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 2 hours ago, al said: I think they are presuming if going to be spending $k on a disc player you likely have the processing side with hdmi inputs and switching sorted but yeah it doesnt seem to have that capability like the oppo does .... HDMI switching would be sorted elsewhere, the only upside I see with this player against much cheaper models is the 2ch analogue stage, if the only real way to use the top quality dac is via a disc just seems like the players flexibility hasn’t developed much since the BDP-LX91 flagship. The BDP-LX58 and 88 had the internal DAC inputs which added greatly to its flexibility and value much like the OPPO 105 and 205, just seems backwards when the analogue is the main reason why you would spend the extra money on something like this. 2
Soundasme Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 21 hours ago, PhilEStein said: I have the same Blu-ray, the 1980s CDs, the 2012 CDs that came with the Blu-ray set, and more recently acquired an LP set courtesy of this site. The Blu-ray is in 48/24 so it doesn't have a huge resolution advantage over CD. Decca didn't start remastering in 96/24 until after they had remastered this Ring cycle in 48/24 in 1997. Unfortunately by the time that they produced the 2012 edition the original analogue tapes had allegedly deteriorated. So they used the 1997 48/24 digital mastering for the Blu-ray rather than attempt a higher resolution transfer from the tapes. What you hear on the BD is effectively a 21 year old digital master. Apparently the BD is better than the expensive Japanese SACD set which I have not heard. I don't think that the BD sounds noticeably better than the CDs. My Blu-Ray Audio disc of the Ring Cycle came without any CDs, but with the full libretto. I didn't know Decca had released an SACD version, though I'd be surprised if the SACD wasn't better that the BD, but you might well be right. I've got a couple of other Blu-Ray Audio discs and to be frank, I don't think much of them. On the whole, I think SACD is (usually) better than CD, but all formats can produce duds. I usually play my Wagner on headphones, largely because I live in an apartment and as we all know, Wagner can be noisy. Thanks for your posts, Phil. Cheers.
cwt Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 3 hours ago, al said: I think they are presuming if going to be spending $k on a disc player you likely have the processing side with hdmi inputs and switching sorted but yeah it doesnt seem to have that capability like the oppo does .... I notice it does at least have a usb port [c ?] on the back that takes a hard drive and cobbling that with Kevs specifications means they intend to use it as a passthrough straight to the dac Yes too if a usb-a port is absolutely necessary you can always get an emo XMC1 or similar . Maybe they prefer less circuitry like Cambridge audios oppo variant . Quote High-end audio/video with USB-DAC 1
Guest PhilEStein Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 55 minutes ago, Soundasme said: My Blu-Ray Audio disc of the Ring Cycle came without any CDs, but with the full libretto. I didn't know Decca had released an SACD version, though I'd be surprised if the SACD wasn't better that the BD, but you might well be right. I've got a couple of other Blu-Ray Audio discs and to be frank, I don't think much of them. On the whole, I think SACD is (usually) better than CD, but all formats can produce duds. I usually play my Wagner on headphones, largely because I live in an apartment and as we all know, Wagner can be noisy. Thanks for your posts, Phil. Cheers. This is getting a bit off the present topic, but the SACDs were issued by Esoteric, not Decca. Esoteric did their own remastering from the original tapes a couple of years before the Decca Blu-ray was released. I read some comments somewhere after the Blu-ray came out from people that had heard both that the BD sounded better than the SACDs. The Esoteric set was about $700 or $800 new so out of my budget and I'm unable to comment on those claims. If the original tapes have degraded then that might explain it.
Raffinator Posted September 24, 2018 Posted September 24, 2018 HDMI switching would be sorted elsewhere, the only upside I see with this player against much cheaper models is the 2ch analogue stage, if the only real way to use the top quality dac is via a disc just seems like the players flexibility hasn’t developed much since the BDP-LX91 flagship. The BDP-LX58 and 88 had the internal DAC inputs which added greatly to its flexibility and value much like the OPPO 105 and 205, just seems backwards when the analogue is the main reason why you would spend the extra money on something like this. Unfortunately I agree... I’m trying to get away from my 3 1/2 Box setup with this device. If it doesn’t have decent digital inputs (and I’d be thinking USB) or wasn’t Roon Ready, it is a show stopper for me. Maybe have to hunt an elusive 205.
Guest DarkNark Posted September 26, 2018 Posted September 26, 2018 On 24/09/2018 at 9:29 AM, Marc said: ........the LX800 will be available in Australia and is expected to sell for $3,999 RRP.......... Wow! Not really surprised though considering the EURO 2500 price quoted earlier in the thread. Possibly the LX800 will represent value for money to some people but at almost double the price of an Oppo205, I don't think this can be classed as an alternative.
betty boop Posted September 26, 2018 Author Posted September 26, 2018 4 hours ago, DarkNark said: Wow! Not really surprised though considering the EURO 2500 price quoted earlier in the thread. Possibly the LX800 will represent value for money to some people but at almost double the price of an Oppo205, I don't think this can be classed as an alternative. sure makes the oppo the bargain it was. but to be fair the kind of engineering obviously gone in the pioneer and how compares to there 2ch player, am sure some will feel getting quite a bit for your money.
Guest DarkNark Posted September 26, 2018 Posted September 26, 2018 3 minutes ago, al said: sure makes the oppo the bargain it was. It appears that Pioneer want to portray that! Pioneers pricing makes the price gouging on Ebay for an Oppo205 almost justified!? I think Pioneer have missed an opportunity. I'll stick with my 105.
Addicted to music Posted September 26, 2018 Posted September 26, 2018 I’m kicking myself silly in missing out on a 205.... I would have bought one when I was given the chance at such a great price too! Doh! 1
cwt Posted September 26, 2018 Posted September 26, 2018 Makes you consider the pana ub9000 a bit of a bargain even with a separate sacd player ' found this Quote The UB9000 will be available in mid-November for $1649. https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/646988/panasonic-releases-dp-ub9000-blu-ray-player/ I have an inclination the pana will be the reference when it comes to picture quality and the pio is more audio oriented [ if dsd file playback is not adequate but disc is ....] The lx500 is the value here and would be good to have thoughts vis a vis the pana models [ eg 'will it get hdr10+ as the discs are coming ]
Guest Posted October 9, 2018 Posted October 9, 2018 On 24/09/2018 at 10:29 AM, Marc said: I can confirm that the LX800 will be available in Australia and is expected to sell for $3,999 RRP. StereoNET has secured both the LX500 and LX800 for exclusive AU reviews - with the 800 arriving in a couple of week's time. Any slim chance the reviews will be ready before this Friday?
Mobe1969 Posted October 22, 2018 Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) I'm interested in how it compares to the panasonic. It does seem to have similar features looking at the manual. Eg there are presets for the display type (TV Types), as well as a HDR SDR preset with target brightness (HDR-SDR Adj). It just doesn't look like there is the fine level of control. It does have subtitle shift, but I don't think it has subtitle luminence control like the panasonic (and I love that feature). The only reason I'm even considering it over the Panasonic is the region free mods capability. I'd love to get back to just one player with a solid optical drive for blu rays... I also like the fact they didn't bother dumping streaming and other such stuff on it, it is a pure optical player.... Edited October 22, 2018 by Mobe1969
betty boop Posted October 22, 2018 Author Posted October 22, 2018 5 hours ago, Mobe1969 said: The only reason I'm even considering it over the Panasonic is the region free mods capability. I'd love to get back to just one player with a solid optical drive for blu rays... This Pio has region feeing capabilities ?
cwt Posted October 22, 2018 Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, al said: This Pio has region feeing capabilities ? Mmm curious Al ; just for sd discs ? The manual says this much vvv ; 0-9 equates to the larger number of sd zones which also can be numbered [than blurays A/B/C] so sd is logical.. Quote 1 Select and set Security Country Code Next Screen. Use / to select, then press ENTER. 2 Input the password. Use the number buttons (0 to 9) to input the number, then press ENTER to set. Use / to move the cursor. 3 Change the country/area code. Use / to change, then press ENTER to set. Ime assuming sd as I see gattiweb has the full HD kit option available .. Edited October 22, 2018 by cwt 3
Mobe1969 Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Yes I was referring to gatti having a mod for it already. It'll be good when we have some solid data from reviews and users and especially enthusiasts on this and the UB9000. 1
Jeffwbrown Posted November 26, 2018 Posted November 26, 2018 (edited) Just picked up a LX-500 from West Coast Hifi for 20% off their already discounted price as part of the Black Friday sale, which is still running today. Wanted the universal disk functionality rather than separate blu ray CD/SACD players. UB9000 available for $1319 after discount applied, and includes free shipping. Ask for Mike Kench (Cannington Store). Edited November 26, 2018 by Jeffwbrown can't spell 3
Jeffwbrown Posted November 29, 2018 Posted November 29, 2018 On 26/11/2018 at 12:27 PM, Jeffwbrown said: Just picked up a LX-500 from West Coast Hifi I should clarify this. I am now waiting for West Coast HiFi to get a LX-500 in stock and then ship it to me on the east coast.....hopefully around Mid-December.
Guest Posted January 14, 2019 Posted January 14, 2019 The SNA review of the LX-800 is here: https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/review-pioneer-udp-lx800-universal-disc-player It is a pity that the review did not test its 2 channel performance. It mentioned using the analogue circuitry of the Pioneer SACD player but there was no comparison done on 2 channel playback.
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