Letters - June 2007
System advice
June 15, 2007
To Wes Marshall,
Wes, you're such a good writer. I read your January 2007 article on the Oppo Digital
DV-981HD DVD player, and that's what I plan to get. I'm looking to upgrade my home
theater. Let me know if there are any better suggestions.
Speakers: Axiom M80/EP500 package
Receiver: Pioneer Elite VSK84TXSi
Projector: Panasonic PT-AX100U
DVD player: Oppo DV-981HD
Screen: either Carada or Da-Lite (please advise preference here too)
Finally, what is your best bet on cables? I don't want to
spend a bundle unless doing so will make a difference.
Prem
You'll love the Oppo. The projector is a sound
investment. While Stewart screens are a little more expensive than what you've chosen, I
personally believe they are the gold standard. The receiver is a good choice, and if you
like those speakers better than any others in the price range that you have heard, they
will work just fine. Speakers are a personal taste, so you shouldn't buy until you've
heard them, preferably in your own home.
Finally, I really like the www.markertek.com Canare cables referred to as Tecnec
Premium RCA Male to RCA Male. These cables have more science backing them up than most
cables costing ten times as much, and would be ideal for a setup like yours. For speaker
cables, simple Monster Cable will be just fine, or if you want to upgrade, consider the
Belden 12 gauge), a highly flexible and very dependable cable. You get a 500’ roll
for $205, less than the Monster would probably cost, and you can sell the excess on eBay
or to friends. Happy listening!...Wes Marshall
Esoteric DV-60 versus others
June 6, 2007
To Randall Smith,
I enjoyed your review of the
Esoteric DV-60, which I found on the Esoteric website. My goal is to someday buy a
player that offers very good audio and video performance, and it seems this model
certainly qualifies. Salespeople have told me there is much uncertainty regarding the
Blu-ray and HD DVD formats. The number of movie titles available is quite small, and
apparently many of the players offer less-than-stellar results with CDs and standard DVDs.
I have read reviews of other products which suggest they
also are superb performers. I refer to such models as the Arcam DV-139, Cary Audio DVD 7,
Denon DVD-3930CI and McCormack Audio UDP-1. Do any of these strike you as being on the
same level as the DV-60, or possibly better? A nearby audio retailer sells all of the
brands I mentioned except for Cary Audio, and hopefully I will be able to compare these
specific models.
If enough high-quality standard DVD players are sold maybe
Blu-ray and HD DVD will quietly fade away.
Mark Lombardi
The Esoteric DV-60 is an impressively built component
that is definitely capable of delivering excellent audio and video performance from
standard-definition DVDs. Compared to the models you listed below, in my opinion, the
Esoteric is more than competitive, especially in build quality. As far as audio
capabilities go, I would also have to give the nod to the DV-60 with the Arcam and Cary
Audio players competing the closest from what I’ve heard. The Denon unit is probably
the only player that can compete in the video department, but I base that opinion from my
past experiences with Denon products. The DV-60 is a great product that also comes with a
steep price tag, but it sure delivers with its performance.
To address your issues with the high-def video formats,
I would have to disagree with your audio retailer. I am an early adopter of each format
and I simply love and appreciate the noticeable difference. If audio/video performance
from movies is your sole goal, then no standard-definition DVD player can compare to the
new formats. The picture is razor-sharp and loaded with detail negated by the data
compression of a standard-definition DVD. Also, sound quality is equally as good. So far,
I have found the new sound formats to be the most exciting part of the HD wave. If you go
to Netflix, you will see that there are hundreds of titles available from each format, and
almost every "good" movie being released these days is also available on one of
the formats. Also, most of the players will upconvert regular DVDs to HD resolution, (my
PlayStation 3 was just updated this morning, making it capable of up converting DVDs)
making the films look much better. However, just because these standard-definition films
are "upconverted" doesn’t mean that they are quite as good as HD. Anyone
claiming that may be overstating just a touch. The Esoteric DV-60 does as good a job as
any other DVD player I have experienced, but DVDs cannot compete with the new generation
HD material. Perhaps you could buy the SA-60 for music purposes, which costs a touch less
than the DV-60, and buy one of the HD players with the money you save. Once you experience
the HD difference, I promise it will be tough to go back….Randall Smith |
