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Bargain Universal Player

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Posted on September 9, 2010 at 19:41:56
niws
Audiophile

Posts: 790
Location: Northeast
Joined: September 4, 2003
 I have no financial interest in Harman Int'l or any dealer so this will be brief.
Frequently people post here looking for good entry level player recommedations or maybe someone you know will ask you to recommend one. So here is one.
Apparently, Harman Kardon has discontinued their DVD 48 player and is selling off "refurbished" units on ebay. Prices seem to be going between $60-90. I got one for $61 and with shipping and taxes it came to $78. My unit appeared to be brand new and came in a factory sealed carton.
I have a Sony DVP-NS500v and a Pioneer DV-578as. I have used both as a cd transport and to play sacd's. I prefered the Sony's sonics over the Pioneer, so the Pioneer is mainly used as a dvd player. However, both of these players were highly regarded in their day as entry level players.
Sonically, The Harmon Kardon is significant step up from either the Sony or the Pioneer. It is much clearer and resolves fine details much better, especially when playing sacd's.
As a transport, it is also much better than the Sony or Pioneer. The highest compliment I can pay it is that for redbook cd's, I think I will be retiring my MicroMega Duo BS2 dac because the HK as a stand alone player equals the sonics of the dac.
The negatives about it are that for 2 channel audio you will need to hook it up to a tv when you first get it to configure it's sacd and DVD-Audio output for 2 channels. Also, like most dvd players, if you want to use its track programming feature, you will need a tv.
Otherwise, for less than $100, I think this is a great bargain.

 

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RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 11, 2010 at 14:32:04
audiohound
Audiophile

Posts: 369
Location: San Francisco
Joined: December 11, 2004
 Hmmmm.... This is very interesting to me as really I need a budget SACD player. I have a Sony DVP NS900V which I love, however, it will no longer read hybrids. Tried the Yamaha S1800 and it was great on everything except SACD. Recently purchased a used NAD T585 and I am so disappointed with the SACD compared to my old Sony, as it sounds muffled and congested. I almost wonder if I got a lemon or if faulty mods were done because the other formats sound fine.

Many thanks if you have time to answer some very specific questions regarding the Harmon Kardon:

* does it have the sonic warmth, body, and clarity that even the budget Sony's have?
* does it have a metal faceplate?
* does the drawer open to fully reveal the recessed "circle" in which you set the CD? Or do you need to tuck the CD under the drawer opening?
* is the tray rickety or flimsy?
* does it have 5-channel analog-out jacks? (it looks like it does)

Thanks!

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 12, 2010 at 08:34:13
niws
Audiophile

Posts: 790
Location: Northeast
Joined: September 4, 2003
 Audiohound:
The HK has better clarity, a little more warmth and much more body than my Sony. It sounds better with both sacd's and redbook cd's.
It has a gloss black faceplate that l think is hard plastic. It's body is metal.
Its drawer opens fully.
The drawer does not seem rickety or flimsy,
It has 5 channel outputs.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 12, 2010 at 09:17:20
audiohound
Audiophile

Posts: 369
Location: San Francisco
Joined: December 11, 2004
 Wow, NIWS....

This may be the budget "holy grail" player I've been looking for. Thanks for answering my questions so thoroughly. I've read a lot of your posts - especially over in *Digital* regarding budget digital coax cables - and I can tell you have a keen ability to give nuanced product reviews.

BTW: Do you recommend a particular DVD 48 seller on ebay?

Thanks,
Audiohound

PS: Totally off topic, just FYI: I'd been switching a Blue Jeans digital coax back-and-forth between my Lavry and my new V-DAC, and recently needed to buy another cable. Bought a $20 Auvio cable from Rat Shack and, on first listen, it *seems* to sound really good...which is unbelievable to me. Need to go back and compare both cable carefully ...that's what makes this hobby so much fun. If I'm wrong, I have some of your budget coax recommendations bookmarked.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 12, 2010 at 12:34:00
niws
Audiophile

Posts: 790
Location: Northeast
Joined: September 4, 2003
 The price range I referred to for the HK player is for the auctions run by Harman Interntational. They are the mfg of the player and are closing them out as it is a discontinued model. However they are offering a 30 day money back and a 1 yr warranty.
If you decide to try it, good luck and I hope it works out well for you.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 12, 2010 at 13:54:13
audiohound
Audiophile

Posts: 369
Location: San Francisco
Joined: December 11, 2004
 Aha....I see that offer on ebay....can't beat that!

One last question, please:

I saw part of an obscure online user review where I could not access the full text. It mentioned really slow loading times. How quickly do SACDs seem to load on the DVDF 48?

My Sony, once the draw closes, will load a non-hybrid disc in about 15 seconds (and maybe 7 seconds for a CD), whereas my NAD needs to "think" longer...taking approximately 20 seconds for an SACD.

I wouldn't presume that you have time to get your stopwatch out. Still, what is your general since on loading times? Is the DVD 48 really slow?

Thanks for all your help!

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 12, 2010 at 16:52:23
niws
Audiophile

Posts: 790
Location: Northeast
Joined: September 4, 2003
 I think the load times are about the same as the Sony.
One thing that you may not like is that the disc starts playing as soon as it is loaded. Thus, if you want to start on a different track number you have to stop the disc then enter the track# you want to skip to.
One minor annoyance (to me) is that you have to stop the disc in order to enter a track# that you want to move to. When a disc is playing, you can only skip to the next or previous track.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 12, 2010 at 17:46:51
audiohound
Audiophile

Posts: 369
Location: San Francisco
Joined: December 11, 2004
 Thanks, again!

None of the things you mention would bother me very much. I'm going to sleep on it and probably order an H&K this coming week. My concerns diminished once I heard that there's a 30 day return policy. I would love to order a Marantz or the latest Sony ES, but that just won't work with my budget right now.

 

DSD through HDMI?, posted on September 12, 2010 at 18:41:52
QuadESL63
Audiophile

Posts: 490
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Joined: December 8, 2005
 Does it output DSD stream through its HDMI port? If not, does it convert DSD into 24 bits 192kHz LPCM for output? It could be a cheap SACD transport for a pre-pro...

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 13, 2010 at 17:29:38
HighEndWire
Audiophile

Posts: 1624
Joined: August 2, 2002
 It's funny - Amazon says this - Harman Kardon DVD 48 DVD Audio/Video and SACD™ Player With HDMI™ Connectivity
by Toshiba

by Toshiba?

 

RE: DSD through HDMI?, posted on September 13, 2010 at 21:35:50
niws
Audiophile

Posts: 790
Location: Northeast
Joined: September 4, 2003
 According to what I have read in the owners manual, it will output "digital audio" (which I am assuming is pcm) thru its hdmi port, but it specifically states that it will not output sacd thru the hdmi port. SACD is available only thru 2 or 5.1 channel outputs.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 14, 2010 at 18:49:36
telackey
Audiophile

Posts: 289
Location: Oklahoma
Joined: January 15, 2006
 Thanks for the tip! I wanted one of these when it came out, but never found the time when it was worth splurging.

It certainly was at $80 delivered though!

It does look like HK have dropped the DVD 48. They've replaced it with a Blu-ray player that doesn't support either SACD or DVD-A.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 22, 2010 at 19:08:51
exerciseguy


 
I picked up the harman/kardon DVD 48 "refurb" a while back (12/09) from Harman's eBay store for $49. It is an outstanding all-around player, with particular strength in 2-channel playback; I use my player exclusive in a 2-channel set-up. I also own a Marantz DV76000 (Original MSRP $999), and the DVD 48 is as good. If you have a chance to pick one up for under $100 (the Harman eBay auctions are closing for less than that), consider yourself lucky.

 

RE: Bargain Universal Player, posted on September 22, 2010 at 21:13:43
mrjdub33@aol.com
Audiophile

Posts: 381
Joined: June 8, 2008
 This is great what are the bass management settings for the speakers and sub?

 

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