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Review 1 of 2
Price Paid:
$200.00
from eBay Summary:
Having recently got my hands on an Integra DVC-8.5 six-disc changer, a $700 beast just discontinued but available for considerably less as B-stock or occasionally for literal peanuts on eBay (no HDMI), my appetite had been whetted for even higher-end sound in the form of an even higher-quality universal player. Since Onkyo-as-Integra has made a mission of building and selling such machines, when I happened to see a DPS-8.3 (MSRP: $1200) on eBay at a starting price of $200, I couldn't help but give it a shot, thinking I might be willing to go as far as halfway. Imagine my surprise, then, when I got the thing (a demo model from a high-end retailer) for the starting bid! This is like owning stolen property, and is made all the sweeter by the fact that the thing is built like a tank, looks rather nice (in that slightly odd Integra kind of way) and is fairly compact compared with the enormous DVC-8.5. It also sounds better, which stunned me the first time I heard the voice of the late Shirley Horn coming from just in front of me in my living room. This was an unexpected revelation which is difficult to convey, especially after the huge improvement in sound I'd been enjoying with the earlier machine (which has now been relegated to backup and entertaining use). The quality of sound from the DPS-8.3, which was discontinued at the same time as the 8.5 (and probably for the same reason: no HDMI, but who cares? More on this later) is mind-boggling, even at the MSRP, let alone the embarrassingly low price I paid.
Operation is, like the changer's, quiet, smooth, solid and reassuring. There are a remarkable number of buttons on the face of the thing, nearly duplicating the large, complex, yet strangely satisfying remote (which I can park and use the one from the changer anyway, although I normally use a Harmony universal). The most-used buttons are lit with a soft-blue backlight which is very pleasing to the eye. The display, while not as huge nor as complete as the one on the changer, is still plenty large enough and tells one in no uncertain terms what sort of disc it has found in the tray, which is nice.
Setup is quite easy, although the lovely graphic background that comes with the changer is absent, and the whole GUI looks rather like an old, old computer game. Who cares? You do it once and hopefully never have to look at it again. And when the machine is not in use the screen is either gray or black (user's choice), which is actually more sensible if not as pretty, and even so there is a cool sceen-saver that runs bars of soft color down the screen if one walks off.
All in all this machine, while appearing somewhat eccentric on the outside, is in a league with the insane and esoteric ones available starting at twice the price (which would include Integra's late DPS-10.5 at $2500 and going on up from there). Even if you can find one new in the store and have to pay full price it would be worth it.
Oh, and video-wise, Super THX certified doesn't hurt, nor does the extremely clean, clear, video with its black blacks and white whites and everything in between just as it ought to be. What more can one ask for? HDMI has been a mixed thing for me anyway, and I think for my critical viewing I'll just stick with component video. At least until something better than the DPS-8.3 comes along. And that could be quite a while.
Wow.... Strengths:
Build quality, ease of setup and use, astoundingly good audio, outstanding video Weaknesses:
None, at any price Similar Products Used:
Integra DPC-8.5, Denon DVD-1920, Sony DVP-NC650V (still my sentimental favorite)
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