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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$139.00
from Best Buy Summary:
Well something bad happened to the DVP-NC685 I reviewed earlier here. Not the machine's fault. Things happen. So I was suddenly in the market for something with all the same features and maybe a tad slimmer. I'd been aware of the NC80V, but at the ever-lowering price of each generation os Sony's "department store" line (and the increasing crappiness of the newer ES stuff, I was scared. Necessity finally drove me to pick up this apparent chunk of cheap plastic, and lo an' behole! There's sometging funny going on, because Sony is definitely scrimping on materials and build quality, yet these things, cheap as the look and feel, do everything and do it exceedingly well. At least well enough to hold the spot in my main system til I can find something with a more solid feel. Only Yamaha, with its DV-C750, comes close, and frankly this one works more smoothly and doesn't have the eye-piercing yellow display Yaaha uses - and costs about half the price of the Yam. I don't get it, but I'lll take it! (Oh, and speaking of displays, the one on the NC80 is small and reflected off mirrrors, so it's vitually useless close up and needs to be at eye level then, but it's a lovely blue and from across the room one can read it well enough. The unit is pleasingly slim, looks good in the rack (OK, so I'm superficial - sue me!). It also happens to function VERY well, especially at the throw-away price. Video is far beyond adequate - it is downright stunning - and it plays SACDs incredibly well, redbooks like a good CD player, and all DVD audio layers except for the 24/192 ones that the idiots keep making. I defy anyone to tell me they can hear that difference! (of corse first you'd have to find a machine that will play 24/192 stereo - they are becoming rare as hen's teeth). Anything else I hand it comes back to my ears like I'm at the recording session. How do they do it? Beats me. Would I prefer a mor solid-feeling machine? Sure! I guess this is one of those "Don't ask, don't tell" situations. It just worls. Maybe it'll go up in smoke tomorrow, but if it does I've already got way more than my money's worth out of it. That's hard to beat. Strengths:
Great setup menu, full compliment of connections, decent cosmetics, fabulous sound, just incredible, and, of course, there's the price... Weaknesses:
Made of plastic, can't handle 24/192 DAC layer of "Hotel California" DVD-A (who cares?), and hard-to-see-up-close display. Similar Products Used:
Sony DA-777ES, Sony DVP-685V and NC650V, B&W DM600's, a/d/s 200Cs, Boston Acoustics PV600 sub, etc.
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