A wealth of detail, huge sound stage, great tonal balance

Regular CD player just OK - not as good as some other competitively priced models. Also a bit slow in reading discs and responding to commands

I needed a new DVD/SACD player to replace my Pioneer Elite 46AV. From early on, the Pioneer seemed to be just OK. Not great, but acceptable and I always seemed to have a problem with the dialog audio sync. Not only that, sonically the SACD portion of the player was also good – but not great. The Pioneer spinning SACDs was better in some ways than my Cambridge Audio 640c version 2; however, it wasn’t far better – even though the 640c is not SACD capable. The DV-46AV is a little forward and sounds a bit thin tonally.

So I started looking for a new DVD/SACD player. Spending close to $350 on a non- Blue-ray DVD/SACD player may seem to be crazy, especially since Blue-ray and HD DVD players are finally dropping in price but until the format war plays itself out, I’ll wait before I venture down that road. Until then, I’ll be enjoying DVDs and especially SACDs on the Sony DVP-NS3100ES DVD/SACD player. My review here focuses on the SACD capabilities of this player in two channel rather than multi-channel sound.

The Sony DVP-NS3100ES DVD/SACD player is part of Sony's high end product line. Build quality is first rate – solid chassis with a wealth of features. Sony’s remote is like all of their remotes – functional but nothing great. However, the player sounds first rate and with SACDs – better than any regular CD player that I’ve head.

After letting the player break in for a few weeks playing CDs, SACDs, and DVDs, I began some serious listening. I started with the Concord SACD of Ray Brown’s “Summer Wind: Live at the Loa.” This is an excellent recording. The DVP-NS3100ES reproduced the club’s atmosphere with a wealth of atmosphere and detail, yet without that detail being thrust forward. The NS3100ES threw a BIG sweep of sound which was quite enveloping. In my room, the soundstage was larger than anything I have heard to date. The soundstage was wall to wall, with more depth than I’ve heard before. For example, in “The Real Blues”, the recording starts off with the audience very hushed. Just as Ray Brown gets a few notes into the opening, a phone rings in the club – drawing a laugh from the audience. With the DVP-NS3100ES DVD/SACD, you can hear exactly where the phone is – way deep in the back of the soundstage and where each person is sitting spread across the soundstage. The sense of depth and layer is incredible. Ray Brown’s bass was produced with all of the weight and authority it should have. The piano and drums were also well laid out in the soundstage. Tonally, everything was produced as it should be.

Next I put on the Chris Botti’s SACD “To Love Again.” As with other recordings, there was a big sweep of sound, but with delicate instrumental details — such as Chris Botti’s trumpet and the rest of the instruments clearly delineated around the soundstage. Each one produced with air and three-dimensional realism. This SACD also has one of my tests for reproducing female vocals. Paula Cole’s voice on “My One and Only Love” was reproduced with a wealth of detail, presence, and three-dimensional realism was breathtaking. Paul Cole’s voice was produced as well as I have ever heard it.

Turning to something different, I put on the RCA Living Stereo SACD release of Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale. The DVP-NS3100ES produced this recording better than any CD I’ve ever heard. The soundstage, instrumental tonal colors, and shear force of the Scheherazade recording is incredible. Other non-SACD players seem to dilute the recording robbing it of the power and majesty. The Sony player managed to reproduce this recording in a way that raised goosebumps.

As a CD player, the DVP-NS3100ES was OK – no better than your average. Compared to my Cambridge Audio 640c, I found the Sony’s presentation a little less detailed and a bit forward sounding. The 640c has (on regular CDs) the ability to throw a huge soundstage (not in the same league as SACDs however) and has a liquidity that belies its price. The Cambridge was a more open, detailed with better depth. The Sony was a bit warm that glossed over some of the detail leaving the sound with a certain amount of mellowness.

Lastly, some reviewers complain that this machine is slow. Slow to read discs and slow to respond to commands. To a degree, I think their right. The machine does take a little longer than other players to read discs and respond to commands but I don’t think excessively so. Other players are a bit faster but I wasn’t bothered by this. The player’s functions seem solid and I’d trade fast loading times and responsiveness to commands for sound quality any time.

Overall, if you’re in the market for a reasonably priced SACD player that produces upscaling of the video resolution output to approach 720P/1080i, then give the Sony a try – you won’t be disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-46av