I got the E9000ES/N and N9000ES/N, which are in gold color. Now I still can't find the gold DVP-S9000 DVD player in the US to match this combo. Anyone can help?

See review

See review

This is an update to my last post on this sony piece. I think that the follow-up review is the most important because the owner has had the chance to really let the unit burn-in and knows it's strenghs and weeknesses much better. My review will be mainly on it's audio capabilities due to the fact that, in my opinion, this is it's strengh. Since my last review i have changed my system a little. i have gone from a pioneer elite vsx26 receiver to a B&K 305 receiver which has really let me see the high quality of the sony's DAC. I was told that the B&K's DAC was very good and that i should run digital out to the receiver. well i have spent countless hours comparing the two and running analog out in direct mode is better, MUCH better. I have even used external DAC's from CAL labs and the sony is better, MUCH better. I compared other CD players from cambridge audio, adcom, NAD, and denon. the sony was better, MUCH better. And when i say much better i mean image focus, sound stage, depth of sound, tonal correctness. I can't imagine a better sound coming from the source. And to the last poster boy saying that SACD is a disapointment, have you done any direct comparisons. I have and i was blown away. Well i think i have made my point, plus i have to get back to work. it's a great dvd player but not the best, i have seen better believe it or not. Buy this thing just for CD playback and SACD and get a free dvd player.

Sound-quality
Picture-quality
Picture-adjustments
Build-quality
Light-touch frontpanel buttons
Quick DVD operation
Quiet

Ugly & boring OSD
Hard to see frontpanel buttons
Big remote

THE LOOK

The Sony DVP S9000ES took me by storm. I was really overblown with thrill when installing it. Its the most beautiful DVD-player I have ever seen (goldcolor). Its heavy too, which is always good.

SETUP

Setup was a bit frustrating. I am not happy with the OSD on this machine. On the other hand I have yet seen a machine with really good OSD (how come no manufacturer can produce one ?). Ofcourse the OSD works fine, but its not good-looking or as intuitive as I was hoping.

PICTURE

Difference from my previous DVD-player (Pioneer) was quite clear the moment I started the first disc. As a reference I started with Disney´s DINOSAUR (a disc that probably has the best picture ever). This disc will look good on all DVD-players, but the question is really how they HANDLE the picture.

The S9000ES produced a smother, sharper image, with a true 3D quality to the image, making it appear more 3D than most players. Even non-anamorfic discs like TITANIC and THE ABYSS look better played thru the S9000ES. Its almost like they were anamorfic.

Color and black-level is dead on. The picture-adjustments are a nice addition, and is helpful.

SOUND

Although I first thought the internal DAC´s of the S9000ES would sound better with music (analog connection), the digital output connected to my processor was much better. My last DVD player (Pioneer) was also connected the same way for listening to music, but the result is better with the Sony. That means the digital sound is better handled by this player.

For movies in Dolby Digital and DTS the S9000ES is quite special. It has a shap, detailed sound, yet is both warmer and tender than previous experiences. This means I can turn up the volume a bit more than before without even the smallest hint at fatigue. The digital sound is truly
tour-de-force, there is a real-wold presence to the sound that is staggering.

For the first time it sounds like the S9000ES is finally feeding my processor the complete digital data stream.

I have not yet tried SACD, but am very anxious to.

CONCLUSION

I urge anyone looking for a DVD-player in this league to check this one out. The only thing its really lacking is support for DVD-A and multichannel SACD.

My sytem

TagMcLaren AV32R digital processor
Rotel THX RBM-1095 power multichannel amp
Sony DVP S9000ES
NHT VT-2 speaker system
Harmonic Tech cables

Progressive Scan,SACD,Built well

little buttons on the front hard to read

this player rocks.If SACD went away tommorow you would still be left with one heck of a DVD player.As you can see I have tried out alot of DVD players.The Toshiba's had alot of artifacts( I did not have an chance to use the new gen)The JVC had a "nice picture"but the sound was not there for me.The sony covers it all.To this point the break in period has not been covered but the sound is awsome and if it is only gonna get better...:).I do not fee that some of the prior reviews are doing the player justice.If you are comparing the picture to another and not using the progressive scan feature than i agree that it would be an exspensive choice.Why would you want to bypass the excellent Sony DAC to use a digital output to an inferior DAC ? Oh well 5 out of 5

System
Toshiba 50hx70 hdtv
Denon 5700 running center and rears
Parasound HCA-1500 fronts
Sony 9000es
Energy Veritas 2.3 fronts
Energy Veritas 2.0 Center
B&W 601s2 Rear

Similar Products Used:

Technics A-10,Panasonic A-10,JVC 723gd,Toshiba sd9100,Toshiba 5109,Toshiba sd1600,denon 1000,Yamaha Dvd

Build, 96kHz output, Gamma and Noise Correction, Bundled Software (AVIA, SACD sampler & Men in Black), SACD, Progressive Scan is Amazing...

Price, No DVD-audio playback...

I've been waiting forever to get this player for a reasonable price. First I tried my friend that works at Sony. He could get me the player for $875.00 but it was going to take awhile. Three months later he tells me that there was a computer error and that my order was lost. I then called the guys at OneCall.com and had it delivered three days later, for $1100 after shipping. The guys at OneCall are awesome, ask for Larry.

I replaced my sony DVP-C650D (five disk DVD player) with the S9000ES and was suprised to see no difference in the interlaced picture quality. This didn't suprise me considering that all Sony DVD players have excellent playback. Although, when I switch from interlaced to progressive scan, the picture was significantly improved. I am using a 65" wide-screen Mitsubishi HDTV. With the Line Doubler turned on. This improvement has justified all the money spend on this player.

This player also allows you to output sound data at a 96kHz sampling rate, if your reciever/decoder can handle it. This definitely helps the quality of the sound...

After I was stun by the improvement in video, I threw in the SACD sampler to verify all the hype surrounding the SACD format. I used the purest modes on my reciever to demo the SACD. The second track on the sampler features Yo-Yo Ma the cellist. I've heard this track played from a regular CD at a high-end audio store with Krell amplifiers and $15,000 B&W speakers. I thought that setup was awesome... Using my DB Dynamic speakers and Sony Reciever (DA555ES) I believe that I achieved better sound. It's that good...

One thing I noticed about SACD, is that songs that are re-mastered don't sound any better than their regular CD versions, on the other hand, new recordings sound twice as good. The new recordings are very crisp and separated from the ambient noise floor...

I recommend this player to anyone, who's video playback quality is limited by their DVD player. In other words, don't buy this player if you don't have a Digital TV with progressive capabilities. If you have a regular TV buy any cheap Sony DVD player and you'll be more than happy...

Thanks for all the other good reviews...
Chris

Look/Feel, Construction, Video Reproduction (Progressive), Audio Reproduction (SACD)

Annoying Shadow Artifact on 2.35:1 Picture

First off, I like this player. I was happy with my S7000 and so I wanted a player that had progressive output. I considered others, however, I am a SONY man, so my choice was clear.

Now I am no audiophile, but I like premium equipment. The video reproduct is excellent, but not quite what I was expecting. I thought that the picture would be clearer and fuller/deeper, however this is minor compared to my other picture experience (See Below).

As for audio, I only play SACD in it. I have not reason to play CD or CDR (I have a CDX90ES for that). I was blown away by the SACD sound, compared to CD. Now I know some of you have said that the SACD reproduction is not up to standard to that of a dedicated play. This is probably correct, I personally have not had the opportunity to compare. I do enjoy the reproduction of this unit.

I have the 9000ES hooked to a SONY 53HS10. I have noticed on movies like "Pitch Black" and "Gladiator" (both 2.35:1), there is a noticable horizontal shadow/artifact inside the Widescreen picture located at the inside bottom of the picture (and to a degree the top). I say shadow, because you can actually see the picture behind it. The horizontal shadow is about 1/4 inch in height and traverses across the entire screen. It is very noticable on light backgrounds, like the gamma saturated scenes in "Pitch Black".

On the movie, "The Cell" whch is 2.40:1, the effect is not there. Also if I try a 1.85:1 format movie, there is also no problem.

Has anyone noticed this issue with this player. I have elimated the TV, as I also tried it on a Toshiba HDTV. Also tried a brand new DVPS9000ES and it has the same problems. I have not hooked the DVD to a CRT (like a WEGA or the like)

Any thoughts

Regards
Michael Christsen

Similar Products Used:

DVPS7000

none

This player after several months with it has got to be one of the best audio/video bargains ever as it has a much better picture and sound quality than the 7700 it replaced.Then theres sacd,which after listening to and buying a few discs,i have to say is a tremendous leap from even 4000.00 redbook players iv,e heard playing redbook.sacd is for real.The cd playback is on par with 1000.00 players until around the 350-400 mark and then i would have to say its probably closer to 1500.00 players or more in some cases.A cheap tweak that works on this unit is vibrapods under osb,then the 9000es on top,right were this player belongs.

Similar Products Used:

sony 7700

Cannot play CD-R's

I tested this Sony against the Pioneer Elite DV-38A and the Denon DVD-2800 for picture quality only. All three units were used in their progressive (film) output mode. I used the Pioneer Elite PRO-710HD T.V. I used The Fifth Element and The Matrix for the testing. These two films combined cover a wide range of brightness and detail. The DV-38A had some video qualities in the picture which detracted from a film presentation and was clearly not as bright. You can adjust that but then the blacker images become white hazed. The 2800 was fuzzier, somewhat washed out looking and lacked the same detail. Once past the setup, the actual test did not take long. The Sony won the contest by a clear margin. It provided a stunningly detailed and bright film-like picture. Enough said.

I did not do any critical audio comparing with the other units, but I am very satisfied with the Sony audio quality for HT and CD's. I have no immediate plans to use the included SACD format but, hey, you never know. Now, HDCD's and DVD audio, that is another story...

Similar Products Used:

PIONEER ELITE DV-38A, DENON DVD-2800

Same as my last review

Non

This is just an update to imbecile who made the mistake of implying I was given money. I'm was a research scientist in academia (Columbia University) then became a scientist with Bell Labs. I made some ideas work received some money went back to school and added an MBA to my applied mathematics degree. I invested and now retired at the age of 41.
It is quite obvious and I'm sorry that you have a great deal of mommy and daddy problems and therefore have to assume that mine gave me what I have as well. Maybe you should take it up with them, as it is probably some deep rooted resentement towards your parents regarding your station in life. Maybe next time sir you won't be as timid to hide behind some childish mock up "Makin fun-o-u" so original none-the-less. Oh and as for "poor boy," thank you for making a valid point, I take what you said to heart. I do enjoy listening to old vinyl records on my turntable (I love and miss the scratching and crackling noises they made as well as most of the discernable nuances apparent while recording. I do agree with the using cheaper cables for certain listening situations i.e., home theater. But I have a dedicated listening room with sound absorbing material and lets me hear every detail.
I've compared the same equipment inside and outside the room using both top grade and average cables. Outside the difference is barely audible, definitely not worth the strecth, but inside the difference is phenomenol.
Now to John. You are absolutely correct you can post anything on this public forum. I don't happen to agree with your points but I wouldn't suppress your right to post.

Similar Products Used:

Same as my last review

One of the best pictures on the industry...killer sound for a dvd player

none for the quality you recieve

What more can i say about this great player. The video playback is one ofthe best you will see on your display for the price. The review below about it not being a true progressive player is incorrect. I'am not sure why he would state this...DVD is not all stored progressively and if a player has 3/2 pulldown, reguardless if it's using one chip over another, it will be converting the fields correctly. Now that doesn't mean there won't be any problems but the process will be correct(flags...thats another story). Actually DVD is stored in frames(not 24!? but 60). It's the players job to reconstruct them correctly with 3/2 pulldown. This player uses a tweaked version of the genesis chip which outputs the cleanest picture in it's price range. The DV-37 is also a great player but it comb's more than the sony and more than most on the same DVD's. The SACD is a major plus and it's not a "CHEAP" version...whatever that means??? I listen to the SCD-777ES as well an the playback on the 9000ES is just a hair under. Many people might not even hear a difference. It will blow away CD playback on all but the most expensive systems on the market. There is a lot of incorrect statements on this form. It truely is screwed up...The player is great for it's price range and really is a steal...period.

PS. If i bought a BMW and had a problem that would not make the car a junk dealer now would it...but that seems to be the way audio reviews work's for most people...go figure??

Similar Products Used:

sony 7700, pioneer players, pana etc.