Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Sony DVP NS 500v DVD Players by tcain

Model:	DVP NS 500v
Category:	DVD Players
Suggested Retail Price:	$300
Description:	SACD, CD, CD-rw
Manufacturer URL:	Sony
Manufacturer URL:	Sony

Review by tcain ( M ) on May 30, 2002 at 12:22:33
IP Address: 206.63.145.208

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for the DVP NS 500v

I had , like many been frustrated by the recent advances and setbacks occurring in the digital format wars. At the expense of music lovers sanity, large corporations have held hostage, and continue to hold hostage the music lover in need of high resolution mediums by which we enjoy our time at a cost that's affordable to the working schlubs like me. LP playback had actually improved on a cost "per improvement" level to the point I had actually given up on digital in general with exception of the music available on CD and not on vinyl. A good example is the Nigerian Band "L'agbaja" and the album titled "WE before ME" available on the Pulse label. Not available on vinyl, the CD is really out of this world, a fusion of afro street rythyms and contemporary jazz saxophone and percussion enhanced vocals. A must have for anyone with a rythym bone(er).
After studying formats and advanced red book cd "only" machinery for a good long time I had resigned to at least getting a Rega Jupiter or Planet, the Arcams also were a good sounding unit. At least I knew I would have to spend a grand or two to make digial keep up with my Teres TT/Dynavector and high efficiency horn systems. The AMC CD8 and DAC8 combo were well worn and long on the tooth so to speak and the litle laser within had lost it's brilliance, or to my ears the sound had become "plain" and uninviting. I looked at the ART DIO and other low cost DACs even the fine sounding Birdland DAC which I know to be a definate high ended sound but a tad out of my allotted budget. The recent review of this SONY player in The Absolute Sound was the clincher. Not a rave, but a respectful report on solid red book performance. Just the ticket.
So I gamble $300 clams on the Sony DVP NS500v at the local hippie cum record store that retails home theater "plasteek". I insist on the "demo" model having purchased a good many low cost SONY products at this establishment while setting up sound installations for freinds, buisinesses and such. I reasoned that the demo "would indeed work" and might be a bit broke in as well, noting many an inmates insistence that the sound improves on this machine with some time running under it's belt. I left the store with just the player and a receipt not wanting have to recycle yet another cardboard box.
Build wise is pure neo plasto consumer disposable. At 4-7 lbs. I could hammer toss it by it's cord a good 75-85 yards if I had to. The "button city" remote has actually about 3 useful buttons for an audiophile without a TV, the track change buttons and the stop/pause buttons. I'm sure the other 99 buttons work but I have neither the time nor will (I am a white male that CAN progran VCR's mind you). A quite slim profile the case looks better than it's built with nothing offensive to the eye and no overly objectionable industrial odors to distract the organic quietude of my room. My only tweak is a 12x12 slab of white Italian marble on top
The sound. It's quite good. I have read reports on these forums of this machine sounding bad on CD and it's just not the case. Across the spectrum sounds unfold whole and with yes a musical conveyance. Upper treble digital "shadow" is minimal and fairly non existant. This was and is easily the bain of most low cost units and some much more expensive players. This digital reflection or halo is easily heard and is a feature to most forms of digital recordings. When you are used to vinyl this becomes a major annoyance. Largely the DVPns500v gets around this somehow. Bass is ful and warm, lacking just a small bit of clarity in the very lowest octaves. Upper midbass is very clear and cleanly extruded. Midrange is clear and balanced very well with the bass and upper register. The L'agabaja CD had a great amount of air and space between instruments and voices with an excellent representation of the energy of this group who must keep faces hidden behind masks for poliutical reasons. It is this pent up, emotionally charged music that escapes from these musicians that must be heard to be appreciated. Dry recordings like The Squirrel Nut Zippers "Perrennial Favorites" were far less dry and a good bit of depth was gained with the new SONY that was never realised with the AMC. Timbre was, for lack of a beter word "right". These simple acoustic recordings of the Zippers high energy music can sound very congested on older players but the NS500v opens them up.
At this point the only SACD I have besides the sampler that came with the unit is FIM's audiophile reference IV, in it is a world os resolution beyond what I have known in digital reproduction. Air and more air, tone intact and without the digital halo of distraction. I will be buying some SACD's but I am very glad to have waited until this player arrived to worry this new format. SACD is definately all the good things in resolution that I have heard. Combined with my all DHT SET amplification it is "the ointment on my wound".

Product Weakness: Could use better controls and could be geared to 2 channel use. May be programmable improvements via internal cpu but will take me years to discover, no time.
Product Strengths: Cheap hi res, gonna buy another.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	All DHT SET 2a3 by Josh Stippich
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	801 DHT linestage by Josh Stippich
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Teres/Wheaton triplaner/Dynavector/Audible Illusions modulus phono pre
Speakers:	C&C dbl horns fe168
Cables/Interconnects:	Farrelli copper
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	all
Room Size (LxWxH):	30 x 18 x 9.5
Room Comments/Treatments:	custom C&C diffusors
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 week, all I need
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Could use better controls and could be geared to 2 channel use. May be programmable improvements via internal cpu but will take me years to discover, no time.
Product Strengths:	Cheap hi res, gonna buy another.