Digital Drive: REVIEW: Onkyo DV-SP1000 Universal SACD/DVD-A Players by hexenboden Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it.

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Model:	DV-SP1000
Category:	Universal SACD/DVD-A Players
Suggested Retail Price:	$2,000
Description:	Universal Player
Manufacturer URL:	Onkyo
Manufacturer URL:	Onkyo

Review by hexenboden ( A ) on May 03, 2006 at 14:15:19 IP Address: 216.227.81.186

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The DV-SP1000 is the top of the line universal player from Onkyo . This extraordinary unit can be purchased for around $1,400 (you might get the Canadian model, which does not have a video input, for that price) and makes me wonder if it is really necessary to spend more on a digital transport, regardless of the cost of the system it’s in. Particularly if, like me, you use an outboard DAC for most of your PCM listening, in my case through the Tact 2.2X. I believe the Onkyo is up to the task in virtually any true high end system.

The DV-SP1000 plays redbook CD, DVD, DAD (24/96 digital output capable, of course), DVD-A and SACD, along with other formats like MP3, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW etc, some of which I did not try. It did not hesitate to play anything I fed it, so far, including re-compressed DVD-R material.

The unit’s build quality is truly audiophile grade. You will not feel in any way ashamed of this product next to whatever else is beside it. It is constructed like a tank, and is heavier than plenty of audiophile universal player’s I’ve lifted. That in itself may not be conclusive, but it does give an overall indication of quality.

As with any good digital player the strength of this unit is its neutrality, which allows the music and the recording to shine through. Lest anyone confuse neutrality with dryness of lack of musicality, let me assure you that in a good system this player produces some of the most involving sound available. I have compared this player from memory in my system with other great digital transports and I can attest that it is at least their equal. In addition, the construction is so careful and solid that the player does not suffer from the quirkiness of so many other small-company audiophile products. There is something to be said for a product aimed at uncompromised music and video reproduction coming from a large corporation. I presume some people could argue that the implementation of certain circuits and parts choice could have been better done like this or like that, but if they do, they are probably trying to sell you something. The sound coming from this player gives evidence of a solidly designed and built power supply and analog output section. I have seen the unit’s 16/44 jitter results and measurements in a German audio magazine, and they are more than respectable, and better than some players considered to be top contenders.

In fact, SACDs sounded better, and more natural to me than on any other player I’ve heard, including the lauded Sony SCD-1, and on an altogether higher plane than the rather compromised sound you get from entry level SACD players. I could list a dozen classic and pop SACD “superdiscs” which sounded wonderfully. On DVD-A the player is perhaps even more remarkable. Listening to the Aix release of Queen’s A Night at the Opera revealed things in certain cuts that I had never heard before since my school years, when I listened to the LP on an Acoustic Research turntable. And the Onkyo was equally excellent on CD, although as all great players the marginally better performance of hi-rez was relatively easy to detect.

At the same time you are getting a killer DVD player, judging both from my own experience watching movies as well as from reviews of its video capabilities that you can find on the internet. There’s the proverbial video defeat switch to turn the circuitry off when you listen to music. I tried it but even with high resolution material I can’t say I could detect much of a difference. Which is what you would expect since you don’t want a player to have compromised sound when playing DVDs.

By the way, the remote is excellent. Given it’s excellent learning function, I replaced all my other remotes with this one, including a universal Philips remote I had paid a few hundred bucks for (eBay there I go). The only nit I can think of is the lack of balanced analog or digital outputs. But the sound hardly seems to be affected much by this. There are two sets of SPDIF and Toslink digital outs, which are user configurable via helpful on-screen menus. Once configured it is really unnecessary to access the screen at all. The manual is about 45 pages long and very well written.

Bottom line: if you are looking for a universal transport and dispose of a good PCM DAC downstream I can’t think of a unit that I’d recommend more than this one. Regardless of cost. And even for direct playback of digital sources through it’s analog outputs, I’m pretty sure you’d have to spend a multiple of its street cost to even think that you may be getting better digital sound. It’s that good.

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Product Weakness:	it doesnt get you girls
Product Strengths:	low cost, high build quality, universal, astounding sound and video

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Parasound JC-1
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Tact 2.2X
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Onkyo DV-SP1000
Speakers:	McIntosh XRT29
Cables/Interconnects:	various
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	various
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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