Quick track access and overall intuitive functionality of the unit. Loaded with useful features. Very good picture.

Wouldn't use it as primary CD player in a mid or high-end system.

I bought this unit to use as a transport to replace my ailing 13 year old CD player, to get the convenience of a carousel player, and to add Dolby Digital and DVD capabilities to my system. This was the only unit anywhere near the price that could do all of the above, so this unit really hit the nail on the head for me feature-wise.

However, the main reason I bought it was to use as a CD transport into a DAC. With new formats coming soon I didn't want to drop a bundle on a high-end CD only player or a DVD player, and since many reviewers have spoken very highly about Pioneer DVD players as transports(some manufacturers were even using Pioneer DVD players as transports at the 2000 CES) I thought this might be a great way to solve many of my problems at once. I'm running the 302 into an EVS Millenium DAC and the results have been stunning. I'm sure using a higher quality transport would improve the sound somewhat, but I'd probably have to drop a bundle to make a significant difference and the sound is absolutely phenomenal as is. As a bonus I can play the 24/96 DADs(Pioneer is one of the very few who actually outputs the 24/96 signal) which are absolutely amazing(although the selection sucks), and if DVD audio and SACD match this level of audio performance this is truly an exciting time for audiophiles.

As much as I would highly recommend the 302 as a transport, as a standalone CD player it is very mediocre. It lacks the dynamics, detail, and openness of better CD players and DACs, so if you have a mid-fi system or better I would not recommend this as your primary CD player. However, used as a transport this thing accesses tracks faster than any player I've seen--it's almost instantaneous. Movement between discs is not very fast and a littly noisy, but at this price I'm just thrilled I have a carousel at all. My only complaint from a functionality standpoint is that programming the random play option is a bit more involved than it should be, but it's not too bad once you get used to it and this is definately a minor complaint.

I confess I haven't watched too many DVD movies through the 302 yet, but those I have watched have been visually stunning and I have had no problems with the player freezing up. By the way, many people seem to be upset that the player may occasionally hiccup on certain movies. While I would consider it an annoyance, it seems to occur on a small subset of DVDs(i.e. Matrix, etc.) that are notorious for locking up most players out there, and most of the time you just have to hit "stop" and "play" and the movie picks up where it left off. I suppose you could downgrade this unit for this reason, but if you look at reviews of other DVD players they ALL have had problems in this area so there's really nowhere to hide(obviously some units are defective, but that's a different story). FYI, we're all running on 1st generation DVD transports from the same 2 or 3 manufacturers(mostly Sony and Philips I think) which is why this problem is so universal. Rumor has it that Philips will be introducing a much-improved 2nd generation drive unit this fall, and I suspect this will all but eliminate these errors.

Lastly, yes the remote is pretty bad but not as bad as some other budget players or even some higher-priced units. If you're running a home theater you really should invest in a good programmable universal remote anyway. If you haven't, believe me it will be a life-changing event--one of those things where you smack yourself in the head and wonder why you juggled remotes for so long. I highly recommend the Universal SL9000 for those who like real buttons--it's replaced 7 remotes for me and is absolutely terrific(got mine for $89 at One Call who were great by the way)--but if you go the touchscreen route I know several people who rave about the Philips Pronto/Marantz RC5000(same unit, different color). The Pronto is so popular it seems to be generating its own following and info-sharing websites(I've heard the Pronto version is in short supply).

Anyway, to sum up, this player has more talents and features per dollar than any other I've found, and after living with it for 4 months I have been thrilled with its functionality and overall performance.

My current associated equipment:
EVS Millenium DAC
Rotel RSP-980 pre/pro
NAD 7250PE receiver(using 60w amp section only)
Soliloquy 5.3 speakers
DH Labs interconnects
Apogee Wydeye digital cable

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba, Panasonic

low cost, multi disk, dd, dts

wish i could get progresive scan at this price point

first of all, i got the unit form best buy as an open box for about 240 bucks. for this price i cant find a fault. even for its regular price, i belive the unit is a good player.

i brought the unit home and played tarzan for my daughter. i felt the units performance was superb. no problems at all.

note that im using an yamaha rx-v795a and a mits 46805 with this unit, so this unit is clearly the lowest point in the chain. even so i think this little pioneer can hold its head up high.

i was pining for a tosh 6200, but i just couldnt justify nearly trippling my cost to get progressive scan. (although if i can get a steller deal on the 6200 later, i may upgrade...)

bottom line: im happy.

Similar Products Used:

first dvd

Picture, sound

A little slow changing discs, but nothing I can't live with.

A great player. I really noticed a difference in my music cd's as compared to the Technics I have been using for about 10 yrs.
The music sounded much more alive, smoother, sweeter. The Technics sounded dead, no detail, harsh. I never would have known my CD's could sound so much better! I thought they sounded pretty good on the Technics.
This being my first DVD player I have nothing to compare it to on the video side, but I know one thing for sure, it sure looks better than VHS.
The Technics was a 5 disc changer and this is a 3 but I can get used to that.
I bought this player because it was in my price range, $299.00 at Best Buy(I think they had it priced wrong). It was $399.00 on one shelf and $299.00 on another. I had the kid check it for me and that's what I got it for $299.00! I have yet to see it for that price anywhere, excluding the net. I also bought it because of the reviews on this and other sites and because Pioneer knows the technology. I believe they put out the first Laser Disc player, they've been doing laser and doing it well for a while.

Similar Products Used:

Technics CD player SL-PD5

Great picture, sound, plays CD-R, CD-RW

Won't play some movies - has difficulty with imperfect disks

I grabbed this unit because Costco was selling the display unit and although it was supposed to have been marked $299, it was actually marked $209, so I made them give it to me for that price. I had priced it, and most retail outlets (and e-retailers) were selling it for right around $370, so I just couldn't resist.

Looking at the other reviews, I have not had any problems with the audio dropping out on me, and I have rented and watched some of the movies which were described as "problem" movies. However, because I have only had the unit a few months, virtually all the DVD's I have watched on it have been rented, and when I have rented DVD's that were two-sided, I have had the same basic experience - (a) the DVD's were filthy on both sides, and (b) the unit either had difficulty playing the disks, or it refused to play them outright. (I got error messages indicating "DVD CANNOT BE PLAYED".) Cleaning the disks did not seem to help. Of course, the two-sided DVD is basically a dead format now, so this will probably not be a problem in the future. but there are still a few two-sided disks circulating around.

In reading others' comments about the quality of the CD play, I have been relatively impressed by the sound quality the unit produces with CD's, since CD music is not really the primary purpose of the unit. I used it to replace an 11-year-old Technics single-disk CD player (which I gave to my 10-year-old son), and the sound quality from the Pioneer is as good, if not better, than that which I got from the Technics. (The Technics came with 4x oversampling, I believe.) Also, I was relieved to find that it plays CD-RW's, since I just recently bought a computer with a CD-RW drive, and basically nothing else in the house (besides the Pioneer and the computer itself), including the CD player in my wife's vehicle, will play them.

One other quirk is that I was recently playing "Happy Gilmore" (you notice I don't say I was WATCHING it - I got it for my son), and after the disk finished playing, I couldn't get the tray open, and the unit turned itself off. I was about to take it to an authorized service center (130 miles away!) when I decided "What the hell" and turned it upside down and shook it a couple of times. God only knows what I may have done to the laser alignment and such (I haven't noticed any negative effects - yet), but it got the disk loose, and the tray opened. After some experimentation with "Happy Gilmore" and some other disks, I discovered that the problem was that the "Happy Gilmore" disk was slightly warped (physically, in addition to the metaphorical warping of Adam Sandler's mind), and that I only had a problem with that disk. However, everyone who is considering buying this unit should know that it is a bit "fussy" in this sense - both dirty and warped disks are not just a problem, but potentially a BIG problem.

Of course, for $209, I can't complain about this unit at all, and since it is my first DVD player, I am, like all new DVD player owners, blown away by both the picture and the sound. I must sadly admit that I have a "low end" system (A Sony DE635 receiver, Polk M3 II's and a Cambridge Soundworks Center - and a Toshiba 36" TV) which I hope to upgrade as time goes on, and one of the upgrades will probably be a progressive scan DVD player, but the Pioneer DV-C302D is definitely a welcome addition to the current system. I would recommend it to others for either low-end or mid-level systems. (My "value" rating is 5 stars because I got it for $209 - at $370, or $330, which is what Costco was originally charging for it, I'd give it 4 stars.)

changer function for audio CDs

Remote must be pointed directly at player in order to work. Audio occasionally cuts out on movies.

Overall this is a great DVD player. It's not exceptionally fast, but it's decent. I bought the changer model because I use it for CDs as well. I just wish they incorporated 5 disks, like other players. Why only three? Also, occasionally the audio shuts off in the middle of a movie. It doesn't seem to be disk-related. I've played several movies over and over again, some times the audio stops, other times it works fine. One thing is for sure... it has ONLY happened on rental disks. NONE of my DVDs I own have ever stopped. Maybe a coincidence? The rental disks are not scratched or anything. They look fine. I'm not sure, but it appears to be doing it when the laser refocuses to the next level. The picture continues playing, but the audio stops.

Other than this annoying problem, it's a great DVD player. Just wish it had progressive scan.

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Sony, Mitsubishi

PLAYS CDR`S

NONE

LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET ONE IF U CAN STILL FIND IT!!!!!!

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PAN. 120