Good multi-talent player for an excellent price

A bit slow while moving from track to track

I am right now taking the time to post some reviews after setting up my video/audio system in the last 5 month. This forum helped me a lot in deciding on the right pieces - thanks to everyone.

I think the Technics A10 is great value as a do-it-all player, especially with the recent price drops. I use it for CDs, DVD-Videos and -Audios; it does a great job on all accounts. While there are better players out there for each source category, I doubt there is a better overall value.

I really enjoy listening to DVD-Audio's a lot - the terrific Beethoven Symphony suite (all 1-9) conducted by Daniel Barenboim alone justifies getting a DVD-Audio player. Since DVD-A is just in its infant stage, I would not yet spend a fortune on a player while the technology is still evolving (currently no bass management and digital output on any player I know of). Therefore, the Technics is an excellent choice as a first taste into DVD-A while also performing well on CDs and Videos.

My system consists of B&W Nautilus and CDM speakers driven by a B&K AVR 305 Receiver. All products, I am very happy with.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-333

Excellent built quality. Great sound with CDs and DVD Audio. Very good picture with DVDs.

No progressive scan. Bass management.

I am fed up. All these people who do not even own the product yet they do everything to belittle it. I don't know what's wrong with all these SACD fanatics. We know that you don't like DVD-Audio. That's fine. But you do not have to post bogus reviews claiming imagined weeknesses in DVD-Audio equipment that you have never owned or even seen. Greg below is a perfect example. I can say only this: guys get a life. As far as Techics DVD-A10 is concerned, it is a very fine CD player, an excellent DVD-Audio player, and a very competent DVD player. It is built like a tank and at this price it's a steal. The more I use it the more I like it. By the way, I have not experienced harshness with remastering. I actually tend to prefer it. Nor have I experienced any clicking. Is it better that Sony SACD players, I do not know. There is no way to make a miningful comparison since there is no single piece of software available in both formats. Only then one would be able to do a meaningful comparison. You can hardly go wrong with this player. Even if DVD-A does not catch up, you will still own a very good CD/DVD player. I've been hearing for months that Sony is going to come out with a $400 SACD player but so far I haven't seen it. As long as that has not happened Technics DVD A10 remains the best value. It is as simple as that.

Similar Products Used:

Sony and Technics CD players.

Sound, build

slow

I love it.

Looks great, sounds even better.

Similar Products Used:

sony 7000

Clarity in spades with regular CDs. Versatile.

No software! Slow to cue up.

Looks like I'm the first to review this new DVD-audio player. I feel kind of like I did back in 1983 with my first CD player (Sony DPD-101?). With only the supplied sampler DVD-A disc to play, this review will be brief. In brief, it's great. You'll have to re-calibrate your ears to a very different sound. It's still a "digital" sound, but there's more there there. Regular CDs sound much clearer.
The video menu and slide show during the program have great potential.
I just wish I could find a source of more DVD-A discs! Anyone out there know of anything available? I'm sure discs will be forthcoming, but in the meantime I'll be playing old CDs. And, oh yeah, it plays movie DVDs too.

Super detailed and yet smooth. Build quality is great. Vibe deadening material makes perfect sense.

Slow (why?) to respond to comands. No progressive scan DVD. No CD-r playback

I sold my Ah! Tjoeb 99 after finding its tube sound unspecific and lacking in the clarity I prefer. I bought this unit instead and have found it to be just amazing. The lively and life-like detail is so satisfying. It seems to lack a little in bass but the unit isn't yet broken in.
If any one has found any professional reviews of this unit I would appreciate a link.

Similar Products Used:

Ah Tjoeb

features, price, build quality

I just ordered this unit from J&R to replace my Sony 530D. I've been having problems with skipping and freezing, and I have not seen these problems described with this unit in this forum. I plan to use it mainly for DVD playback as I have a separate system for music. I have a question regarding connections through the HT receiver (Marantz 8000). Should I use the digital audio (optical) connector or will there be significant sound quality loss (again, for movies) by not going with the separate 6 - channel connections? Which brand cables?

I've been researching the market looking for a trouble-free DVD player and haven't found anything close at the price J&R is offering this machine. I don't need progressive scan and honestly could not see much difference with the 530D running through S-VHS vs. component video into a Sony WEGA (not XBR).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Similar Products Used:

sony 530D

-Great fu&%*ng sound!
-Re-Mastering feature provides a noticeable difference... - -DAC is smooth & warm. System sound amazing with DVD-Audio
-Well-built... Is this really a Technics component????

-Slow reaction for FFWD, REV, etc
-No progressive scan (though I'm not quite sure what this will buy me all things considered
-Doesn't look like any other components I own... However, since it looks so good, my fiancee may want me to change or hide the other components.

Great sound!

Standard CDs - I've auditioned many of the high cost transports and can't see how this could sound better. I just can't believe this is a Technics. This is, of course, the opinion of an amerature, but I really think this unit makes my CD library shine. The only problem is that difference is so noticeable that I'm hesitant to use all of my Sony 300 CD changers any more.

DVD-Audio - I can't really compare this to other DVD-Audion players, since this is the only one I've heard. The sound is... fluid. This is about the best word I can use to describe it. I choose this adjective because, when I play DVD-Audions from this deck, I hear sounds coming from everywhere. This isn't like listening to CDs, DTS Surround CDs, HDCD, etc. Since this is the only transprt I've listened to, I don't know how it compares to other decks.

Build Quality - I don't think that this thing was built by Panasonic.... It looks, feels & runs like an audiophile component.

DVD Video - I'm using this system in my living room which, unfortunately, doesn't have a TV. Thus, I cannot judge it's DVD Video capabilities. I've been told by some that progressive scan is a big deal and by others that it isn't, biven the current state of monitors, etc. Since I won't be upgrading my video system til next year, I'll wait and see what shakes out.

My System -
-Sony STR-DA77ES Receiver
-B&W CDM7-SE2s front
-B&W 603s2s rear
-B&W LC6(?) Center
-Sunfure MKII Sub
-2 Sony 300CD changers (Not the ES changers... the ES might deliver performance closer to the DVD-A10)
-Bi-wired cables, etc.... cheap, but good sound

Negatives - The unit is slow to respoond to requests (ie. FFWD takes several seconds), no progressive scan... other than that, it's great.

Conclusion - I bought this unit for sound and, for audio, this unit is superior.

Similar Products Used:

Various Denon, Sony, Panasonic, etc CD & DVD players. Also, California Audio(SP?) D-A converter

Remaster circuit, build quality, dual analog outputs, Many setting to play with.

Power cord, Power cord, power cord.

To keep this short I must start as saying that I can only judge this unit as a CD player not a DVD-A player per software availability.
I have not heard a machine at any price point (Krell, Denon w/Alpha, Musical Fidelity, Sony SACD/ ES) that can make my old CD's sound so sweet. I can now re-live the glory of my entire collection. If you have one of these you know what I'm talking about. Invite a friend to stop over with his worst sounding cd. These are the one's you by for the memories but can't play because of the sound. (except of the boom box!) Sit this person down in the optimal listening position, give him/her a beer and let it roll. What before was terrible is now not too bad.....Once they get used to this take out one of your fav cuts (techno or good jazz for me) and knock there socks off. Once you finish up the listening session ask how much this piece would be worth to him/her......Then offer to sell yours for half that and make a tidy profit! If you are looking for a great player please do not focus on the software war (SACD or DVD-A) ask yourself how much is it worth to have your whole EXISTING collection raised a bar soundwise, and be ready for 24/94-196. Nuff said.

Similar Products Used:

JVC Super Digifine, Sansui, Sony ES, Denon, Many DACS.

Greatly Built quality. Sound is the best

Still very new to market

Let me tell you that this is the best audio component i have ever heard. I have the Technics T300 tower speakers which have a leaf tweater and are the only dvd audio ready speakers which give you the full benefit of dvd audio. The sound is so detailed and piercing that your ear drums start to itch. I have tryed SACD and its not as good as the DVD audio.

My system:
Technics SA-DA10N dvd audio ready reciever
Technics DVD A10N
Technics T300 DVD audio ready tower speakers
Technics AFC150 center channel
Technics SH-GE70 equilizer

This set up blows SACD away!!!

Similar Products Used:

SACD

Plays DVD-A, DVD-V and CD's in re-master mode.

None.

I really like the A10. I purchased this unit because I love 5.1 surround (DD, DTS, etc). I have purchased many DTS music CD's and purchased the ELP - "Brain Salad Surgery" DVD-A disc to listen to in plain old Dolby Digital. It sounded great in DD. I then said that if this sounds good in DD, it has to sound great in DVD-A. I was right. The Emerson Lake and Palmer disc was great in DVD-A so I had to buy this player. I use NHT 2.5i fronts, an NHT AudioCenter 1, with Definitive Technology bipolor surrounds, and a Paradigm 10" Sub.

I haven't heard SACD so I can't really comment on that, but I feel that DVD-A will have a larger market since it may be marketed to more of the general public than SACD.

I have subsequently bought other DVD-A discs, namely Doors-LA Women, Buena Vista Social Club and Stone Temple Pilot - CORE. The Doors disc sounds good, better than the 24bit remaster included in the Doors Complete Studio recordings box set. But since the regular 2-channel Doors disc is also mastered in HDCD, I compared the HDCD 2 channel mix decoded through a Toshiba DVD player with HDCD decoding with the 2 channel DVD-A mix on the DVD-A disc. The results were surprising. The DVD-A disc sounded great, smooth and musical, with nice smooth high frequencies. BUT, the HDCD disc sounded very close. By cueing the discs up to the exact same spot on Riders on the Storm and A/Bing both, I found the HDCD mix to be very close to the DVD-A with a few differences. One, the high frequencies were not as smooth or defined in the HDCD mix, but the HDCD low end went deeper but was not as tight. The DVD-A low end was tight and well defined but seemed to roll off at a higher frequency. This showed me that the quality of the master used may have more to add to regular CD than anything else, since the HDCD mix and the DVD-A must be from the same 96khz/24bit master. The subtle smoothness that was apparent in the DVD-A has to be because the DVD-A can output the full 96/24 signal, whereas HDCD is a 44/20bit signal.

As to the re-master circuit, I think it does add to regular CD sound, but again playing a HDCD disc on the A10 did not make the disc sound better than playing the same HDCD disc on the Toshiba 2200 with HDCD decoding. In fact, I think that HDCD discs sounded more open played with HDCD decoding on the Toshiba than with the Technics A10. But non HDCD discs sounded more open and smoother on the Technics A10 than they did played on any other CD or DVD player. (And yes, I use the analog outputs when playing CD's on the Technics A10 so I get the full benefit of the 192khz/24bit DAC converters). One thing is certain, DVD-Audio has less or almost non-existant upper level harshness that I tend to hear in many regular CD's.

As far as DVD-V quality on the Techics, it is good. It seems to be similiar if not the same to the picture of my Toshiba 2200. Both are used via Component Video inputs on my Sony Wega Televison set. (Remember that the DVD-A10 does not have a progressive output).

Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase of the DVD A-10. SACD may or may not be better than DVD-A - at this point I can't afford a SACD player. But I have to say that DVD-A is a definite improvement over regular CD, especially if you like to hear your music in full quality 5.1 surround.

If you want to read more about DVD-AUDIO I suggest you get the February/March 2001 issue of Sound&Vision magazine.

Similar Products Used:

No other DVD-A players, but have used Toshiba and Panasonic DVD-V players