DVD-Audio capability, AC3&DTS built-in decoder, good cd replay with remaster function

dvd-a format needs more software, no cd-r playback

At hifi-plaza we concluded :

At 1250 Euro the DVD-A10 is an impressive performer with the new DVD Audio format as it’s biggest asset. It does a good job on CD replay and also features DTS and AC3 decoding. Video quality is good enough for most applications. We only regret the player refuses to play CD-R disks.

The full review can be found at :

http://hifi-plaza.com/content/reviews/technics_dvd_a10.php

picture is ok, buthe cd playback is better on the sony 9000es and of course the sony's pidture is also better.I mainly demoed this at home for a sacd/dvd-a comparison and found out there is no comparison SACDS is a big leap forward and dvd audio does not sound as good as better standard cd players.

picture when compared with the sony and the dvd audio offers no improvement in sound over cd from a decent player.

The picture quality is better than most cheap dvd players but not on par with either the sony 7000 which can be had used now for 375.00 but has no dts,or the sony 9000 es.I brought home two dvd players with dvd audio and a sony 9000es.The 9000 es bettered both the others in picture quality in every aspect color saturation,motion artifacts,and overall picture image.So on to the next comparison in cd play back, the sony again bettered the others with the technics coming in second.and on the last comparison dvd audio vs sacd there just is no comparison sacd is a huge improvement over cd sound,but with dvd audio there is little or no improvement over cd pending how good your cd player is. So if you by this player for a dvd player because of its heavily discounted price do not expect dvd audio to be an improvement in sound and stick with this player for movies and cd.Since i did this comparison a while back there have been three comparisons of dvd audio vs sacd and all three have said the same exact thing that i concluded sacd is the future and dvd audio sounds terrible in comparison to both sacd and regular cd's.The reveiws that i remember were in widescreen reveiw and positive feed back magazines.

Similar Products Used:

sony 7000, sony 9000 panasonic a-7

Great value! This is one solid machine.

not enough DVD-Audio titles available and the prices on the software are still over $20

I bought this unit primarily for use as a CD player and for DVD-Audio. I did not get the opportunity to see this anywhere before I ordered it so I had to rely on your reviews and other information I could find. When I saw it for $399 it was way too good to pass up.
The build quality on this is far superior to any previous Technics products I have seen. It weighs nearly 20 lbs! The controls, display and cd/dvd drawer give a real sense of quality.
Now as to the sound quality. I immediately noticed that this player produces much greater detail than my Panasonic DVD player did. The highs are much more detailed and it is easier to discern finer details of the music. Overall, the sound quality is very good. Good imaging, smooth, full sound. Very open and accurate sound. The only drawback seemed to be a slight lack of warmness. CD's that previously had a sweet, soft sound are now a bit more cold, but also likely more accurate. Many CD's just plain sounded GREAT.
As for DVD-Audio, I've only tried the supplied sample disc thus far. Unfortunately I can not comment on the quality of the multi-channel soundtracks as I was surprised (and dissapointed) to learn that my Pioneer Elite reciever does not have 5.1 inputs. The unit does however downmix multi-channel into regular 2 channel audio. The sound was very good, but most passages were only slightly better than some of my better CD's. I can say however that the upper highs seemed to have excellent sound. Much better than most any of my CD's. Very little harshness, great detail and liveliness. Certainly I need to go buy a few DVD-Audio titles before I can pass final judgement on the 2-channel sound quality. My guess is that is the sound is noticeably better, but not a revolutionary change from today's better sounding CD's.
I did also compare the video quality of this player to my 2 year old A-120 model. It had a more "cinema" like quality and on passages where I may have noticed some slight pixelation before I noticed little or none at all now. This player also allows you to change certain video settings such as black level, sharpness, etc to further improve image quality.

Overall I would highly recommend this to anybody in the market for a DVD player or a new CD player like I was.

My setup.

Pioneer Elite VSX-14 receiver
PSB Stratus Goldi speakers
MIT Terminator 2 Interconnects
MIT Terminator 2 Bi-Wire speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic DVD player Model A120 (not DVD-Audio)

build quality, display dimmer, Dolby/DTS decoder, DVD-A playback

can't play CD-Rs, "clicks" between CD tracks (see below)

Can someone email me and advise if my player is possibly defective or does everyone's DVD-A10 make a "click" in between CD tracks? I thought maybe the clicks were due to the CD Remaster function but when I turned that off, I still heard them. This doesn't occur on DVD playback when switching between chapters, however, nor did it happen on my Panasonic DVD A-7 when I had it.

Can't comment on the DVD-A playback cause I don't have any yet. Just consider it a bonus.

Video and audio playback on this baby are very good. Its a solidly built unit that weighs almost 20 lbs., much more than its less expensive Panasonic DVD-A7 which weighs in at 9lbs. I noticed a slight improvement in audio quality on the Technics against the Panasonic DVD-A7 for both DVDs & CDs with & without the remaster function on. I tried the remaster function on a number of CDs and I noticed a slight change in the sound but nothing I'd consider groundbreaking, it just sounds like a DSP mode that I can select on my receiver for digital inputs. Does the change justify the extra $100 vs. the Panasonic DVD-A7? To my ears not really, but its definitely worth the $365 price tag just as a standalone DVD/CD player - just consider the DVD-A playback a bonus.

NOTE: J&R price matched etronics.com $365 price.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic DVD-A7 (the cheaper version of the DVD-A10)

Build Quality,Sound quality, DVD Audio

No progressive scan

This is a quality built unit, solid and quiet!
The more I use this peice the more I love it!
For the money, this is a great DVD player,a good CD player and you get a bonus....DVD Audio!I highly recommend you buy one while you can.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic,Phillips,Sony

Build Quality(built like tank)

Build Quality(first one was broken)

I recently upgraded fromt he Panasonic version of this player.I am not sure if i hear a dramatic diference but the prcie was right.Unit is sure buit like a tank though.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 1600,Denon 1500 and 1000,Yamaha DVD,Onkyo Changer

good dvd and cd player

needs monitor to change settings

this is a follow up to a review i've previously submitted.

i purchased the dvd-a10 to use in my main hi-fi system. i've been feeding the signal from the a10 directly into my aragon 8002 via audioquest quartz cable, and, for the first month, i've been very happy with the sound. after listening to some cds that were printed in 2000-2001 on the a10, i experienced the sound to be too full that it took away pace and clarity of the music. i disengaged the remaster function and the music snapped back into focus on the newer cds, while my older cds sounded better with the remaster function on.

i've recently removed the a10 from my hifi system and put my old marantz 63se back in. i took out my $150(retail) aq quartz and replaced it with a monster cdlink ($30), and the sound coming out of it is sweeter and more accurate. it has less bloom in the bass and presents a smaller sound stage, but the sound is more realistic. I prefer realistic sound to sweet euphonics.

my a10 is in my bedroom now where my second system resides along with my panasonic tv. the picture quality of the a10 and panasonic gaoo 27" (10 yrs old) is great, but it is no hd tv.

my value rating goes down two stars because i no longer consider this dvd player an midfi/high end audio component as the original msrp ($1200) and hype (dvda, upstreaming, and audiophile quality parts) would suggest. i still maintain the 4 star rating because this is still a good dvd and cd player with awesome build quality (except for the rear rca jacks where it's no better than any mass produced product).

This DVD-Audio Player is the first of it's kind so comparison to a rival isn't possible. The sampler included is Ok but More software is a must! Cd sound is good but the "remaster" function is actual digital guestimating similar to Legato Link. Some cd's sound edgy, while others sound great. It is impossible really to remaster a cd after it has already been burned.
The DVD picture is good & the features are well laid out. The only foreseeable software issue is the "watermark" cpoyguard which is supposedly audible. This could hinder sales if true. SACD fares better at this stage with excellent sound & 50 or more titles available. Overall a good debut from a non-high end brand.

Only the software availability & slower than normal access times.

A decent start to a long awaited & controversial format. A surprise that Technics kicked it off & not a high end brand. Software must come quickly in time for the x-mas holiday or it may fall flat.

SACD has it's rival now but only time & sound will tell if it hits as big as DVD Video.

Similar Products Used:

None available with exact same features except it's lesser brother the Panasonic DVD-A7

No chroma bug for DVD-Video. DVD-Audio. Value for your dollar

Anamorphic Downconversion

I wasn't really sure that getting this DVD player was a wise move for me. After all, I was very happy with my Proscan. However, the Proscan has had a few quirks that have been annoying me for a long time. Disc spin noise was pretty loud. DD 2 channel dropouts (which are a loud "pop" though my DD decoder) have been kind of annoying. Occasional freezeups. Horrible DACs that have rendered my previously glorious 96/24 DADs worse sounding than CD. Cheezy plastic look. No "blacker than black". All these things got on my nerves after two years of ownership, despite the perfect downconversion and good picture.
After a while thinking about it and researching I decided to spend my tax refund check on a new Technics DVD-A10 from J&R since they're only $350. Ther reason for the low price is that this is a dicontinued model with no progressive scan for DVD (which I don't need anyway). The main reasons I decided on getting the DVD-A10 were the quirks stated above, not the additional DVD-A capability. (I have to admit my Steely Dan DVD-A has been calling to me despite having an excellent DTS track)

My DVD-A10 arrived today. My initial impression was that the thing is HEAVY. At 19 lbs I'm a little concerned about my Bell'Oggetti tempered glass holding it up on the same shelf as my CLD-99! I plugged it in carefully using the makeshift 6 channel audio switch I rigged (two radio shack L/R/C(omposite) switches). It looks beautiful and the build quality seems to be more in line with the rest of my system (as a contrast to the cheapish feeling Proscan).

The first software I tried was my Steely Dan DVD-A. I A/Bed the DVD with my CD. My impression is that DVD-A seems slightly better. The sound was smoother and I could really hear the nuances of the bass players fingers a little more than with the CD. (Side note: DVD-A and SACD are doomed if they're trying to be "mainstream". I'm no audiophile but I'm more discerning than most people. Now, my system is pretty modest, but I can barely tell the difference. SACD is supposed to be even better sounding than this, but to tell you the truth after hearing the track compared to CD I don't think anyone but really die hard audiophiles or people who REALLY care about sound are going to care. That is unless they make a bunch of multichannel music. I like multichannel music, but I've been perfectly happy with DTS tracks, including the one on this disc. They're both doomed to very limited releases like the old MFSL or DCC audiophile discs [which I have many of and they're great] IMO.)
The real test is video. I did some reasearch and was pretty sure my player had the "chroma bug". Also in my research I found that Panasonic has always used its chroma bug free MPEG chip. I though it would be tough to tell with the NTSC lines on my set, but I was pretty sure I had it. Also I wanted to see how the video, particularly downconversion, compared. Since I have the DD and DTS of ANTZ I put that in both players and let 'er rip.

WOW!!!!!

The Panasonic looked better, and I looked for chroma bug artifacts. It seemed to be showing up on the Proscan and not on the Technics. On the chapter "Insectopia" where Bala is pulled out of the back of the penny, you see her face silouetted against a black background. I paused both players at the same spot. The Proscan showed color stepping all around her face. It was like looking at a low bitrate JPG. The Technics – PERFECT. And the difference was NOT subtle by any means!! The MPEG decoding on this machine is a big step up from the Proscan.

Next the credit downconversion torture test. The results are exactly what I expected. Some shimmering on the Technics and absolute perfection on the Proscan.
The chroma bug torture test Toy Story menu followed. The Proscan failed, but still I had to wonder if I was seeing line artifacts from NTSC. Then I tried the Technics. NTSC is not the problem. The Technics looks perfect!
So in short, I am VERY happy with my new DVD player. And as a bonus it even does DVD-A!

One of the things I thought I would miss about the Proscan was the neato "Info" menu. On my previous DVD players (Toshiba 2006, Pioneer 414) if you wanted to change something, subtitles, audio, angle, etc. you had to fish for the button. On a universal remote like mine (OFA avProduce8 which I LOVE) that meant mapping a bunch of buttons and remembering. On the Proscan, hit "Info" and there's a menu and it's all right there. Slightly annoying was the fact that if I've got my mattes on they cover the menu. Well the Technics has the same kind of feature! And as a bonus you can configure it to be in the middle of the screen, so mattes won't cover it up!!!! Cool!!
I am one happy ol' skool HT camper.
Now time to listen so some Sam Phillips in glorious 96/24 stereo PCM!

It gets 4 stars on "Overall" because of the less than perfect downconversion

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-414, Proscan 8680Z, Toshiba 2006, Pioneer Elite CLD-99, Pioneer CLD-D704

MOST ELEGANT LOOKING PLAYER ON THE MARKET OUTSIDE OF BANG & OLFSUN PRODUCTS.

NONE, SO FAR

THIS COMPONENT IS VERY NICE, I REALLY LIKE HOW IT MAKES THE OLD CD'S COME TO LIFE. THE REPRODUCTION OF MUSIC AND MOVIES IS EXCEPTIONAL. AND IT IS ATTRACTIVE TO LOOK AT, ITS NICE TO SEE A COMPONENT BREAK OUT OF THE ORDINARY LOOKING BLACK STUFF!!!

Similar Products Used:

FISHER DVD S1000