Originally posted by Serial_Apologist
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On the Radio Cornwall breakfast programme last week the term Dinosarian came up and the presenters, having not heard of it before asked listeners to come up with a way of using it. I duly provided a limerick, but I am now happy to ask S_A and Pet to join me as the founder members of DAC - Dinosaurian Audio Club. Like Pet I have blu-ray discs which I canot play, I have DVD audio discs and no doubt in the course of time my FM tuners will be obsolete which the plug is pulled in favour of DAB. What I have, like S_A and Pet, is a perfectly sound Audio Hifi system that would be great to add on the new interfaces without troubling a TV system or a computer. -
If your budget could stretch it, I would get the Pioneer Elite Universal Player UDPLX500. I’ve heard it, it’s awesome, and you can use it as DAC and a streamer if you ever want to go in those directions.
I’ve been looking inexpensive BDPs with analog outputs in response to this thread and there doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the choice of what I expected. I suspect that Oppo must have dominated this part of the market and their demise leaves a void, and since physical media in general have declined so dramatically due to music and movie streaming, and not many are rushing to fill that void.
Another option is to get a computer peripheral Blu Ray unit. If you have a Windows Computer with HDMI you can hook it up to your TV, but given the poor TV speakers, why bother...Last edited by richardfinegold; 14-04-19, 20:52.Comment
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Yes, this it exactly! I have little to no interest in whatever capabilities can be achieved via a TV system or computer. I just want a good blu ray player to add on to my current system to play the growing number of issues that are providing the audio discs with the conventional CDs.Originally posted by cloughie View Post"The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard HaitinkComment
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If the Blu-ray player only has an HDMI output, the very least you are likely to need in order to feed an old analogue-only amplifier is this:
I stress, the very least.Comment
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Nice. There is a converter for everything these days. Odds are that it will be a low quality, jitter prone device, but combined with a very cheap BDP would be a start...Originally posted by Bryn View PostIf the Blu-ray player only has an HDMI output, the very least you are likely to need in order to feed an old analogue-only amplifier is this:
I stress, the very least.Comment
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Thanks Bryn (and everyone else) - might well look into that device. My computer whizz kid will probably be able to advise.Originally posted by Bryn View PostIf the Blu-ray player only has an HDMI output, the very least you are likely to need in order to feed an old analogue-only amplifier is this:
I stress, the very least.Comment
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I should add that the device I linked to is aimed at providing up to 5.1 surround. If your amplifier is restricted to 2 channel stereo, there are devices to be found which are aimed specifically for such needs. Just search for "HDMI to analogue audio converters" but bear rfg's words of warning in mind. The bottom end DAC devices are not exactly Hifi in audio quality.Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View PostComment
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A Sony UBP-X800 won't break the bank (Amazon UK has them for just over £200), is reputed to have very good sound and will play CDs and SACDs as well as Blu-Ray Audio. The appearance of the Kubelik Mahler, Kempff Schubert and Haitink Bruckner/Mahler boxes had me look for one a few months ago for my house in France (I have a Primare - Oppo clone - player already in Scotland). I did quite a lot of research and, OK, I ended up buying the Pioneer player (UDP LX-800) which is the big brother of the one referred to in an earlier post from RFG but I suspect that I would have been very happy with the Sony. The one critical issue with this player (and many others), though, is connectivity - this Sony takes a co-axial interconnect but otherwise it's HDMI or HDMI - no good old-fashioned RCA twin plugs, alas.Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
Sorry, Pet, duff advice - your amp doesn't seem to have co-ax so the Sony would be useless, alas.Comment
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The analog outs are the sticking point.. if he ever gets a DAC then the choices are huge. I would recommend the used market, either for a used player with analog outs, or perhaps for a DAC which he could pair with a cheap Sony BDP and also use to improve his CD playerOriginally posted by HighlandDougie View PostComment
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One machine which does have analog outs, is supposed to have good sound quality, plays SACDs/CDs and Blu-rays and won't break the bank is this one:Originally posted by richardfinegold View Post
Otherwise, the DAC route would give the most flexibility (I now run my turntable, Audirvana on a MacBook, the Pioneer Blu-Ray player and a CD transport through the Mytek Brooklyn) but it might be a techy step too far for some people who just want something with which to play discsComment
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I also have a Samsung Blu-ray player (BD-H6500) together with a Samsung TV. I simply connect the headphone socket from the TV to the HiFi, and this produces very acceptable sound - I frequently play DVDs using this setup which is more than acceptable for me. There is an HDMI Out socket and a Digital Audio Out socket, but my amplifier has neither.
The BluRay player also has a menu of Apps available which is well worth having, iPlayer, Netflix, Youtube and others. I recently listened and watched the Haitink Bruckner 4 concert on the LSO channel on YouTube, using this setup, and it was a great evening of music.Last edited by ChrisBennell; 16-04-19, 19:42.Comment
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Last year I stumbled across an LG BD565 Blu-ray player in a local charity shop. It was priced at £5. How could I resist? O.k., it's a very old device, built in June 2010. It has LAN, HDMI out, and 7 RCA connectors (1 coax digital audio out, 1 video out, 2 audio outs for stereo and 3 component video outs). Surround sound is only available from the HDMI output. I have to admit I have yet to try it out. I bought it to give to someone who, I recalled, did not have a Blu-ray player. Turned out they had bought one since telling me they did not have one. Must have a go at updating its firmware and trying it out. Obviously, it's not going to be anywhere near the standard of my Oppo but I ought to test it before finding someone to pass it on to. There was no remote control with it, but that should be easy enough to resolve.
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My Samsung TV is already connected to my amplifier and has HDMI which is why I wondered about connecting via the TV in some way,Originally posted by ChrisBennell View Post
Are we saying, then, that HDMI to analogue converters are no good? My Cambridge Audio Azur 651A amp is only four years old so I can't believe that blu ray is making any market impact if there are serious connectivity problems.
If I need to go DAC which one should I be looking at?"The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard HaitinkComment
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I recommend to talk to Bryn or find a used one like Bryn has. THe one he found has analog outs.Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
A DAC really isn't that "techy" in my mind, and will probably make your current CDs sound better. There are decent DACs that do this ranging from 100 pounds to unobtainable. You may want to consider a Cambridge Audio DAC, such as the DAC Magic, which
had a reputation for being inexpensive and very good sounding, and since you have a CA Amp.
Again, it helps to define how much you want to spend here. My guess is that 500 pounds would buy you the CA DAC Magic, a decent BDP with an output that will be compatible with the DAC, and not only will you be able to play Blu Rays but your huge CD collection will be enhanced. If that is more than you want to go at this time, then we can talk other gear.
Blu Ray is not dominating any market, btw. All Physical Media or on the wane vs the onslaught of streamingComment
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