Denon DBP-2012UDCI 3D Universal Blu-ray Player Review

 

 

 

 

 

Denon 3D Universal Blu-ray Player DBP-2012UDCI —Review

By Doctorr

Video: 4 Mo's/5
Audio: 4.5 Mo's/5
Media Server: 2.5 Mo's/5
Netflix Streaming: 2.5 Mo's/5

Overall: 3.5 Mo's/5

Retail Cost: $899

PROS:
-Played all my 3D Blu-ray's, SACDs, DVD-Audio discs.
-BURR-BROWN PCM-1795 192kHz/32-bit audio digital-to-analog converters are as advertised.
-Anchor Bay Technologies VRS ultra performance ABT-2015 processor does a great job with standard DVD de-interlacing.
-Blu-ray video is spectacular.

CONS:
-no built-in Wi-Fi
-Anchor Bay's solution is not as good as Marvell's video processor with Qdeo™ technology
-The player takes a long time to boot up. 
-Slow and Sluggish operation on 3D blu-rays
-On Blu-ray's the player would freeze up during layer changes.
-Audio streaming through the media player is sluggish with occasional freeze ups.

Equipment Used:
Sony KDL-55HX800, Pioneer Elite VSX-33, Emotiva XPA-3, MartinLogan Vantage (Fronts), MartinLogan Motif (Center), MartinLogan Montage (Surrounds), and MartinLogan Depth-i (Subwoofer).

Cables used:
Audioquest Vodka.

Unpacking:
The player comes with a rack mounting kit, remote, power cord, and manual.

I connected the player using my newly purchased Audioquest Vodka cable to the Pioneer Elite VSX-33.  Plugged in the power cable and hit the Power button on the remote.......and nothing happened.  I then tried to turn the player on using the power button on the player itself and........still nothing. 

So, I just sat there thinking that the unit is DOA, but after about 20 seconds or so (I have not timed it yet) the player turned on.  Prior to that there was nothing going on.  Very strange!!!!

Setup:
With the player turned on (sigh of relief) I proceeded to setup the video and audio features.  Video setup was pretty basic and standard.  On the audio side, I set player to output audio as bitstream and SACDs to DSD. 

You can select SACD layers (Multi, 2-channel, and CD) on the fly. 

You can also fine tune DNR, Mosquito Noise, Block Noise, etc. on the fly.  I actually did set that to the middle for standard DVDs. 

After that I proceeded to add the player to my network for DLNA purposes.  Setup the Netflix. 

Setup was a breeze and there were no surprises.

Last step in the setup process was to update the Firmware which also went smoothly.

Video Performance:
I ran the player through my standard Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD tests using my some of my reference discs. 

Blu-ray:
The video performance on 3D and 2D blu-rays is indeed reference quality.  The image is sharp without being edgy.  The player does produce and preserve below black and above white information in the video signal.  I verified that using the HD Basics test disc by Digital Video Essentials. The player passed all my shadow detail tests from Dark Knight, Avatar, and Star Trek.  The depth and detail in the image on Rango was spectacular starting.  Especially, Scene 5, when Rango enters the Salon.  The detail in the faces/furs/beards of the various characters is just amazing.

The player did freeze up during layer changes on Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Dark Knight, a couple of others that I don't remember.

DVD:
De-interlacing on standard DVDs was pretty good.  The image was clean without any artifacts.  All of my DVDs looked very good upscaled to 1080p.

Audio Performance:
I love the A/V presentation of Battle Los Angeles.  The surround mix is very aggressive. The first scene is a classic demo scene. Short and sweet. Scene 5 and 10 (highway scene) are as good as any other A/V demo scenes I have seen.  I found the audio on this Blu-ray to be a little compressed possibly because the bit rate maxes out at 3.3 MBPS. Just to give you an idea Apollo 13 Special Edition, on DVD, has a DTS audio track that is 1.5 MBPS, highest possible for DVD. So this one is only twice the bit rate of DVD. Movies like Hurt Locker (maxed out at 6 MBPS), Law Abiding Citizen had audio bit rates in excess of 8 MBPS, Pirates was at 6.9 MBPS, and Tron was at 7.7 MBPS. All of these movies sounded very open and natural through the Denon.

I also tried the internal decoding capabilities of the Denon and other than the difference in volume level I heard no audible differences in the sound mix when it was decoded Internally vs. Bitstreamed to the Pioneer Elite VSX-33.

Netflix:
This is where I started to have issues with the Denon.  Netflix video streaming was the same as my reference PS3 or the Panasonic BDT210 that I had in my system for the brief period of time.  The Denon does not support 5.1 multichannel audio for movies that have that option on Netflix instant play.  The PS3 can.  I digress....The player would freeze up when I wanted to end my Netflix session occasionaly.  It is also very slow as far as the Netflix navigation is concerned.  In comparison both the PS3 and Panasonic BDT210 are speed kings.

Media Streaming using DLNA:
This is also where I found the player to have issues.  First off, the Denon cannot play Flac or AIFF.   It will only play WAV and iTunes.  I had to convert all my Flac files to Wave.  The other issue I experienced was that after playing 24/192 files through the Denon using the DLNA feature the player would freeze up and I would have to power down and power up again. 

Having said that, music, at all resolutions (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 khz) sounded really good but not as good in comparison to ASUS Xonar STX audio card on my media server.

SACD and DVD-Audio:
This is where I really enjoyed the Denon.  SACD's and DVD-Audio's sound really good.  The same tracks played via digital downloads at the same resolution through the media server or using the Denon's media player don't sound as rich and open.  Go figure!  

Conclusion:
This is a tough player to rate.  Audio and video through the Denon are top notch and I would rate it fairly high in that regard.  But a player that is designed as HIGH END and carries a HIGH END price tag should not have this many functionality issues.  I can deal with slow players.  I don't put a lot of credence in how fast a player goes from Disc-In to the main menu and all that garbage.  But, Freeze ups requiring you to power down are silly and annoying. I don't expect that from a high end disc player. 

Faster—Blu-ray Review

By Doctorr

Video: 4.5 Mo's/5
Audio: 4.5 Mo's/5

Mo's Take: I am pretty sure Director, George Tillman Jr. was trying to do "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" thing here.  Dwayne Johnson, Driver (The Good), is released from prison after 10 years and right from the beginning you can see he wants to Avenge his brother's death........Faster.  Billy Bob Thornton (The Ugly), is a "bad" cop who is investigating the death toll left behind by Driver.  Killer (The Bad) is a bounty hunter who has a contract on Driver.  His phone ring even has the "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" ring tone.  

Equipment Used:
Sony KDL-55HX800, Denon DBP-2012UDCI, Pioneer Elite VSX-33, MartinLogan Vantage (Fronts), MartinLogan Motif (Center), MartinLogan Montage (Surrounds), and MartinLogan Depth-i (Subwoofer).

Video:
If you like action movies and like me are sick of the look that most action movies these days suffer from then FASTER is the perfect cure.  I am talking about that Tony Scott, Ala Unstoppable, Domino, Man on Fire, type of movie look with an almost unnatural high contrast and sharp/edgy picture quality with lots of film grain.  That style of film making was good on movies like True Romance, but now almost all action movies these days seem to have that same visual style. 

Faster is dark with lots of fine detail throughout the movie.  Colors have a natural tone.  I thoroughly enjoyed the darker look and feel of the movie aided by superb black levels and shadow detail.  I would compare the look and feel of "Faster" to "Taken".

Audio:
This was the first movie I watched on my new Denon DBP-2012UDCI and it was a blast.  The DTS-HD Master Audio mix is very aggressive with lots of surround imaging and deep bass.  The sound stage is wide and very engaging.  The gunshots, especially, from Dwayne Johnson's gun (not sure what it is) are loud and bass heavy.  The overall sound design is very natural without being over the top.  In my opinion it had enough dynamics to make the movie enjoyable and did little to distract from the film. 

Conclusion:
I really enjoyed this film on blu-ray.  I was not expecting much from this movie, but was pleasantly surprised.  Dwayne Johnson was perfect in this role because he did not have to talk much, just shoot people up..........Faster

Oppo BDP-93, Denon DBP-2012UDCI, Samsung BD-D6700, or Oppo BDP-95

Which one should I buy?  Over the last 3 weeks I have been struggling with which one of these fine blu-ray players I should buy next?

My music/movies split is pretty much 50/50.  My number one and two choices are Denon DBP-2012UDCI and Oppo BDP-93 respectively because both are Universal Players and will play all formats including SACD, DVD-Audio, and HDCD.

Here are the Pros and Cons of these players and you can help me decide which one I should go with by taking the survey above.  I don't care about streaming capabilities so those are not listed.

#1 Denon DBP-2012UDCI ($899):
Stay Tuned for my upcoming review
My first universal player was a Denon DVD player DVD-2910 which I purchased back in 2003 for $600 from Crutchfield.  I loved that player because of its excellent Audio and Video capabilities.  No player has remained in my system longer than the 2910.  I sold it (big mistake) in 2007 to pay for the PS3 (fatty) which is about to beat the 2910 in terms tenure in my system this October.  I have also owned a host of other blu-ray players (between $400 and $1000) since the format was first introduced back in 2007 including the top of the line Pioneer Elites, Sony, Samungs, and Panasonics.

PROS:
-3D, Universal Player (SACD, DVD-Audio, and HDCD)
-BURR-BROWN PCM-1795 192kHz/32-bit audio digital-to-analog converters.  Same DACs as the Onkyo TX-NR5007 which I have first hand experience with and loved.
-Independent Block Construction isolates electronic circuits for faithful playback of audio and video tracks
-Direct Mechanical Ground Construction suppresses vibration and ensures high-quality sound and video
-Standard definition content from DVDs is deinterlaced and scaled up to HD via Anchor Bay Technologies VRS ultra performance ABT-2015 processor

CONS:
-no built-in Wi-Fi
-The front plate is plastic
-Anchor Bay is good but I prefer Marvell's video processor with Qdeo™ technology
-Previous Generation Denon's have been a little sluggish and slow with firmware issues

#2 Oppo BDP-93 ($499):
Oppo has made quite a name for themselves since they first burst on the scene with their upconvert DVD players in the mid 2000's.  I personally have not tried an Oppo yet and have always been curious.  I chose the Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD over the Oppo BDP-83 last year after reading Tom Norton's Blu-ray shootout on UltimateAVmag.com, in which he compared the video on the 23FD to Marantz 7004 and the Oppo 83.

PROS:
-Fast Load times
-Solid Build
-3D, Universal Player (SACD, DVD-Audio, and HDCD)
-Plays FLAC, WAV, and other media through USB and eSATA.
-Dual HDMI, but only HDMI-1 uses Marvell processing while HDMI-2 uses the Mediatek decoder.  
-Wi-Fi (with provided USB adaptor)
-Qdeo by Marvell
-Best Customer Service in the World

CONS:
-Cirrus Logic DACs.  Not a fan
-I think I have seen multiple firmware versions since the release.  Makes me wonder a bit

#3 Samsung BD-D6700 ($399):
This one is interesting.  I just read a review of this player in the July 2011 issue of the Hometheater magazine by Kris Deering.   He said and I quote "the BD-D6700 provided all the picture and audio quality I get from even Oppo BDP-95.  Images were razor sharp, with jaw-dropping levels of detail and dimensionality.  The audio experience was second to none."  This is what has made me add the BD-D6700 to this list.  Pretty impressive! 

PROS:
-Superfast load times
-Gorgeous Looks
-3D
-Dual HDMI,
-built-in Wi-Fi
-2D to 3D upconversion

Cons:
-Samsung? I do not like Samsung Blu-ray players
-If you are looking for solid construction, look elsewhere.
-no name DACs and Video Processor
-not a Universal player
-no Analog outputs
-subpar DVD-upconversion
-Did I mention it is a Samsung

#4 Oppo BDP-95 ($999):
Review and First Impressions coming soon as I just purchased the BDP-95.  Stay tuned!
Pretty much the same as the BDP-93 but with upgraded Audio Section for 2-channel and Multi-Channel analog audio.  The upgraded audio is available in the form of ES9018 SABRE 32-bit Reference DACs.  That is true high-end Turf. 

PROS:
-SABRE³² Reference Audio DAC delivers an impressive DNR (Dynamic Range) of up to 135dB and THD+N of -120dB. 
-Toroidal Power Supply for Analog
-XLR Balanced Stereo Output
-Competes with players that cost 4 times or sometimes 10 times as much, e.g. (AYRE DX_5 $9,950)

CONS:
-Hometheater magazine mentioned BDP-95 and Samsung BD-D6700 in the same sentence and stated that the digital Audio and Video performance of the Samsung was just as good as the Oppo BDP-95.  Things that make you go hmmm!

Black Swan - Blu-ray Review

Black Swan (Blu-ray)

By Doctorr

Video: 4 Mo's/5
Audio: 4 Mo's/5

Black Swan is a twisted fantasy tale that is so creepy that it reminded me of "Event Horizon".  Just like Event Horizon, it has managed to stay with me well after the movie is over.

Natalie Portman plays the role of a ballerina who has been chosen to be next Queen Ballerina for her NY City ballet company.  She finds herself involved in a strange relationship with Mila Kunis's character, Lily, who is a complete opposite of herself.  The role requires Nina to play the White Swan (innocent and graceful) and the Black Swan (sensual and guile).  Nina is perfect for the White Swan but has trouble playing the Black Swan which incidentally is a role Lily could play perfectly.  This leads to rivalry between the two which leads to friendship and ultimately leads to Nina becoming more in touch (ahem!) with herself as a dancer and allows her to play the Black Swan to Perfection!

Throughout the movie I kept on thinking that Nina's mother did not exist and that Lily was really Nina.  I am still not sure! 

Video:
The director intended a grainy look for this movie and the blu-ray presentation is spot on in that regard.  There isn't much to say except that the look and feel of the movie totally convey the true intent of the director, Darren Aronofsky, which was to provide a washed out, at times soft, and grainy documentary look.

Audio:
The soundtrack is perfect for this movie.  The sound design adds to the mood and atmosphere of the movie.  The sound stage is wide and very natural. 

There is a scene towards the end of the movie which freaked me and my wife out completely.  Without giving away too much, there is quite a bit of action in the front stage, and by the time the action stopped, we were so immersed in the movie that during silence there is a knock on the door, and both of us turned towards back-right of the room because we thought someone was knocking on our outside wall.  That is a great example of the what great sound design can do, provided your speakers are dialed in correctly. 

Conclusion:
This is a dark movie that is so powerful that I felt the urge to write about it in an effort to get the movie off my mind.  Maybe I'll go and watch Tropic Thunder now! 

Highly recommended.

Do you still use a CD player for listening to most of your music?

I commented on this question on UltimateAV.com. 

My question to you is, if you don't use a CD player, what do you use?  Please take the above survey.  Thanks.

My response was:

Music: Ripped WAV 44.1khz, and Hi-res 96/88.2/176.4/192 downloads
Storage: Dedicated PC based Server
Media Player: Windows 7 running Foobar, XBMC
Soundcard: ASUS Xonar Essence STX
Remote: iPad app for XBMC and Foobar
Music Streamer: Sonos
Remote: Sonos Controller and iPad app.

I use a custom built PC based Server for all my media. The server was custom built for the purposes of listening to high resolution downloads from Linn and HDTracks. I use Windows 7 to run Foobar into an ASUS XONAR STX soundcard running ASIO bit perfect drivers that support Sample Rates: 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 / 176.4 / 192 kHz.

In addition to HDTracks and Linn, I also use iTunes to download music, but create Apple Lossless versions of the files that I download.

I have ripped my CD's into Wav files.

Emotiva XDA-1 DAC vs. Pioneer Elite SC-37 Burr-Brown DACs

I was recently asked a question on MartinLoganowners.com about my thoughts on the Emotiva XDA-1 DAC. Here is the question which is followed by my answer. I think this Q&A can make a very interesting debate.

 

Question:

How do you like the XDA-1? I realize you said you aren't really sure how to best use it yet, but how is the sound? One of my co-workers just ordered one and is a bit nervous about how it will perform. He is running all Emo gear into a pair of Vienna Mozarts if that helps. He was between the DacMagic and the XDA-1, but chose XDA-1 of course.

I am also in the same boat as you, I am using the Marantz SR7005 and I am not sure if I should even get another DAC, so I am also curious.

 

Doctorr's Response:

Thanks for the question. I have tried this DAC in 2 configurations.
1) As a Preamp. (Server, CD player, and Sonos) connected to the DAC and the DAC directly connected to the XPA-2.
2) As a standalone DAC. (Server, CD player, and Sonos) connected to the DAC and the DAC connected to the SC-37 via analog output and the SC-37 preamp output to XPA-2.

I preferred the all digital configuration in #1. As I noted earlier the DAC is silent in this setup and there is no background noise. The sound is richer with extended highs and solid bass. There is definitely more air to musical instruments and voices. The midrange is also good but I found the midrange better in option #2. However, with option #2 the quieter passages in music are not completely quite like they are with the DAC operating as a digital preamp in the digital domain.

I have not had any issues with the XDA-1 possibly because I received the 2nd batch after the kinks with volume control had been worked out.

DacMagic vs. XDA-1: DacMagic is a Stereophile class B recommended product and I have no doubt that it is a very good DAC. I chose the XDA-1 over the DacMagic for the simple reason that it can used as a preamp and the fact that it can handle 24bit/192KHZ downloads. The DacMagic maxes out at 96K. While that may not be an issue for most people, it was something that I wanted.

After having listened to the XDA-1 for a couple of months I do like the sound of this DAC over the SC-37 DACs. In my opinion the sound will ultimately depend on how you use the DAC.

After trying this both ways, i.e. receiver DACs and standalone DAC, my recommendation would be to use a standalone DAC because of the overall improvement in sound.

Hope this helps!

 

MartinLogan Vantage vs. MartinLogan Montage

Just for the heck of it I decided to give my Vantages a break for a week. I moved my Montage left and right floor standing speakers from the rear to the front of room in the spot that was previously occupied by the Vantages.

Source Equipment: Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD, PS3 (3D), Media Server feeding an Asus Xonar STX sound card, and Sonos.

Amplification: Pioneer Elite SC-37, Pioneer VSX-33. I am in the market for a new amp because I have sold the Emotiva XPA-2.

Music:
The Montage created a wide sound stage. The sound was well off to the right and left of the speakers with an excellent center image. While listening to 2-channel music the speakers completely disappeared in the room and never really drew any attention to themselves. The bass was plenty and the mid-range was very good. I did have to increase the low pass crossover to 45Hz from 30Hz on the Depth-i to get the low end closer to my liking.

Comparison with the MartinLogan Vantage:
I moved the Montage back to their designated surround duties and listened to the same material again on the MartinLogan Montage.  Right off the bat I noticed that the Montage were more forward sounding and brighter than the Vantage.  The cymbals had a tad bit more sparkle to them on the Montage, but on the Vantage's, to my ears, they were more natural and less fatiguing over time.  The soundstage on the Montage was wide but did not extend vertically as high as the MartinLogan Vantages.  The alarm clocks and bells in Pink Floyd’s “Time” had more height to them on Vantage then the Montage. 

The Vantage retail for $5,600 whereas the Montage retailed for $1,500.  So, it was clearly obvious to me that in this case the extra dollars actually resulted in better sound, even in my modest system.  The MartinLogan Montage overall are very good speakers and hold there own when it comes sound staging and imaging and that is one of the reason’s why I will always keep them.