I’m the type of audiophile and physical media enthusiast who has 2 blu ray players: a 4k one for watching movies, and an older one just for listening to music.
The older one, an old Pioneer with a great Wolfson DAC, appears to be on its last legs. Any recommendations for a blu ray player with great audio processing? As mentioned above, I already have a 4k player, so I don’t need it to be able to play the latest 4k discs. Just CDs, music DVDs and Blu rays. I’d like to rely on the player’s DAC to connect the player to my stereo receiver via standard RCA connectors.
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For dedicated audio playback, consider the following Blu-ray players known for their audio quality:
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Cambridge Audio CXUHD: Though it’s primarily a 4K UHD player, it also excels in audio playback, supporting various formats. It has excellent DAC capabilities and analog audio output.
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OPPO UDP-203/205: While these models are discontinued, they are highly regarded for audio quality. If you can find a used one in good condition, it could be an excellent choice.
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Pioneer UDP-LX500: This player is designed with audiophiles in mind, providing high-quality audio output. It supports CDs, music DVDs, and Blu-rays without 4K capabilities.
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Marantz UD7007: Marantz is known for its audio-focused products. The UD7007 is a universal player that supports various disc formats and offers good audio performance.
Ensure that the player you choose has the necessary outputs for connecting to your stereo receiver via standard RCA connectors. Additionally, read reviews and specifications to confirm compatibility with the specific audio formats you plan to use.
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I had an oppo, I have a Panasonic, and neither are as good as my Yamaha BD-A1060 using the balanced analog out.
Just use digital output to a decent DAC, then any player will do.
I also have a Cambridge Audio DacMagic with an available optical input port, so your solution would work fine for me. Thanks! 👍
This will be my likely future option. The suggestions people have posted here have incredible reviews/testimonials… with even more incredible prices! 😂
As for my Pioneer, many on this sub are familiar with Pioneer Blu Ray players having persistent firmware issues. One weird hack I’ve discovered that resets the error issue for a while is: try playing a professionally produced audio CD, preferably from an older redbook standard like from the 80s. It seems to reset the firmware to a state where it will function fine without issue. I just tried it last night after having issues playing the Blu Ray for REM’s “Monster” reissue. Fingers crossed!
Oppo 205 would be the pinnacle
Oppo
Look for Panasonic’s top shelf 4K player. It sells for around $1100. Great picture. Great DAC and audio circuitry.
Try the Cambridge Audio CXUHD . This is very highly regarded and it’s a universal player.
Have a gander at this
Pretty happy with my marantz ud7007. Well built, quiet, plus has balanced out
I ripped my entire collection of music to a NAS, but honestly I miss the ritual and intention of physical media. Guessing that’s why you want to keep a disc player around?
I rip all my discs because I load music on my iPod/iPhone/iPad, and until recently used to stream music from my computer to an AppleTV puck.
The Cambridge Audio DacMagic is great for playing all of that in my living room speakers and headphones. It did start to seem overkill to have a Wolfson-powered external DAC, plus a Wolfson-powered Blu Ray player dedicated for only playing CDs.
I have an oppo something for sacd.
sorry if I’m missing something, but your 4k player can play the music DVDs and blu-rays too, and it’s the AVR that does the audio processing. Why not use that for all AV discs (DVD, blu-ray) and get yourself a very good CD player or streamer/DAC for stereo?
Even though some blu ray players can be good with audio, they are never as good as a dedicated stereo component.
The one I use for watching movies is an entry level Sony. It’s perfectly good for movies. But I did a comparison using some regular audio CDs and the Pioneer unit and the latter had a more expansive sound with much better bottom end. I’ve never been a fan of Sony audio signature, so my experience wasn’t entirely surprising.