DVD All the Way.(Sony DVP-S360 functions well for audio CDs)(Evaluation)

In one of my previous columns and in probably more than a few reviews, I have noted that it just does not pay to get a CD player when DVD players are so cheap, particularly since audio and video were well into the process of merging. I have noted that I already had several DVD players, and asserted that when my last CD player bit the dust I intended to replace it with a DVD player. Given that DVD players are now getting into the dirt-cheap range, this advice seems more relevant than ever.

Anyway, it finally happened. My 10-year-old Technics CD player (one of the original MASH units) finally ran out of life. I cleaned its laser lens some months back, which allowed it to deal with record defects a bit better. However, a few weeks ago it started having some serious problems, rapidly coming down with a terminal disease that would not allow it to cue up at all. I looked it over, but I was not about to seriously dig around inside the chassis. The problem was obvious: the unit was suffering from a case of very high mileage. That Technics player saw me through thousands of record reviews and many, many hours of enjoyable listening experiences, but there is a time when we have to say good by to a loved one.

So, I did a bit of fast research and decided to get a Sony DVP-S360 from one of the local discount houses. The price was $250, plus tax, and I must say that the player appears to be fully satisfactory. My Yamaha DSP-A1 processor/amp has inputs for a lot of digital sources. The one labeled DVD/VCR 3 was already handling my Panasonic DVD-A120 player, and my Pioneer DVL-700 DVD/LD/ CD player was plugged into both the Yamaha's LD and AC-3 RF inputs. (Yes, the Pioneer is actually plugged into both the digital and analog LD input jacks, for reasons that will be explained below.)

So I plugged the new Sony player into the TV/DBS (digital broadcast satellite) input, and the unit worked fine. All digital outputs from any of these players (PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS) would be automatically handled by the Yamaha processor's own DAC circuitry, anyway, no matter which of the digital inputs I decided to use.

However, In addition to the digital hookup, I ran the new player's stereo-analog outputs to the CD player inputs on the Yamaha, which added a degree of flexibility. This is because I have my AudioControl Phase Coupled Activator (bass synthesizer) and my old dbx 4BX dynamic-range expander hooked into the DSP-A1's analog tape loop. If I want to add a bit of punch to certain, impact-limited recordings, I make use of the analog CD output from the player. You cannot use the digital hookups for this, because their data streams are blocked from the analog tape loop.

On the other hand, for the theoretically cleanest DSP manipulating from any superior-quality CD source that does not need souping up by the dbx and AudioControl signal processors, I use the digital feed. That one keeps the signals in the digital domain from the player, through the processor's DSP circuits, to the amplifier sections. No use having a DAC and ADC stuck into the signal path unless absolutely necessary. (This is also the reason the Pioneer DVD/LD player is plugged into both the digital and analog laserdisc inputs, as noted above.) Any analog tape-loop connected tape recorder would also need to deal with analog inputs, rather than digital inputs, so it pays to do both a digital and analog hookup, if you have a need to record any material from a digital disc player to an analog tape deck.

So, what about the sound of this new player? Well, in terms of performance, I am convinced that all up-to-spec, decently designed DVD and CD players sound essentially alike when playing back two-channel, PCM source material. Nothing I have heard or read tells me otherwise. There may be small differences, but they shrink to near invisibility when compared to what speakers, rooms, signal processors, and recording studios do to original program material.