Topic: Pioneer DV-696AV-S player

[ProtegeManiac]

does asian unit also has burr brown dac or it's only in uk version? if this will be included in the specification of asian version  then it will perfectly matched my yamaha 1600. 

is there anyone who can confirm this? on all websites (pioneer, even sony's and yamaha's entry level dvd players) they all do not mention burr-brown dac, which I think is strange as marketing dept's don't usually miss something like this.

[juneaki]

Flyme thanks for the useful review sayang no digital output when HDMI is connected Di ba hindi din sya upscale thru component out?

Follow up lang po sa mga may 696, will upscaling work with just using component video output? TIA

[firewired]

No upscaling doesn't work via component. In the setup menu, only the HDMI section allows you to select 720p and 1080i. As in previous models, component is limited to interlaced or progressive options.

[juneaki]

No upscaling doesn't work via component. In the setup menu, only the HDMI section allows you to select 720p and 1080i. As in previous models, component is limited to interlaced or progressive options.

Thanks bro. Are there other players capable of outputing HD signals thru component video? Possible ba ito?

[jdg]

mas maganda ba ito kesa dun sa samsung HD860?

[ProtegeManiac]

6990 in ambassador and can also availed thru sip/deferred payments. I already ordered one and it will be available on Monday. Out of stock units nila.

does asian unit also has burr brown dac or it's only in uk version? if this will be included in the specification of asian version  then it will perfectly match my yamaha 1600. 

is there anyone who can confirm this?

up ko lang...and is the black version available in ambassador?

[Alfie]

verify if the digital outs are disabled when HDMI connection is being used.

On the initial menu settings/digital audio out settings, you can disable hdmi out so you can configure all other settings like Digital out, DTS out, etc.  My receiver doesn't have HDMI in, but my TV has, that's what I did with mine -- TV-HDMI-IN to 696AV-HDMI-OUT, 696AV-Digital-OUT to Receiver-Digital-IN.  I hope this helps.

One only need to place the HDMI audio to auto, logically lower the TV's audio level to zero and utilize an OPT/Coaxial cable and the digital audio can easily be deciphered by your AVR. 

[Alfie]

mas maganda ba ito kesa dun sa samsung HD860?

Considering the price 8.9K for the HD860 against 6.9K for the 696avs.
I'm not sure about the  Divx capability, but I was able to check out the Toshiba HDMI players going for 7.9K and theyr'e less capable than the Philips and Pioneer models, I was not able to check out the HD860 Divx capability, but if they have the same firmware as that of the Tosh and Philips, then the 696 is indeed a better buy, complete with DVDaudio and SACD.

[Alfie]

Finally, I was able to test the Samsung 860 yesterday, it was on display at the SM Appliance center at the new Hypermart Building, and now available at 8.9K.
The 860 was not able to read any of the OGM files, and seemingly has the same capabilities as that of the Philips 5500S.
At this point, I can now conclude that the Pioneer DV-696AV-S player is indeed a better buy.

[jdg]

may kasama na bang HDMI cable itong 696AV?

[Alfie]

Nope....but the generic HDMI (same as the Samsung HDMI) being sold by Sonny Tuason and Spectra goes for only 1.2K.

[marckd1]

up ko lang...and is the black version available in ambassador?

Nope, only silver.

[ProtegeManiac]

Nope, only silver.

thanks...mukhang mismatch pa rin color ng gears ko kung sakali. 

[marckd1]

try mo ding mag order at baka may makuha naman si gie ng ambassador na color black.

[ProtegeManiac]

try mo ding mag order at baka may makuha naman si gie ng ambassador na color black.

thanks for the tip.

[taggart]

can anyone confirm if the local version has the burr-brown dacs?  i've been getting vague answers from the dealers that it sounds better than the 490 by virtue of different chips but they won't say or don't know if it's burr-brown.  still considering the 696 or the Oppo DV970.

[firewired]

None of the Pioneer sites I've looked at (UK, US - before they pulled it, Singapore, Australia) mention Burr Brown on the DV-696 although a German site opened up their review unit and confirmed the chips. My theory is that since Burr Brown is essentially a published feature of their higher end lines, Pioneer is intentionally de-emphasizing it for their consumer models.

I'm just as curious as you are since not even the Pioneer distributor here could give me a straight answer.

[taggart]

that's strange indeed.  pioneer is normally straightforward with such specs.  you may be right regarding de-emphasis since i don't see any other reason unless they came out with different chips depending on the target market which could get them in trouble if they sticked with one spec.  how does it sound on your end sir firewired?  i used to have a 676 and soundwise, it was inferior compared to the toshiba 350e although the wide range of formats it can play made up for it. 

maybe i can convince a dealer to open up his demo unit.

[ProtegeManiac]

maybe i can convince a dealer to open up his demo unit.

if and when you do, post your findings asap

[kojie]

managed to pick up one last week for 6,5k at ansons, makati ..

just haggle them.

--kojie

[marckd1]

based on what I heard between my pioneer dv-575k and dv-696av, 696 sounds better both music and ht  listening. I bought my 696 because of hdmi interface but I don't expect it to sound natural and clear in audio. HDMI features also improved my tv resolution by 50%.

 I also borrowed the nad cd player of my friend and compared them side by side. I didn't notice any difference in sound quality  of both players using audiophile cd.

Burr-brown dac or not, i'm a satisfied owner of this unit with half the price of high end players 

[Alfie]

managed to pick up one last week for 6,5k at ansons, makati ..

just haggle them.

--kojie

Lucky for you 
Is it now widely available...or still on a per order basis 

[taggart]

thanks for the comparison review, marckd1.  which nad cd player model did you guys compare it to btw?  that's impressive! 

btw checked for some info on the 696 and according to a German forum poster, there are two different DAC chips that could be in your 696...either burr-brown or texas instruments.  if so, my guess would be the latter bec. of the pricing difference between ours and the European ones.  maybe the TI DAC is no slouch but the burr-brown should be better.

still no luck convincing a dealer.   guess they don't want to void their warranty either.    

ei kojie, thanks for the tip.  will check them out once i'm sure of the buying the unit.

[turismo1997]

meron na rin sa SM Appliance center  Megamall

Lucky for you 
Is it now widely available...or still on a per order basis 

[marckd1]

which nad cd player model did you guys compare it to btw?  that's impressive! 

nad c521bee bro taggart

[taggart]

nad c521bee bro taggart

ganda na narin nyan a.  very nice!

[ProtegeManiac]

I also borrowed the nad cd player of my friend and compared them side by side. I didn't notice any difference in sound quality  of both players using audiophile cd.

Did you use the digital or the analog output?

[marckd1]

Did you use the digital or the analog output?

I tested  both outputs since  I'm also planning to buy this cd player for dedicated audio set-up.

[edboy7]

guys been googling for the chips used and these came out  from a bwitish site 

Extra info
MT1392E HDMI upscaler( the 490v has MT1389FE)
Sanyo - LA73054 Video Signal Driver
Texas Instrument(Burr Brown) - PCM1742 24-Bit, 192-kHz Sampling, Enhanced Multilevel, Delta-Sigma, Audio Digital-to-Analog Converter
Spansion - S294AL016D Floating Gate Flash Memory
16 Megabit (1 M x 16-Bit / 2 M x 8-Bit)
EtronTech - EM638165TS 4Mega x 16 Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)

[ProtegeManiac]

I tested  both outputs since  I'm also planning to buy this cd player for dedicated audio set-up.

thanks, just wanted to make sure as quality players used solely as transports would usually have less effects on the sound with the same external dac. Now all I've got left to do is check with ambassador shang to see if they can order the black version.

edboy,

hope that;s the same chip in the versions we get over here.