Pioneer DV575A

Author's product rating:   

Picture Playback	Excellent
Sound Level	Excellent
Range of Features	Excellent
Durability	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Plays DVD - Video, DVD - Audio, SACD, CD, MP3, JPEG, CD - R
Disadvantages:	Haven't found any yet

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Prior to purchasing the Pioneer DV-575AS I was watching DVDs on either my 15" laptop screen or via my TV using my Playstation 2. At the time I was renting DVDs at a phenomenal rate and I was finding a few that wouldn't play through my Playstation. I didn't have 5.1 surround sound from my laptop, so what was I to do?

I decided I wanted the Pioneer DV-565. It was due to be replaced soon, so I thought I'd be able to get it cheap. I found it online for £125. Bizarrely it's replacement was available from the same online store (Richer Sounds), in multi-region format, for £118!

By all accounts the 575 was even more highly regarded than the 565. Both were renowned for playing all manner of discs, including DVD-A and SACD. I'd read good reviews and I had decided I wanted it. Given that the newer model was actually cheaper I took the plunge.

When it arrived, initial impressions were excellent. It's a nice looking bit of kit. Set up took about two minutes. No SCART cable was supplied, so I used the enclosed RCA cable (which I'm still using). Sound connection was supplied via the optical digital output (there is also a digital coaxial output available as well).

I put in the first DVD that came to hand (Pitch Black) and sat back to watch this rather excellent little film.

I hadn't realised how bad a DVD player the Playstation 2 was! Picture quality is about equal to my eyes, but the sound! What a revelation. I suddenly realised what true surround sound was. DD5.1 and DTS sound tracks were transformed by this player. I was using the same amplifier as I had been with my PS2, but the soundstage had suddenly doubled in size. I was also detecting subtle background sound effects that had previously been invisible. I started watching other DVDs to see if the same thing happened and it was like watching new editions of my favourite films. Picture quality was slightly better (might be even better with a decent SCART cable), but the sound was the main difference.

Inspired by the transformation to my movies, I started listening to my CD collection. Music is very good, though not as good as my Denon stereo music system, obviously. The next thing I had to do was to try out the SACD performance. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon was the only reasonably priced SACD disc available, and as it's a great album, and I didn't have a copy I bought myself the SACD of this classic album. I borrowed enough cables to connect the 6 speaker outputs on the DVD player to the 6 speaker inputs on my amp, turned everything on, set the Pioneer to play the multi-channel version and was amazed at how this album sounded. The opening to "Money" had the various ker-chings and chimes bouncing round the room all around me.

I haven't had chance to try the DVD-Audio features yet, as DVD-A (and SACD) discs are far too expensive.

Anyway, back to the Pioneer. I've had this player for 11 months now and I've noticed a couple of small problems. The first problem was easily solved. If I ran the player for a while (e.g. Lord of the Rings Extended Editions!), it had a tendency to freeze at a chapter change. This was solved by putting some space between my DVD player and my amp (the player was sitting directly on top of the amp, which was causing the player to overheat).

The second minor niggle is that very occasionally, the player will pause very slightly at a chapter change. The pause is micro seconds, but is still a little niggly.

So to sum up. The Pioneer DV-575SA is a great little bit of kit. It's slim, neat looking, easy to use and will play almost every disc you can throw at it. It has a great picture and superb sound. It's good with CD music, great with SACD (and probably great with DVD-A as well).

Is this the best DVD player out there? Of course not. Top end players don't cost thousands for no reason! Is it the best player in it's price bracket? Maybe, maybe not. Would I trade it in for one of it's rivals? No. Would I recommend it? Absolutely!