Onkyo DV-SP502B 1-Disc Universal DVD-Audio/Super Audio CD Player

Ok. I was stuck in the same spot as you.

I had purchased a Denon DVD-2910 which was built like a tank, had audiophile sound, and was of the utmost quality. It had every feature known to man....and did not like my display at all. Essentially, I was one of the unlucky ones whose display was not compatible with the Genesis chip in that player, and had a nasty ghosting and macroblocking problem. So much for my dream machine.

Since I wasn't about to go through that again (and the upscaling is a gimmick no matter what anyone tells you. Trust me, you can't add more gas to a 5 gallon tank by making the gascap bigger)I decided to find a high quality player without the upscaling. Problem is, most of the better universal players these days use that darn Genesis chip. That left me with basically 2 options: The Harman Kardon 31 or the Onkyo.

The Harman gets great user reviews, and has the typical high gloss looks that HK is known for, but it doesn't play...Read more

I already had the Onkyo TX-SR601 and a $65.00 Toshiba DVD but I wanted to go to DVD-AUDIO. I checked around about a month. Checking prices and features. It came down to the Onkyo DV-502 SADC & DVD Audio/Video player. Like all Onkyo products, it's user friendly and cost. Easily to hook up but I had to read the instruction manual several times to get the most out of it. Man, it rocks!!! I love the 6.1 & the 5.1 sound. It takes everything I've throwned at it. Now movies sound like your are in it. DVD-Audios are awsome. If your looking for a great player, you don't have to look any further. ~PEACE~

This is a report/comparison of the CD and SACD (2 channel only) features and capabilities of the ONKYO DV-SP502B, SONY DVP-NS90V, and DENON 1930CI. Before moving on, please note that I will not comment on the video and multi-channel qualities of these universal players. This review concerns the AUDIO stereo features only, tested with the ONKYO TX 8222 receiver and two pairs of good speakers (JBL and Panasonic). As far as myself, I am a professional musician with a PhD in the field and extensive performing and sound editing experience.

The first thing you should know is that the ONKYO's motor is extremely noisy. When listening to classical music, you will be able to hear the motor at low volumes even from about 10-12 feet away. Additionally, the setup requires a connection to a TV, as most menus do not work with the display only. For example, you cannot switch between 2 ch. and 5 ch. SACD without a TV connection. In general the sound is of good quality and the unit is very...Read more