Onkyo DV-S939 DVD Player.

Manufacturer: Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458; 800/229-1687; www.onkyousa.com

Price: $1,799.95

Source: Manufacturer Loan

Reviewer: Howard Ferstler

Hey everybody, ultra-high-fidelity DVD-A sound reproduction is finally here, and I now have both a player and some software to play with. Below is a review not only of that new player but also a partial review of the new technology itself, including a discussion of a serious problem with DVD-A as it is now configured.

In addition to being a standard DVD video player, the Onkyo DV-S939 (hereafter mostly referred to as the 939) is fully able to deal with DVD-A program sources. It can also output progressive-scan video for upscale HDTV monitors. What's more, the device is THX-Ultra certified (only for the standard DVD performance parameters, however, since none had been determined for progressive scan and DVD-A at the time the player was introduced), which means that it is one serious piece of hardware. For $1800, it better be.

For some time after I got this player I did not have any DVD-A program material to put to the test. However, while waiting for some to show up, I definitely had a chance to work with its more conventional features, and those proved to be very good. Indeed, its picture-exhibiting abilities were exceptional, and by a narrow margin this player exhibited the best video images I have seen yet from a DVD player, and I do not even have a TV monitor that will accept progressive scan.

OK, so what is progressive scan? Well, first off, this feature will mean nothing to those who have conventional NTSC TV monitors. However, if you are one of those "progressive" types who owns one of the new HDTV or HDTV-ready sets, either wide-screen 16:9 or 4:3 ratio, then progressive scan will be important to you. This is because, rather than output an old-style interlaced video signal, a progressive-scan DVD player will output a continuous scan, much like what you get with a computer monitor. The advantage of this is that the picture will have less flicker and the vertical sharpness should be somewhat enhanced. If you do not have a set that can handle progressive, you would have to use the player in a more conventional form. However, even then the video performance should be outstanding.

Other features include the ability to play CD-R discs (as well as regular compact discs, DVD-video discs, and DVD-audio discs), the inclusion of a 54 Mhz/10-bit video DAC, a 192 kHz/24-bit audio DAC, gold-plated output jacks, built in DD and DVD-A decoders, separate transformers for the digital and analog sections, electrical and magnetic shielding, and a full-function remote with a learning function. In addition, the unit came with an absolutely beautiful S-Video cable, as well as an equally beautiful set of three-lead standard cables, plus the DB-25 cable needed for interconnecting the player to receivers or processors that can handle that kind of six-channel input connection.

The front panel of the 939 is a work of very tasteful audio art by modern component-design standards. It is very clean, and the layout is designed to work with the user, rather than against him. On the left are two power buttons. The smaller one is a main-power switch that you would normally leave engaged all the time. Above it is the on/standby button, and that is the one you use when you want to use the player. Between the buttons is an indicator light that tells the on/off status of the unit.

To the right of those controls, but still to the left of the center display, is a small, round button labeled "Video Circuit Off." Onkyo feels that with some program sources you might get better sound with the video circuits shut down, and so this button allows for that option. Whenever the player is shut off, the video-off feature, if being used, is canceled -- which is a good idea that prevents users from thinking that the player is malfunctioning the next time it is turned on.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The far right side of the panel contains the open/ close button, stop button, and play button. Like the power buttons, they are rectangular in shape and large enough to easily see and deal with. Above them are two smaller, round buttons that control the chapter forward/backward function. A third small button allows the user to change the display readouts.

The display itself is decently informative, with icons that tell the user such things as random-play status, the chapter track being played, the memory status, if the video is off, if progressive scan is engaged, the DVD audio status, etc. The display, which is actually quite bright if the room is fairly dark, can be dimmed or shut off completely by hitting the "display" button on the remote. Whenever the unit is first turned on, the display brightness returns to the default level, which is the brightest setting. Underneath the display window are three indicator lights that tell the user the sampling rate of the disc being played: 48/44.1, 96/ 88.2, or 192/176.4 kHz.

The only fault I found with the readout is that when you first load a compact disc for play there is no total time shown. This really might not mean a whole lot to some people, but as a sometimes compact disc reviewer I like to write down the approximate length of the discs I audition, and that data is not always on the CD box.

Also, when you insert a compact disc in the tray and press the tray-close button, the player will not read the disc and then pause, but instead will immediately start playing. The tray itself works very smoothly (particularly compared to my cheaper players, which emit a tinny, mechanical gear whine when they open and close) and the way it works and the way the buttons work gives the player a solid, and expensive feel.

The only problem I had with the mechanics of the tray itself involved the very shallow design of the disc-holding recess. If you are not careful it is possible to load a disc in it and not have the thing seat properly. Careful users should not find this to be a problem, but those in a hurry could.

The rear panel of the unit has the usual host of upscale connections. There are two sets of 5.1-channel outputs: the usual six RCA jacks, plus a DB-25 multi-pin connector. There is also an RS-232 port, which would be used in conjunction with an external controller in the future, or with firmware upgrades. In addition, there are two fiber-optic and two coaxial-digital outputs for DD, DTS, and PCM. Finally there are analog, stereo-audio outputs, two composite-video outputs, two S-Video outputs for a somewhat better picture, and two sets of component-video outputs for the best picture of all, particularly if the progressive-scan feature is utilized. There is also a connection for the detachable AC power cord.

Clearly, the 939 is a well-styled and formidable-looking device, but it becomes even more formidable when you are struggling to shoehorn it onto an enclosed equipment-rack shelf. Not only is it a bit taller than normal for DVD players, but it is also considerably more massive. Most DVD players in the budget category ($350 or less, retail) weigh in at 6 to 8 pounds, or so. However the Onkyo weighs in at an impressive 24+ pounds, which is a lot of bulk for a disc player. I did not open up the box to see all that was responsible for the 24-pound heft (although the separate transformers for the digital and analog sections probably account for some of this), but the device must have a pretty massive assortment of hardware in there. I mean, it draws 45 watts out of the wall socket, which is triple what more mainstream players typically require. Obviously, Onkyo has built a player that demands to be taken seriously.

The 939's remote is very similar to the one that came with the TX-DS787 receiver. Although it does not have an LCD window at the top to facilitate the easy operation of other components, it can still operate other Onkyo equipment, as well as be programmed to operate other-brand hardware. And like the TX-DS787's remote, its button layout is sensible. As with that remote, the only tricky item I encountered was the multi-purpose "enter" button, which can actually do five different things, depending on which part of it you push. Once you are used to it, the button is no big problem, however.

I tried out the 939 with a variety of program sources, needless to say. With compact discs it sounded the same as any other good CD or DVD player I have tried. These included my Sony DVD-S360 and Panasonic DVP-A120 DVD units, which have list prices one-fifth to one-sixth of the 939. I heard nothing special, unless the disc was itself special, and then the sound was all one could ask for: clean, clear, well-defined, and complete. In addition to music, I also tried out some discs that included low-level test tones and the Onkyo was as good at handling them as the Sony and Panasonic players.

I also used the CD Check tracking-error disc and found that the Onkyo could play all levels up to and including the third with no problem. (Bob Thompson and I have both reviewed this disc previously, and it is available from Digital Recordings, in Canada [number DR-2002].) The fourth level caused the player to occasionally mistrack and playing the fifth resulted in severe mistracking.

I need to make two points. First, both my Sony and Panasonic players, could track level four with no problems, although neither could deal cleanly with level five. (No player I have tried yet could.) This gives them a leg up on the Onkyo in this area. Second, all a player has to do to deal with typical disc anomalies is be able to track level one with no problems. My Pioneer DVL-700 DVD/LD/CD player is in this category, because it cannot even track level two cleanly, and yet it works fine with typical musical-program discs. It can be assumed that the Onkyo will be more than able to deal with even fairly blemished transcriptions. End of CD player performance review.

I should also note that I played several rental DVD movies on the 939 and it had no problems at all dealing with some often fairly formidable scratched on those discs. Indeed, I was almost certain that one particular scuffed-up item would be able to stop it cold, and yet the 939 played it from beginning to end, flawlessly.

I mentioned previously that the 939 is a standout in the video department. On my Sharp LCD projector, it could easily resolve the test-pattern lines on the Avia test DVD right out to 450 or maybe even 500 lines, with 475 probably being the safe, easy-to-see limit. Both my Sony and Panasonic units each topped out at about 450 lines.

Note two things. First, my LCD projector is itself only rated to 500 lines, and I believe that is stretching things a bit. Probably, its upper limit is about 450 lines, with maybe 475 possible. (It is hard to determine this exactly, because one can kind of freely interpret the point where the resolution lines blur into mush.) Second, when I did this comparison on the 27-inch Samsung monitor in my living room, the Onkyo got to an easy 550 lines, whereas the other players could only top out at what looked to be about 500. In addition, while this did not show up on the LCD projector in the big system, on the Samsung it was possible to see that the 939 also had a very slight edge in terms of color gradation when identical movie program sources were simultaneously fed to each player.

Interestingly, with typical movie program sources, it was impossible to tell which player was best by simply looking at a scene, waiting a few seconds, and then looking at the image from the other player. It was necessary to do instantaneous switching, and to see the difference I had to sit about two feet from the 27-inch set's screen - not the best way to view a TV monitor.

So, at normal viewing distances, even with a pretty good set, I believe that the differences between the Onkyo, Sony, and Panasonic players are subjectively zero, or certainly near zero. The Onkyo has the academic edge in terms of absolute picture perfection, with the Panasonic maybe a tad sharper than the Sony, but the practical results are a basically a three-way tie. Yep, DVD players these days are really pretty good.

Getting back to sonics, with Dolby Digital and DTS material, as far as I could tell the Onkyo sounded terrific. I should also note, however, that just about any DVD player sounds terrific these days. The player handled the assorted test signals on the Avia disc with aplomb, and it also was admirably competent with movie and music-video sources. Of course, with DD program material the determining factor will usually be the outboard decoder the player is plugged into (and with DTS sources it will always be the outboard decoder), and so all we can typically hope for from a player is that it download the digital data properly. The Onkyo did that just fine. Yes, it also has on-board DD decoding (which worked very well), but why use that when it is easier to simply offload the digital stream to an outboard processor?

The player has several menu options when it comes to how you want to output its signals. The two most likely to be used will be "Bitstream" and "Analog 6 Channel." The former will be used when you play DVD movies with either DD or DTS soundtracks, or play compact discs, and the latter would be used if you wanted to play DVD-A sources or use the player's on-board DD decoder for Dolby Digital programs with movie or music-video discs. If the player is set to "Analog 6 Channel" out, it will not output any Dolby Digital signals at all from the digital feed, but the player will output DTS signals. When you select "Bitstream," the player behaves as a standard DVD video player. The upshot of this is that if you want to switch from DVD-A music sources to DD movie or music-video sources, or vice versa, you have to access the audio menu with the remote and make the necessary internal switchover. Some users may find this tedious and awkward.

I do want to also make another point. The DV-S939 has more than a passing resemblance to the Integra DPS-9.1 player. (Integra appears to be to Onkyo as Lexus is to Toyota or Infiniti is to Nissan.) If you saw the top Integra reviewed in the February/ March, 2001 issue of Sound & Vision, you have almost seen just what the DV-S939 being reported on here looks like. I say "almost," because while the 939 has mostly rectangular buttons on the front panel, the Integra version has mostly round buttons. I think the Onkyo version is better looking. Both players cost the same, and I assume that because of that they exhibit the same subjective video and audio excellence.

My final checkout involved listening to DVD-A program sources. I finally got five different pieces of software and spent some time listening to them solo, and also comparing their DVD-A tracks to the alternate Dolby Digital tracks that were included on all of them. As with the DVD-A tracks, the DD tracks on all five of those discs were in 5- or 5.1-channel form. Four were at 448 kbps and one was at a rather low (for modern 5.1-channel audio) 320 kbps. The 320 kbps rate is what was first used in assorted theater movie releases at the beginning of the Dolby Digital era. Later versions were upped to 384 kbps, and that rate is what is mostly used with DVD movies these days. The 448 kbps data rate does get used with some movie releases and it is also commonly used with DVD music presentations, in order to gain the maximum amount of fidelity that DD should be able to get with most players.

Unfortunately, when comparing it was impossible to quickly A/B the DVD-A and DD versions, because you have to re-access the player's set-up menu if you want to switch. However, that is the least of your problems if you want to compare, because a DVD-A equipped player will not output the alternate DD tracks, anyway. The only way you can hear the alternate track containing Dolby Digital 5.1 audio from a DVD-A disc is to play the disc on a standard DVD video player. I think this is strange, but that is the way the format is set up. It is not the fault of the Onkyo player.

So, to do my comparisons I had to first listen to the DVD-A tracks as they came off the Onkyo, and then remove the disc from that player and load it on to my Sony DVD video player hooked into the same system. This took time and the result was slow and cumbersome comparison between the two technologies. Of course, these technologies are not there to be compared. They are there to be enjoyed for themselves.

But, hey, the inability to compare quickly was actually the good news.

Here is the really bad news, and it is news that is out of Onkyo's hands: while Dolby Digital and DTS players with built-in decoders can apply bass management to their outputs, DVD-A players cannot apply bass management to the DVD-A tracks that they decode and send out through the 6-channel output jacks. Yep, at least at this time there is no bass management with DVD-A.

Since most surround processors and surround receivers do not utilize bass management with their 6-channel inputs (bass management is reserved for use with digitally input DD and DTS signals), the DVD-A signals sent to the five satellite speakers of an audio system will be full bandwidth, and there may be an LFE bass-channel output on top of that which cannot be routed to the main-channel speakers.

Before getting any DVD-A software, I first experimented with the player in my main system, reviewing and using it as a DVD video and CD player. Later on I moved it to the living room, where it was interfaced with the Onkyo TX-DS787 receiver, a pair of AR Phantom 8.3 main-channel speakers, a small Velodyne center-channel speaker, my two small RDL AV-1 surround speakers, and a Velodyne CT-120 subwoofer. The DVD-A discs finally arrived and for a while I had a devil of a time trying to get the DVD-A bass management to work with that system. No matter what I did, I could not get the player to route the full-system bass from the satellites to the subwoofer. It worked perfectly with the DD and DTS material, but DVD-A refused to be "managed."

There was no information, anywhere (including the Onkyo's manual), about this problem. Fortunately, I found the answer to my dilemma when I read a column by David Ranada in the February/March, 2001 issue of Sound & Vision. He outlined the big problem I noted above with DVD-A.

The upshot is that if a surround-sound system incorporates small satellites and a subwoofer (like in my living-room system), the user will not get the full benefits of what this new technology will offer. The small satellites will be called upon to reproduce bass that they cannot reproduce and with some source material the subwoofer may not do much of anything at all.

The only people who will be able to make full use of DVD-A as it should be used are those with full-bandwidth satellites and a subwoofer. Yes, even if you have five full-bandwidth speakers of impeccable quality you are still going to have to get a subwoofer if you want to listen to DVD-A properly, because some releases will use the LFE channel and there is no way to route the LFE to the satellites with the DVD-A feed.

Well, there is one exception, and that exception will belong to those who purchased a Yamaha DSP-A1 processor/amp. I previously reviewed one of those (Issue 72) and also now own one and have had it installed in my main system for some time. I discovered some time back that it has full bass management not only with signals such as DD and DTS that are delivered via a digital feed, but also with any sources that are connected up to the six-channel analog inputs.

When I first got this unit I thought this was a bad thing, because I figured that it would have the potential to allow the user to accidentally apply redundant bass management to outboard 6-channel signals. However, because DVD-A has no bass management at all, the DSP-A1 solution is obviously the answer to a DVD-A user's prayers. So, I moved the player back into the main system (where, being a superior player, it belongs, anyway) and let the DSP-A1 handle the whole bass-management task for both the 6-channel and digital outputs from the player. Problem solved, at least with that system.

So, what happened when, as best I could, I compared the DVD-A tracks and the DD tracks, once the bass-management situation was stabilized?

Well, not much. Frankly, most of the time, crude though my comparisons had to be, Dolby Digital sounded as good to me as DVD-A, and I will go into more detail about my findings in my DVD-A software reviews. I will say that it is possible that some DVD-A releases will have DD tracks that are not as clean as the DVD-A tracks, or at least sound different. However, there is really no way to pinpoint the reasons for this by simply listening to the program sources.

Anyway, what about this DVD player?

Well, the Onkyo DV-S939 is one heck of a device. By a slight margin, it has the best video performance of any player I have fooled with, although none of my TV monitors could show this difference to a serious degree. (Almost certainly, wide-screen HDTV monitors could.) Its CD, DD, and DTS audio abilities are as good as any player I have fooled with, too. It has progressive scan capabilities, which will have to mean something to those who invest in wide-screen HDTV sets. (I see no sense at all with investing in a standard, 4:3-ratio HDTV set, because the future of video is wide screen.) And of course, it can decode and output DVD-A signals.

It is built like the proverbial battleship (meaning that it should last for a long, long time) and has a degree of fit, finish, and solidity that sets it apart from mainstream players of the kind that you would pick up for $250 from Circuit City or Best Buy. If you can afford a player like this, I suggest that you also pick up an HDTV monitor, so that you can take full advantage of its progressive-scan video abilities. (If are in a position to afford this player, you should be able to afford an HDTV monitor.) I also suggest that if you must have DVD-A playback you make it a point to set it up five full-range satellites and a subwoofer --HF