Pioneer DV-578A Universal CD player.

Manufacturer: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., 2265 East 220th Street, Long Beach, CA 90810; 800-746-6337; www.pioneerelectronics.com

Price: $199

Source: Manufacturer Loan

Specifications:

* Weight: 4 lbs. 10 oz

* Dimensions (W x H x D): 16 9/16 x 2 1/8 x 9 9/16

* Formats supported: SACD/CD/CD-R/CD-RW; DVD-Video/Audio

* Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 data are transmitted on digital link if it these formats are encoded on a DVD. Unit allows 96 kHz Linear PCM on digital output when DVD disk allows this output (most DVDs block it) Conversion to 48 KHz Linear PCM optional on digital link for Dolby Digital / DTS / 96 kHz. This is for receivers/external DACs that support only 2-channel digital data

* This unit does not have data links to transmit SACD or DVD-A data.

* Up to 192 kHz sampling rate supported internally for DVD-A dependant on disc encoding

* Bass management 80Hz crossover only (slopes of LPF and HPF crossover not specified)

* Video output--component / S-video / composite

* 2:3 Pulldown progressive scan

This unit is said to support the following disc formats; however, the brochure for this unit has hundreds of words of clarification that I am not presenting here. I made no attempt to check the player with the disc types listed below. It is highly recommended that you obtain a money-back guarantee if you plan to use any format in order to verify the units function with your media

* Video CD

* DVD-R/RW (VR format)

* The following formats are supported on CDR/RW but not DVD-R/RW

* MP3 Playback (VBR not supported) / WMA Playback

* JPEG (not progressive scan) Baseline and EXIF 2.2 formats only

Cost and versatility are hallmarks of the Pioneer DV-578A universal CD players, with capabilities to play SACDs, DVD-As, standard CDs, and video-based DVDs. The unit can also play MP3 and Windows Media Audio-encoded-CDs. The Pioneer also ads photo-viewer; surprisingly, though, it struggles with DVD-R recorded in the six-hour low-resolution mode. Because audio is the emphasis of this review, I will refrain from commenting on the unit's facility with video, beyond noting that their progressive-scan modes lock up to TVs with compatible capabilities. By the time this review goes in print, the unit will be replaced by a DV-588A-S, although the DV-578A-S is still available at greatly reduced prices on the web as I write this. The remote and feature set of the DV-588A-S appear to be the same as the unit under review here at least with respect to audio. The DV-588A-S is slightly smaller and lighter than the DV-578A-S, which is the thinnest and lightest full-sized component I ever encountered.

Opening the DV-578A-S reveals a three-circuit-board layout. One board supplies power, the second processes audio and video signals, and the third manages the front-end switch operation and the LCD display. The boards are identical to the Onkyo DV-SP502 reviewed above; however, at least one of the boards is marked Pioneer in both units, so it looks as though Pioneer originated the design.

The DV-578A-S has TI PCM1742KE DACs. These are stereo DACs, with three used to create the 5.1 output. I discussed the detailed specs of this DAC in the Onkyo review above and will give only the highlights here. The E indicates the higher-performance subset of the device, and I was surprised to see this upgrade given the price of the unit. The DAC has a worst-case SNR and dynamic range equivalent to 16 bits. The worst-case full-scale THD is equivalent to 14 bits. This DAC has no provision for one-bit data streams, thus SACD/DSD data are converted to PCM by one of the DSP chips ahead of the DAC. The DAC performance is likely good enough to be inaudible. To my mind, any audible improvement in transition from CD to DVD-A (aside from the multichannel capability) is the doubling of the sample rate to 96 kHz. The DACs on the DV-578A-S do not degrade in performance when running at the 96 kHz mode, so if the DVD-A is audibly better you should be able to hear it from the TI PCM1742KE. Do not forget the only time you will use these DACs is when listening to SACD or DVD-A. Digital to analog conversion of standard DVDs and CDs happens on the other side of the enhanced SPDIF digital connection, which is your AV receiver. It is thus the AV receiver and not the universal CD player that you should be throwing some money at to get better DAC performance.

My principal problem with the DV-578A-S was the ergonomics of the front panel with the open/ close and stop buttons of the unit being microscopic in size and placed a distance from the play and pause buttons. That has been resolved with the DV-588A-S, which has larger buttons in a standard layout. Pioneer's remote, which is the same for both units, is user-friendly with its big buttons in a variety of shapes and sizes. The lettering is also clear, with big print on most buttons.

My standard gripes about universal DVD players apply to the DV-578A-S. Load times are slow, because the unit has to take time to figure out which of the many formats it can handle is the correct one for the disk just placed in it. DVD-As require you to have a TV connected to select the desired operating mode as the front panel provides only minuscule information. SACDs and CDs, on the other hand, can be played without a TV once the unit has been initially set up.

With no digital output for SACD or DVD-A available on this unit, you need to replicate the bass management settings using a not-very-friendly on-screen setup display. A total of six analog audio, three video, and one enhanced SPDIF cables are required to get high-res audio and video passed through to the AV receiver and video monitor. Those of you have raised your hand to point out that the HDMI 1.1 standard (not supported by this unit) allows all this to be replaced by a single cable may put your hand down, since HDMI 1.1 does not support SACD digital transport (it is said to be coming with the HDMI 1.2 standard), so you will still need those six audio cables to play SACD. Waiting in the wings is HDMI 1.3, which will support eight channels of uncompressed 24-bit/96 kHz signals with a rumored connector change to be made in the migration from 1.1 to 1.3. All this flux in HDMI tells me that the best course of action is to skip it for the moment and go for the lowest-priced universal DVD player you can find until the dust settles down on HDMI. Remember, you are chasing HDMI standards not only at the universal DVD player but also at the AV receiver, and these standards changes are not going to be fixable with a software upgrade.

The world of the silver disc is in flux with HDMI 1.X, Blue Ray, and HD-DVD on the horizon. Only those with infinite amounts of cash will be able to claim they have the latest and greatest at any given time and then everything is going to have to be replaced again. For the sensible audiophile, the DV-588A-S is a very good candidate to be placed on your shelf while everything shakes out.