Source First ????

I can only guess that a Pioneer DVD565 into a SIM2 Domino (about £3400 I believe) would be better than a DVD5 into a Panasonic PT-AE200

OK, the former would appear to be a Mullet, but the high end DVD5 into a cheap projector (albeit a non DLP model) simply would be strangled by the projector.

I am about to do a dem (all being well) to try my Pioneer DVD565 through a SIM2 Domino Vs my exisiting Pana PT200.

I'll also compare the DVD player performance with whatever the shop recomends...........

They are Naim dealers, so if I wait until the DVD5 is actually out, I may even get to dem that too!

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

quote:

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Originally posted by Don Atkinson:
I have never been a proponent of this philosophy, but others swear by it. eg little Kan speakers on the end of a CDS3/552/500 system.

Would this philosophy apply to _audio-visual_ kit.

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I thought interest in "audio-visual" distractions was always a potential consequence of having not applied source-first doctrine with the stereo. Q.E.D.

But seriously:

(1) With music, you build up a collection of albums and you play them. You play some more than others, and you enjoy some more than others. Often you hear something new in stuff you thought you knew by heart, note for note. This can be while you're reading, ironing, washing up, cooking, eating, smoking, dusting or whatever. Sometimes with a new record I might play it every night for a week to get a feel for it. But you see my point: I love the cinema as much as anyone, but is anyone honestly going to do this with movies?

(2) To answer your question, source-first is an excellent principle to apply in order to get from an entry-level audio system to your own particular intended destination. It allows you to do this with the minimum number of upgrades and kit changes (as these are the points where you lose money), and it also ensures that your interest is maintained, as at no time will the system be showcasing its own shortcomings. It's about keeping it simple, and getting maximum value for money. For the record, the system you detail above would probably sound absolutely gob-smacking -- there is nothing "little" about what Kans produce when properly fed and set up. You forget that they were discontinued arguably because they were too revealing for the majority of early CD players.

I suspect that applying source first to "audio-visual" stuff would work, but because the eye is more easily fooled and distracted than the ear, the potential benefits would be vastly less.

Best;

Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Ellis-Jones on Wed 17 March 2004 at 0:38.]

well written Mark. in the world of audio a great source followed by a very good amp into good but limited speakers...will sound great!!
a limited source into a very good amp into great speakers might sound ok. Ironically it is like real music...if you have a great bass player, a solid drummer and a good guitar player, you have a musical band....if you have a lousy bass player, Buddy Rich on the drums and a good guitar player....you have what we drummers call a.....train wreck....it aint pretty or musical.....Ben r

Oh, very good. I like that a lot!

One of the things I find difficult about the video side of things is the whole picture adjustment thing.

There seems to be a desire to make the consumer feel he has VFM in a higher grade DVD player by giving him the ability to adjust every parameter invented for picture control.

For example I had a pioneer 939A DVD player which had so many "degrees of freedom" you could end up in the mad house trying to reap any benefit. Take video noise reduction, it had:
Dynamic Noise reduction
Block Noise reduction
Mosquito Noise reduction
as 3 independently settable parameters.

I gave up, used the instructions in the manual to reset to the default values, and left it at that.

I now have a Denon 2900 and they ,"bless their cotton socks" have managed to do "KISS" (keep it simple stupid) engineering by taking the task and putting it in a semi intelligent digital processor.

I have no idea what you can do to the settings on a projector. On a plasma you have a whole second set of picture adjustments. Again I gave up on my Panasonic plasma and set it to the default "cinema" values.

Hopefully the advent of HDMI interfaces will simplify this and take over picture control all the way thru' the chain. In the meantime because of this plethora of adjustments it seems to me the "source first" principle goes down in flames.

God is'nt HiFi stereo simple. Just a volume and a balance control to deal with.

And of course if you are not a naimee the cables etc.

regards
GEOFF

Blythe,

any up-date on the "dem"?

Cheers

Don