Before offering my impressions on the new Yamaha DVD-S2300 I would like readers to recognize I am an enthusiast, not a reviewer. While my equipment may be better than some, it pales in comparison to others. My equipment and my viewing / listening area may cause me to perceive the unit differently than you would in your own home. Limitations in my equipment or my abilities may preclude me from distinguishing differences that others would be able to identify. The other equipment I have to compare the unit to in my own home is limited. I would certainly not recommend that anyone make a buying decision based on the information I am providing. Use this information at your own risk. Also note that the unit is not fully broken in yet. I would recommend that you download the PDF of this unit’s manual from
www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/av/english/dvd/DVDS2300.pdf for an overview of its features.
Unit purpose: I was looking for a univeral player with good DVD-Audio and SACD performance and decent redbook performance to locate in my audio room (my home theatre system is in a separate room), which currently has limited space for additional equipment. My audio listening room is currently 2 channel, but it is my intention to eventually upgrade my electronics and move to a surround environment in this room. My evaluations therefore ignore the multichannel performance of the unit, so this information may be of limited value to many readers. Given my use of the REL, bass management was not a factor in my purchasing decision.
Equipment used during evaluation: The Yamaha is attached to a Sony 40XBR700 that has had red push removed through changes via the service menu, was calibrated using Avia, but has not had a professional ISF calibration performed on it. The speakers are a pair of B&W Nautilus 805’s and a REL Storm III. I am using an old Carver 250 watt amp and preamp. The viewing position is about 9 feet from the television. The room is 20 x 15 (a little big for the speakers). I have a Denon DVD-2800, my older Sony DVP-S3000 and a borrowed but well broken in Sony SCD-XA777ES for comparison.
Impressions – Construction / General: The unit doesn’t seem cheap or flimsy, but it isn’t in the same league as the Sony SCD-XA777ES. I even like the construction of my Denon DVD-2800 slightly better. I think it would be unreasonable for someone to expect it to equal the Sony given its price, but some might think it should meet or exceed the Denon. I liked the texture, color and appearance of the front panel on the unit. The transport isn’t as precise and quiet when opening / closing as the Sony SCD-XA777ES, but it seems well made. You can’t use the remote to power the unit on and off. My power amplifier is the same way, so this wasn’t a problem for me, but this may be a negative for some. Some may also find the bright blue indicator on the front of the unit that toggles from left to right as you switch between DVD/CD and SACD irritating (it didn’t bother me), but you aren’t going to be confused from looking at the unit whether its in DVD/CD or SACD mode. It is difficult to tell from a distance whether you are running in 2 channel or multichannel on SACDs (on DVD-Audio you can hit the Audio button on the remote and it shows the bit rates and mode on the screen). The unit runs warm on top, but not hot. Discs are warmer when removed from the Yamaha than any other player I have used, but not hot.
Impressions - Video: After calibrating VIDEO 5 on the Sony with the new unit attached I watched Toy Story and The Fifth Element in an attempt to determine whether the Chroma bug was present. Using progressive mode on the unit I don’t see the Chroma bug, which is probably not surprising given the presence of the Faroujda chip. I then watched portions of Monsters Inc. to make sure I didn’t see any smearing on some of the scenes where I had seen problems on some other players. I also watched portions of Shrek, Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, Blade and Blade II. I am obviously watching some high quality DVD’s, but I thought the video performance on this unit was excellent. While I am happy with my Denon DVD-2800 (I have never had the problems some members have experienced), I have to say that the Yamaha is clearly better and it doesn’t have the Chroma bug (like the Denon). You can move between interlaced and progressive with a button on the remote. The interlaced performance on this unit seems pretty good, but I didn’t spend that much time evaluating it.
Impressions – Audio: If you read the user manual, I think you would agree that the bass management capabilities of this unit are not what some members of this forum are looking for, but I will leave it to others to offer their impressions once they review the manual and hear the unit. As previously noted, this isn’t a problem for me and I am currently using this in 2 channel and not multichannel mode. I have to admit that I haven’t had the opportunity to audition any other DVD-Audio players. Given material currently available, I am interested in more titles in the SACD format. I had about a dozen hybrid SACD disks before purchasing the Yamaha. I purchased a few DVD-Audio releases just to get some idea of how much improvement to expect with this format over CD.
In terms of software, the only music I had that enabled me to simultaneously compare CD performance between the Yamaha and Sony was Diana Krall’s ‘The Look of Love’. I also used this disc to compare the SACD performance of one player to the CD performance of the other. I have the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’, Steely Dan’s ‘Two Against Nature’ and Yes’ Fragile on CD and DVD-Audio, which I used to compare the CD performance of the Sony to the DVD-Audio performance of the Yamaha. The other hybrid SACD discs I used with delays for disc changes included the Stones ‘Hot Rocks’, ‘Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone’, ‘MyCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster’, Bob Mintzer Big Band ‘Homage to Count Basie’ and Bill Evans/Cannonball Adderly ‘Know What I Mean’ discs (I have others but did not have time to listen to all of them). I also listened to a small number of redbook CDs.
I had considered purchasing the Sony SCD-XA777ES, so much of my time has been spent (last night and today – since the Sony is on loan from my dealer) attempting to determine whether the Sony was noticeably better than the Yamaha. I have to admit that while I liked the CD performance of the Sony better (but surprisingly not that much better), I didn’t perceive that much difference on SACD. In terms of the DVD-Audio performance of the Yamaha compared to the CD performance on the Sony, I always preferred the Yamaha over the Sony with the discs I was listening to, but I would have expected to, so perhaps this colored by judgment. I will probably try these same tests again later with my multichannel system, but by the time that happens I expect other more qualified individuals will have been able to offer their own opinions.
Summary: My evaluation of the multichannel performance on this player was lacking (non-existent in fact). I am hopeful the Yamaha will perform well when I upgrade my system in the future. Not withstanding the lack of the multichannel tests, which may disqualify any comments I have made, I believe that if you are looking for a player that offers excellent DVD performance, offers good SACD 2 channel performance (and hopefully multichannel performance) and DVD-Audio (which compares favorably to the CD performance of the Sony but may not perform as well as other DVD players), you should strongly consider this unit (don’t let these disclaimers fool you – I do think this unit is a winner).
NOTE: otzdig (Mike) purchased a Yamaha DVD-S2300 on December 7th (Mike, you were leaving just as I went in to pick up the Sony SCD-XA777ES – you left your scarf there). Mike may be better positioned to provide the type of information forum members are looking for. I will be interested to get his impressions of the unit, as well as other members of the forum. I can't believe I am the first person in the United States to get one of these, some professional reviewers and others have to be lurking out there somewhere.
