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Yamaha DVD-S1500 DVD Player
Manufacturer: Yamaha Electronics Corporation, 6660
Orangethorpe Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90620; 800/
492-6242
Price: $450
Source: Manufacturer Loan
Reviewer: Howard Ferstler.
This review is a bit longer than usual (even for
me), because it will deal not only with an SACD/DVD-
A player but will also discuss the viability of those
two technologies in general. Consider it as a
combination player review and one of my regular
Skeptimania columns lumped together. In addition, Dr.
David Rich will offer up a tutorial on DAC design,
including comments about the converter in this player.
A number of my upcoming Scoping Software
recording review columns will deal with specific
SACD releases and will involve the use of the player
being reviewed here. Some of those will also critique
the technology in general.
I reviewed the Yamaha DVD-S795 DVD player
back in issue 80 and reviewed the more upscale DVD-
S1200 in issue 90. I liked them both, although I did
point out that one could at that time get video and
audio performance from lower-priced versions that
was about as good as what they each offered. The
Yamaha units had some notable features that set them
apart from lower-priced models from the competition
available at the time, however.
OK, now we have still another player from the
company and one difference between those earlier
Yamaha players and this new one involves price. The
DVD-S1500 costs considerably less than both of the
others, while at the same time delivering everything
that they could and more in terms of picture quality
and sound. It still is not dirt-cheap, but the price is in
line with what serious audio enthusiasts who would
be reading this “get sensible” magazine might care to
pay for a good machine.
In addition, the DVD-S1500 can do something that
neither of the earlier Yamaha players could do: deliver
SACD and DVD-A playback. Its versatility goes well
beyond these audio formats, however, because it can
also play Video CD, Super Video CD, CD-R and CD-
RW (MP3 and JPEG supported), DVD+R, DVD+RW,
DVD-R and DVD-RW materials that have been
finalized. What’s more, it can play back European PAL
video DVD source material, in addition to standard,
US source NTSC releases. Admittedly, the Euro-disc
ability is something that would only matter to a
handful of enthusiasts – and probably to only a very
small handful indeed when it comes to those who
would be reading this magazine.
The player is notable for its very low profile, being
only 2.25 inches high. It is a standard 17 inches wide
and is a bit more than 12 inches deep, and weighs in at
a modest 7 pounds. This is in considerable contrast to
the almost elephantine, but still very fine performing,
Onkyo DV-S939 player that I reviewed in issue 86. The
DVD-S1500 has a big edge even over the earlier
Yamaha models when it comes to space/weight issues.
The small front panel is sparse and includes an
on/off button and the usual stop, pause, and play
buttons. However, it has no scan or skip buttons and
leaves it up to the remote control to deal with those
and other more esoteric functions. There are also
several mode indicators, including one that shows that
the “audio-direct” feature punched in via the remote
has been activated. (This function, which the Onkyo
player also had, disengages the video circuitry to
possibly enhance the sound with audio-only source
material.) Other front-panel indicators include those
that tell you that a multi-channel source is playing or
that you are playing a disc that allows auto down-
mixing from multi-channel sources. In addition, there
is a special indicator that lets you know when a DVD-
A or SACD release is being played, as well as an
indicator that tells you when the unit enters the
progressive-scan video mode.
The rear panel is a bit more expansive than the
front. In addition to a detachable power-cable hookup,
it includes the usual composite-video and S-Video
outputs and also includes the now common, three-jack
component-video hookups. There is also a “scan
mode” switch back there that would be used if one
had an HDTV monitor that accepted progressive-scan
inputs. Optical and coaxial outputs for digital signals
are also included (for Dolby Digital, DTS, or PCM), as