DVP-NS999ES Video and Audio Evaluations

DVD Video Playback

In an effort to evaluate the picture quality of the Sony DVP-NS999ES DVD/SACD player, we watched key scenes from several DVD movies.

1. Ice Age - What startled me most about watching this movie is being able to see the detail in the background snow. There were times that I swear I was able to see snow flakes in the snow piles. This DVD player revealed the snow piles glistening with amazing clarity.
2. The Lord of The Rings - Remarkable detail can be seen in this movie from beginning to end. There is a specific scene toward the beginning of the movie where Gandalf and Frodo are crossing a stone bridge. What's interesting about this scene is when the camera moves, the spaces/gaps in the stones appear to jitter on most DVD players. With the Sony DVP-NS999ES, these spaces were perfectly still as the camera moved. Remarkable imaging can be seen throughout this movie on this player.
3. Eric Clapton's One More Car One More Rider - As indicated earlier, for the first time, I was able to see flash photography coming from the audience very distinctly. In addition, the level of detail visible such as Eric Clapton's shirt, the painting on his Fender Stratocaster, and the stage, gave the feeling that Eric was playing in my Family Room.

SACD Playback

In an effort to evaluate the SACD quality of the Sony DVP-NS999ES DVD/SACD player, we listened to several two channel SACD's .

1. Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue ; This SACD has some of the most dynamic music I've heard. The vocal range of Patricia Barber coupled with the stylistic music and the top rate recording, allow this SACD to stand out on any system under scrutiny. This SACD came to life using the "Bright" mode on the DVD player.
2. Rebecca Pigeon - The Raven; Another masterpiece recording that is alive with sound on this player.

CD Playback

In an effort to evaluate the CD quality of the Sony DVP-NS999ES DVD/SACD player, we listened to several two channel CD's . CD's are probably the hardest format to evaluate a CD player with. The reason is many CD's are grossly over compressed during mastering, or they have been boosted in certain frequencies to make it appeal to the masses. For this reason, Audioholic's tries to use CD's that have been recorded and mixed well. By learning the sound quality of the CD's listed below on multiple systems, it is possible to distinguish supple differences between components within a system.

Note: For more information on format abuse, take a look at our article Current Trends in the Recording Format Arena

CD Reference List

1. John Scofield & Pat Metheny - I Can See Your House From Here
2. Bob James - Ivory Coast
3. Jewel - Spirit
4. Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
5. Holly Cole - Don't Smoke In Bed
6. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

Upon listening to key songs from all of the CD's listed above, it became obvious that the DAC's used in this player were top notch. Sony did not just stop at video when creating this machine. The player is also fully capable of producing pristine sound from two channel CD's.