Moving on to the listening evaluation, I connected the DVD-C750 to my Yamaha RX-V2500. I used a generic Toslink cable for the digital output and Generic analog interconnect for the multi-channel analog outputs. I used the Klipsch Reference system: RF-7 fronts, RC-7 center, RF-35 surrounds, and RSW 15 subwoofer for my evaluation. These are very revealing speakers and they will unmask any shortcomings that your system or your listening material may have.

With the Yamaha receiver set to Auto DVD and surround Normal. I listened to the excellent Dolby Digital soundtrack from Star Wars Episode 1. The DVD-C750 sounded like every other DVD player that I have heard in its price range with a digital connection. The Yamaha RX-V2500 quickly locked onto the bit stream; and there were no lags, clicks, or pops. If there are performance differences in similarly priced DVD players digital outputs these ears are surely not golden enough to hear them.

Progressing to the next part of the evaluation, I loaded my DVD-Audio music sampler. I like this disk; it has everything from Insane Clown Posse to Brazilian Romance.

The first track I selected was Graham Nash (The Chelsea Hotel). I have heard this song many times. The beginning of the track has quite a plucking of the guitar, followed by Graham's whispery voice, then deep authoritative bass. Listening to this song on the DVD-C750 was a sheer delight. I have never heard this track sound so good in this system. Vocals were magnificent, the bass was deep and authoritative, the surrounds had plenty of energy, and the whole track sounded balanced. I had previously listened to this DVD and soundtrack on my Pioneer DV-578A-S DVD-Audio player, DVD563 and my old JVC XV723. At the beginning there was a faint hiss on all the other players with the Chelsea Hotel. I always thought that this was a direct result of listening to this song at higher levels with a very revealing speaker. The Yamaha DVD-C750 had no such noise and the track sounded absolutely stunning.

The next track I selected was Brazilian Romance. This is a mostly instrumental track with a little vocal mixed in. It has little subtle effects of birds chirping and singing in the surrounds. Again, I have never heard this track sound this well in this system. The improvement over the other players previously mentioned was dramatic and startling. I always noticed on this track the birds chirping and singing in the rear surrounds, but listening to it on the DVD-C750 was like lifting a blanket off the rear speakers. The birds sounded like they were actually in the room. The other thing I noticed was the absence of excessive sibilance in the center speaker. With the other players, when the male vocals were present, I always heard a little ssss and lisp in the center speaker on certain parts of the track. While placing my ear close to the center speaker when the DVD-C750 was playing, the center speaker was clean and clear throughout the song.

I was not expecting this big of an improvement in audio performance over the other players that I have had in this system. I expected a subtle performance gain but the DVD-C750 was a giant leap forward with respect to DVD-Audio.

Multi-Channel SACD

After the exhilarating experience I had with the DVD-Audio discs listed above, I decided to give SACD a try. I have a very limited collection of SACD's. I have always preferred DVD-Audio - mostly because there were more titles from artists that I liked, and I started my collection early with that format. I selected the Police's Every Breath You Take SACD and the song "Roxanne."

The vocals were clear and the track had lots of energy. It was immediately apparent that the SACD sounded much better on the DVD-C750 than it did on either of the Pioneer DVD players that I have had in the system. Again, the whole song sounded as though a veil had been lifted off the speakers. Listening to this same SACD on the Pioneer DVD players yielded thin and lifeless tracks in comparison. Sting's voice sounded full and robust and it was centered exactly in the middle of the front sound stage. The drum hits were authoritative and the snare was solid in the rear speakers. Again the jump in performance level over the other DVD players mentioned was dramatic. I am not trying to beat up on the other players in this review - they are fine entry level DVD-A/SACD players; but it was readily apparent to me that the DVD-C750 was a significant step up.

Two-Channel Listening Tests

I completed my listening evaluation of the multi-channel performance of the DVD-C750 and now wanted to hear how well the DVD-C750 did with two-channel CD. I connected a generic brand of audio interconnects from the mixed R/L analog out puts on the back of the DVD-C750 to the R/L analog inputs of the RX-V2500. I selected Patricia Barber's Café Blue CD. I listen to this CD quite often and I really enjoy the swanky jazz club seductive vocals that she performs. I selected Pure Direct on the RX-V2500 and began with the track "A Taste of Honey". Patricia's voice was smooth and seductive. The sound was well balanced, open, and natural. There was never any hint of noise or grain. Just for the record, my ears are far from golden; not the kind of ears that you would insure at Lloyd's of London. The many years I have spent installing Pro Audio and Consumer electronics have surely had some effect on them; but I do believe that the many years of hearing and installing different audio components also allow me to make a subjective opinion on a particular piece of audio equipment. Having said all that, I hereby declare that this is one of the finest CD/DVD players I have heard for under $1000. Its Redbook CD performance was spectacular; easily besting the Pioneer DV-578A-S. It sounded even better than my standalone CD player - the old, but highly regarded, Sony CDP-XE 500 with Music Fidelity outboard DAC. The DVD-C750 has the ability to upsample CD's to a higher sampling rate. I tried this many times switching from OFF to 88.2kHz then to 176.4kHz. I heard no audible difference using the upsampling, so I chose to leave it in the OFF position. This concluded the listening evaluation of the DVD-C750. I must say it was a total shock and welcome surprise to hear such performance in a DVD player at this price.

Conclusion

The way to sum up the performance of the DVD-C750 is: would I recommend this DVD player for installations in mid to mid-high end Home Theaters? The short answer to this question is YES! The DVD-C750 does have some odd quirks and is not with out fault. However, these minor issues are to be overlooked if you want a player that has good to very good video quality, excellent build quality, and sound quality. I would recommend this DVD player just for its sound quality alone. The remaining shortcomings are to be overlooked at this price point.

Yamaha DVD-C750
MSRP: $329