James Tan of AV DESIGNS explained to me the importance of a better or more serious 4K player. Then, I was using the humble SONY UBP-X700 4K player.
In my defence, I did invite comparisons…my fellow audiophile brought over the OPPO UDP-203 4K player…at that session, all present did agree that the picture quality was nominally better with the OPPO. However, the sound quality of the OPPO UDP-203 was better than the SONY’s. (However) That difference was not enough to prompt me to rush out to buy a better 4K player (maybe my interest lies elsewhere?).
This time around, with the calibrated SONY VW870ES Laser Projector, the picture quality difference between the PIONEER UDP-LX500 compared to the SONY UBP-X700 was obvious…the picture edge was smoother, color was more layered, details were more there there, better density and black, deeper depth…
The sound quality was equally improved…the harshness at the higher frequencies from the SONY UBP-X700 was removed, separation of elements within the soundstage was clearer, more defined frequency response, more details, more control and delineation…
The decision to go for the PIONEER UDP-LX500 4K player is easily made.
