Panasonic DP-UB9000 UHD Player Review

[jhaider]

I would challenge you to find any Blu Ray player from any manufacturer that can play Blu Rays better than this player, particularly with respect to the video capability.

Then fete the thing on videosciencereview. On audiosciencereview it fails at the core function of a multichannel disk player - playing mch audio disks!

If a track star could run the mile faster than anyone, would we call him a "miserable failure" because he didn't have world class sprinter speed to run the shorter distances?

On sprintersciencereview the track star’s mile time would be out of scope.

 

[AudioStudies]

Then fete the thing on videosciencereview. On audiosciencereview it is fails at the core function of a multichannel disk player - playing mch disks!



On sprintersciencereview the track star’s mile time would be out of scope.

LOL

 

[AudioStudies]

On sprintersciencereview the track star’s mile time would be out of scope.

What is out of scope is your definition of a Blu Ray player because you assume it must have certain extras, beyond playing Blu Rays well. I suppose there might be some that would call Secretariat a "miserable failure" because he couldn't yield cow's milk. You seem to told this view that any disk player should play your chosen formats -- is as scientific as one of Newton's Laws, because you keep calling it science. It did make for a funny discussion though . . .

 

[jhaider]

What is out of scope is your definition of a Blu Ray player because you assume it must have certain extras, beyond playing Blu Rays well. I suppose there might be some that would call Secretariat a "miserable failure" because he couldn't yield cow's milk. You seem to told this view that any disk player should play your chosen formats -- is as scientific as one of Newton's Laws, because you keep calling it science. It did make for a funny discussion though . . .

Your apologetics for a miserably failed product are at the Baghdad Bob stage of farce now.

Fact is, the ability to play all multichannel audio disks, except for this miserable failure, is customary for Blu-Ray players at that price point and far below. Oppo and Cambridge Audio obviously. Also Pioneer Elite and Sony/ES. I think Yamaha discontinued their failure (IIRC played SACD but not DVD-A).

Given that disk players are a dead end that are not relevant to most uses today (audio or video), this basic function failure is simply not defensible, as the histronic and idiotic “defenses” mounted here demonstrate far better than anything I’ve written.

Companies that make expensive disk readers should be shamed and raked over the coals for failing to provide the basic functionality for the few remaining users who need disk transports, and people should buy and use the few real players still available.

 

[AudioStudies]

Your apologetics for a miserably failed product are at the Baghdad Bob stage of farce now.

Fact is, the ability to play all multichannel audio disks, except for this miserable failure, is customary for Blu-Ray players at that price point and far below. Oppo and Cambridge Audio obviously. Also Pioneer Elite and Sony/ES. I think Yamaha discontinued their failure (IIRC played SACD but not DVD-A).

Given that disk players are a dead end that are not relevant to most uses today (audio or video), this basic function failure is simply not defensible, as the histronic and idiotic “defenses” mounted here demonstrate far better than anything I’ve written.

Companies that make expensive disk readers should be shamed and raked over the coals for failing to provide the basic functionality for the few remaining users who need disk transports, and people should buy and use the few real players still available.

LOL

 

[enricoclaudio]

Today I asked @Robert Zohn about which ESS DAC chipset comes with the UB9000P1K and he responded with this:

ES9038Q2M: 768 kHz/32 bit 2ch DAC

ES9026PRO: 768 kHz/32 bit 7.1ch DAC

Also he liked the idea of sending one to @amirm for review so we could have both UB9000s (AKM and ESS versions) measured here at ASR

 

[culliford]

Hi, I plan to get this for playing movie discs to my large OLED tv. I already have a great DAC (Topping D70s) so I would want to send the audio to it (less than 50 cm away) using one of the player's digital outputs. Would you choose the optical out or the coaxial out? My audio chain would be UB9000 -> Topping D70s -> Arcam rHead amp -> headphones only.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Hi, I plan to get this for playing movie discs to my large OLED tv. I already have a great DAC (Topping D70s) so I would want to send the audio to it (less than 50 cm away) using one of the player's digital outputs. Would you choose the optical out or the coaxial out? My audio chain would be UB9000 -> Topping D70s -> Arcam rHead amp -> headphones only.

Try both but I would be surprised if you notice any difference. Also, not sure if you are going to get any improvement in SQ using the D70s instead of the UB9000's internal DAC. I find the UB9000 internal DAC to be very good and measurements proved it, at least the UB9000 with AKM DAC. The UB9000 has become my favorite CD player so far. It sounds very transparent to my ears.

 

[culliford]

Thanks for your response! I'll probably get this one real soon.

 

[Wes]

I am amazed that a product like this which must contain a DAC, cannot act as a USB input DAC...

 

[tmtomh]

I am amazed that a product like this which must contain a DAC, cannot act as a USB input DAC...

Sadly most universal disc players are like that (not to mention CD and SACD players).

 

[mike7877]

Hi, I plan to get this for playing movie discs to my large OLED tv. I already have a great DAC (Topping D70s) so I would want to send the audio to it (less than 50 cm away) using one of the player's digital outputs. Would you choose the optical out or the coaxial out? My audio chain would be UB9000 -> Topping D70s -> Arcam rHead amp -> headphones only.

Since you'll only be using your player as a digital source to your TV and DAC, you should buy the UB820 instead of the 9000. It's functionally the same and costs less. Way less. Like a third of the price.

The only difference is the 9000 has a high quality 2 channel analog output and an extra tone mapping mode for projectors.

I do think I read once somewhere that the drive in the 9000 is quieter. It might be true, I don't know - I've never heard the sound the 9000 makes during operation. My 820 is quite quiet though. So quiet I don't hear the disc drive at all during playback. Right after inserting the disc when the player is initializing, I hear it. When switching between tracks, I hear it. But I don't hear it during playback, not at all. Even during quiet playback.

If you're buying the 9000 because its disc motor is quieter, think of how nice a cabinet or shelf you could buy for $600! It could enclose the 820, making its near silent operation quieter than the 9000's. Or any disc player for that matter. And it could display or hide the rest of your components very nicely.

Actually, a potential reason: the 9000 has buttons on the front and the 820 doesn't. Just power and eject on the front of the top of the case. Which could be an issue. But not an issue you can't solve for $600

 

[Foulchet]

Yes I do not see the point of buying a 1000 euros BD Player to use an external DAC unless there is really a functionality you need or unless you buy it for the metallic finish (which is also OK)

 

[Wes]

Sadly most universal disc players are like that (not to mention CD and SACD players).

I should be happy with my Oppo even tho it is maddeningly buggy

 

[BadOlePuddyTat]

I got one of these players after missing out on the Oppo UDP-205. It's nice to see Panasonic put as much in the electronics as they did with the build quality. I would say the true focus was on video playback, compared to audio. While I have a relatively small SACD and DVD-Audio collection, that feature would probably make the UB9000 a must buy among those look for the now elusive universal player.

The interface (menu) works great for video playback, but not very intuitive if you're trying to use it for a large audio file library. It will do it, but that feature could have used a bit more thought. It will work as a streamer and a network player. But plenty of other devices will be more intuitive with that job. A dedicated app would be nice. Perhaps one will come along in the future.

Not being able to use it as a DAC isn't a big deal for me. I got it knowing it would likely be connecting to a DAC, and not the other way around.

I also have a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 (well bought for $650), and for audio, I prefer the UB9000, if I'm wanting a more transparent sound. The CXN is excellent, but that Cambridge sound is apparent. It's nice sometimes but it can seem a bit much over long listening sessions. As a online streamer and network player, the CXN is slightly more intuitive, but I'd say it is actually let down by its app. Neither are particularly good for connecting your music libray via USB. You can do it on both, but this feature looks to have been an afterthought.

I can't honestly say I can distinguish the two when they're connected to a DAC. Via XLR, the lower voltage output definitely means you have to adjust the UB9000 to match sources with 5V outputs.

Ironically, neither were what I was looking for in a media source. Eventually, I went the media PC route. The UB9000 is relegated to movie night duty, and the frustrating app (and typical streaming issues) had me box up the CXN and put it in storage.

 

[MacCali]

Not sure if I should buy this or buy the Reavon XBR-200. I asked them what's the voltage out for xlr and they said 8 volts.. why would they make it 8 volts?
The SNR is 113, manufacturer specs, is this due to the 8 volts? Sorry absolutely dont understand how measurements fluctuate

Basically trying to combine a quality CD player plus 4k player as an AIO which is the only stupid reason I am considering paying 1600 for this junk when it's on sale

 

[MacCali]

Anyone here actually own this player, I got mine a while back and set it up. Just bought a 4K movie when I sat down to play it for some reason there’s no audio output on the audio only hdmi.

I read the manual, did what it said. It says audio output should be active if an hdmi cable is connected. I even switched out the audio only hdmi cable to see if that would solve the issue, but the audio is still going to the tv and not the AVR. I also tried just strictly using audio only while the audio and video was disconnected and still no sound was being sent to my avr.

Audio only is going to the ARC of my receiver. When I previously had my tv connected to the ARC port the receiver worked fine. Is it a bad unit or did I do something wrong?

 

[GXAlan]

Anyone here actually own this player, I got mine a while back and set it up. Just bought a 4K movie when I sat down to play it for some reason there’s no audio output on the audio only hdmi.

I read the manual, did what it said. It says audio output should be active if an hdmi cable is connected. I even switched out the audio only hdmi cable to see if that would solve the issue, but the audio is still going to the tv and not the AVR. I also tried just strictly using audio only while the audio and video was disconnected and still no sound was being sent to my avr.

Audio only is going to the ARC of my receiver. When I previously had my tv connected to the ARC port the receiver worked fine. Is it a bad unit or did I do something wrong?

Page 11. what happens if you set your HDMI video out to be video only?

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

I have the UB420 and find it to be quite good for watching Blu-rays and 4K UHDs.

 

[MacCali]

Page 11. what happens if you set your HDMI video out to be video only?


View attachment 230100

There’s no video only. I even watched Shane Lee/Spare Change’s video on the setup. That’s why I find this extremely odd