Hello everyone,
This is a review and measurements of the Pioneer BDP-LX58 Blu-Ray, DVD, SACD, CD player and transport.
After the excellent performances of the OPPO BDP-95, I was eager to know what the competition had to offer, and that Pioneer was the first opportunity that matched my research criteria.
Released in 2015 at roughly $900, depending on the sources, this was a high quality universal Player, clear competitor of the OPPO.
At that high price, it was reading all physical media of the time: CD, DVD, SACD, Blu-Ray, and also files from a USB-drive, Network, PCM 24 bits, DSD, with many different codecs, but excluding HDCD. Should you wish to know more, I invite your to read the 64 pages long user guide
The back of the device is less busy than the aforementioned OPPO:
We don't get multi-channel analog outputs, and that's a clear cut in costs. No XLR either, this was reserved to the big brother (LX-88). Only coax SPDIF out too, rest goes via the HDMI. This one was to be attached to a receiver.
The look of this Pioneer is luxurious, and I was really surprised by its weight, at 10kg (22lb)! This adds some feeling of high-end, I must say.
Inside, I was expecting to see a lot of due the weight, but...
....half empty... So the weight comes from a thick bottom plate. Impressions, impressions... Power supply on the left, drive and video section in the middle, and the analog audio board on the right.
Let's have a look at it, since it's the one of my interest for this review:
Yes, there is an ESS Sabre, primary reason for me to get my hands on this player, and also, because it's unknonw!
It is an ESS ES9011S, that is undocumented, and I suspect a specific version for Pioneer. Measurements will tell us how it behaves compared to the classic ES9018S found in the OPPO.
User experience
I started talking about the UX with the OPPO, so why not to continue:
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Measurements
As with the OPPO, and because of all formats this one reads, I will split this review in two sections, one dedicated to the Audio CD (this one) and one for SACD and PCM 24bits repaly.
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Measurements (CD Audio - RCA)
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the Onkyo C-733 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
I performed all test below with the "Dynamic Range Control" set to OFF. The unbalanced outputs (2Vrms) are non-inverting. The two channels imbalance was a low 0.06dB.
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (RCA out):
This is a beautiful trace for a CD player, and shy of only 0.4dB compared to the "reference" OPPO BDP-95. We can see a little more distortion that the ES9018S of the OPPO, but nothing that will make an audible difference.
Let's try the same 6dB lower:
This times it repeats the performance of the OPPO! The few spikes you see come from the quantization errors, not from the converter, as I mentioned with the OPPO. This is because this test track is undithered signal, and that generates some concentration of rounding (quantization) errors.
----
I usually have a look at any potential PS related leakage, and you saw it before, there are none, even if I zoom:
This is a very good trace and we can guess a PS related leakage at -130dBr, and only because I use a lengthy FFT (512k).
Note that the "DIRECT" button deactivating the video board has no impact with the CDA, since its effect is below the noise floor that can be seen here.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
This is the same as with the OPPO BDP-95 and its ES9018S. We see the mismatch of the two channels that is a low 0.06dB.
And let's have a look at the job of the oversampling filter, with a wider bandwidth:
Ah, finally some tangible differences. The attenuation is good at max -100dBr, but there are those wide peaks, that I can't explain, but below -85dBr, we can ignore. So, maybe the main difference between the ES9018S and the ES9011S (provided they are related, and maybe not) is on the oversampling filter. Attenuation of the dual tones 18kHz & 20kHz is very good at -100dBr, but not as good as the OPPO with ES9018S that was achieving -120dBr.
We get also a little intermodulation distortion that was absent with the OPPO, but again that will make no difference.
----
Let's have a look at the multitone test that a lot of you like very much, and guess what:
Nailed! Perfect, as much as it can be from the CDA format. There is 0 distortion here, down to -115dB, ie near 20bits of distorsion free replay.
Sorry I made an error, the graph is 5dB lower than it should (see the top,) but that does not change the result.
----
Oh yes, the jitter test:
The red trace is from the digital output and the blue one from RCA. It's perfect, we get only very low level noise of no consequence.
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
Basically, the oversampling interpolator does not have any headroom to prevent intersample overs, exactly as the OPPO, with the same values. So, again I think this specific ES9011S is very close to the ES9018S. And sorry, I forgot to record the same with the volume down, as it can be adjusted. I'll confirm later if the effect is the same.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
This is a very good trace, nearly perfect as it's very close to the one of the test CD when processed in pure digital domain.
----
Other measurements (not shown):
The Dynamic range is the best that can be measured (unweighted) with the Audio CD. By the way, I computed -101.5dB(A) and -92.4dB(CCIR-2k).
A higher crosstalk can be seen, compared with the OPPO, but it's actually better at high frequencies, which is unusual.
Pitch error was a small -8.5ppm but two times more than OPPO, although very good for audio.
The Pioneer will properly apply de-emphasis on CDs requiring it, with 0.0dB deviation at 11kHz per the defined correction curve.
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I did not overlay with other CD players, because it's the best trace I got, again, and actually it is the same if I run the test from the digital output:
If I'd overlay the result of the OPPO BDP-95 on this graph, it would show the same.
----
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results of the Pioneer compared to others:
The Pioneer does not repeat the master class result of the OPPO, but it is very close and above many others. And by the way, the "DIRECT" button has a positive effect on this test, improving the result by 0.1dB!
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Testing the drive
Before going to SACD and 24bits specific measurements, let me talk about the drive tracking capabilities, since these tests are performed from a CD Audio.
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
The Pioneer took only 4 seconds to read the TOC of my 40 tracks test CD, after deactivating the memory of the last position.
Here are the results:
These results are extremely good, but the OPPO managed to nail them all. I saw the interpolation mechanism kicking off at 2.4mm and I could not hear it on single sine tones. The above are very good results that I don’t get from most ancient drives.
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Digital Coax Output (from Audio CD)
Ok, so we get very close to perfect results, and nearly nothing more can be expected from an external DAC. But let's verify if it outputs a "perfect" digital stream. This is from my standard 999.91Hz @0dBFS file:
It's the same as the WAV file.
The 3DC test from Stereophile is nailed too, no surprises:
My ultimate proof of "perfect" digital output is when I reuse the intersample overs test at 5512.50Hz, with a phase shift of 67.5°, like I did for the TASCAM CD-200 review. This signal generates an overshoot of +0.69dB and so if the signal would be modified before being sent, it would show either a reduction of amplitude or we'd see some sort of saturation/increase noise/distorsion. So here we go, the below is a comparison between the WAV File directly processed by the PC, and when played by the Pioneer via the coax out:
Again, as expected, no trace of digital processing at the ouput.
Partial conclusion (As a CD Player)
The OPPO BDP-95 set a precedence, and I was hopping that this Pioneer BDP-LX58 would be close, I did not think it would be that close.
These two will sound the same from the good old CDA.
This is very good news because the current price asked for this Pioneer is much lower than the OPPO, and if you're into a near perfect CD player at very low price, you got one!
To be continued below...
This is a review and measurements of the Pioneer BDP-LX58 Blu-Ray, DVD, SACD, CD player and transport.
After the excellent performances of the OPPO BDP-95, I was eager to know what the competition had to offer, and that Pioneer was the first opportunity that matched my research criteria.
Released in 2015 at roughly $900, depending on the sources, this was a high quality universal Player, clear competitor of the OPPO.
At that high price, it was reading all physical media of the time: CD, DVD, SACD, Blu-Ray, and also files from a USB-drive, Network, PCM 24 bits, DSD, with many different codecs, but excluding HDCD. Should you wish to know more, I invite your to read the 64 pages long user guide
The back of the device is less busy than the aforementioned OPPO:
We don't get multi-channel analog outputs, and that's a clear cut in costs. No XLR either, this was reserved to the big brother (LX-88). Only coax SPDIF out too, rest goes via the HDMI. This one was to be attached to a receiver.
The look of this Pioneer is luxurious, and I was really surprised by its weight, at 10kg (22lb)! This adds some feeling of high-end, I must say.
Inside, I was expecting to see a lot of due the weight, but...
....half empty... So the weight comes from a thick bottom plate. Impressions, impressions... Power supply on the left, drive and video section in the middle, and the analog audio board on the right.
Let's have a look at it, since it's the one of my interest for this review:
Yes, there is an ESS Sabre, primary reason for me to get my hands on this player, and also, because it's unknonw!
It is an ESS ES9011S, that is undocumented, and I suspect a specific version for Pioneer. Measurements will tell us how it behaves compared to the classic ES9018S found in the OPPO.
User experience
I started talking about the UX with the OPPO, so why not to continue:
- It's mandatory to use an external display, at minimum for the initial setup. Once correctly setup, you can use it to play SACD or CD without needing a screen.
- The remote has all necessary direct access buttons for standard replay, especially in the context of playing a CDA or SACD.
- There is a button "DIRECT" on the remote that (truly) deactivates the video board, and for once it has a positive impact on measurements!
- The front display is big enough to be seen from a distance, but some information (such as DSD or PCM play) can only be seen when very close to it.
- The on-screen interface is very basic and some functions are not described, requiring to read the user manual.
- The front buttons are painful to use because very unreactive, especially when reading a CDA. It's better with a SACD.
- Some audio options (eg SACD playback) will be configurable only if the player is in stop mode.
- The drive is slow to load a disc when the memory of the last position is activated, else it's ok (4 sec to read the TOC).
- FFW and REW are painful to use, as with all video players, and skipping more than one track at once is nearly impossible as it generally does not react to that request, or way too late. It's much more efficient to type in the track you need to reach, provided your know it. This put me on my nerves more than once. But when playing a CDA or SACD, you're unlikely to suffer it.
- It is gapless playback!
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Measurements
As with the OPPO, and because of all formats this one reads, I will split this review in two sections, one dedicated to the Audio CD (this one) and one for SACD and PCM 24bits repaly.
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Measurements (CD Audio - RCA)
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the Onkyo C-733 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
I performed all test below with the "Dynamic Range Control" set to OFF. The unbalanced outputs (2Vrms) are non-inverting. The two channels imbalance was a low 0.06dB.
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (RCA out):
This is a beautiful trace for a CD player, and shy of only 0.4dB compared to the "reference" OPPO BDP-95. We can see a little more distortion that the ES9018S of the OPPO, but nothing that will make an audible difference.
Let's try the same 6dB lower:
This times it repeats the performance of the OPPO! The few spikes you see come from the quantization errors, not from the converter, as I mentioned with the OPPO. This is because this test track is undithered signal, and that generates some concentration of rounding (quantization) errors.
----
I usually have a look at any potential PS related leakage, and you saw it before, there are none, even if I zoom:
This is a very good trace and we can guess a PS related leakage at -130dBr, and only because I use a lengthy FFT (512k).
Note that the "DIRECT" button deactivating the video board has no impact with the CDA, since its effect is below the noise floor that can be seen here.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
This is the same as with the OPPO BDP-95 and its ES9018S. We see the mismatch of the two channels that is a low 0.06dB.
And let's have a look at the job of the oversampling filter, with a wider bandwidth:
Ah, finally some tangible differences. The attenuation is good at max -100dBr, but there are those wide peaks, that I can't explain, but below -85dBr, we can ignore. So, maybe the main difference between the ES9018S and the ES9011S (provided they are related, and maybe not) is on the oversampling filter. Attenuation of the dual tones 18kHz & 20kHz is very good at -100dBr, but not as good as the OPPO with ES9018S that was achieving -120dBr.
We get also a little intermodulation distortion that was absent with the OPPO, but again that will make no difference.
----
Let's have a look at the multitone test that a lot of you like very much, and guess what:
Nailed! Perfect, as much as it can be from the CDA format. There is 0 distortion here, down to -115dB, ie near 20bits of distorsion free replay.
Sorry I made an error, the graph is 5dB lower than it should (see the top,) but that does not change the result.
----
Oh yes, the jitter test:
The red trace is from the digital output and the blue one from RCA. It's perfect, we get only very low level noise of no consequence.
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
| Intersample-overs tests Bandwidth of the THD+N measurements is 20Hz - 96kHz | 5512.5 Hz sine, Peak = +0.69dBFS | 7350 Hz sine, Peak = +1.25dBFS | 11025 Hz sine, Peak = +3.0dBFS |
| Teac VRDS-20 | -30.7dB | -26.6dB | -17.6dB |
| Yamaha CD-1 | -84.6dB | -84.9dB | -78.1dB |
| Denon DCD-900NE | -34.2dB | -27.1dB | -19.1dB |
| Denon DCD-SA1 | -33.6dB | -27.6dB | -18.3dB |
| Onkyo C-733 | -88.3dB | -40.4dB | -21.2dB |
| Denon DCD-3560 | -30.2dB | -24.7dB | -17.4dB |
| Myryad Z210 | -70.6dB (noise dominated) | -71.1dB (noise dominated) | -29.4dB (H3 dominated) |
| Sony CDP-X333ES | -30.5dB | -24.8dB | -16.3dB |
| BARCO-EMT 982 | -32.7dB | -24.5dB | -16.3dB |
| TASCAM CD-200 | -73.5dB | -36.3dB | -19.7dB |
| Sony CDP-597 | -30.4dB | -24.7dB | -16.5dB |
| SMSL PL100 | -53.1dB | -31dB | -19.1dB |
| SMSL PL200 | -94.8dB | -97dB | -39.5dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 | -39dB | -28.8dB | -19.2dB |
| OPPO DBP-95 (vol -2dB) | -95dB | -97.5dB | -32.7dB |
| Pioneer BDP-LX58 | -39dB | -28.8dB | -19.2dB |
Basically, the oversampling interpolator does not have any headroom to prevent intersample overs, exactly as the OPPO, with the same values. So, again I think this specific ES9011S is very close to the ES9018S. And sorry, I forgot to record the same with the volume down, as it can be adjusted. I'll confirm later if the effect is the same.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
This is a very good trace, nearly perfect as it's very close to the one of the test CD when processed in pure digital domain.
----
Other measurements (not shown):
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Analog" (18kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -96.2dB
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Digital" (17'987Hz & 19'997Hz 1:1) : -100.0dB
- IMD AES-17 MD (41Hz & 7993Hz 4:1): -100.2dB
- IMD DIN (250Hz & 8kHz 4:1) : -97.2dB
- IMD CCIF (19kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -101.5dB
- IMD SMPTE (60Hz & 7kHz 1:4) : -99.1dB
- IMD TDFD Bass (41Hz & 89Hz 1:1) : -130.0dB
- IMD TDFD (13'58Hz & 19841Hz 1:1) : NA
- Dynamic Range : 98.9dB unweighted (without dither @-60dBFS)
- Crosstalk: 100Hz (-113dB), 1kHz (-113dB), 10kHz (-117.8dBr)
- Pitch Error : 19'997.17Hz (19'997Hz requested) ie -8.5ppm
- Gapless playback : Yes
- De-emphasis compliance (deviation at 11khz) : Yes (0.0dB)
The Dynamic range is the best that can be measured (unweighted) with the Audio CD. By the way, I computed -101.5dB(A) and -92.4dB(CCIR-2k).
A higher crosstalk can be seen, compared with the OPPO, but it's actually better at high frequencies, which is unusual.
Pitch error was a small -8.5ppm but two times more than OPPO, although very good for audio.
The Pioneer will properly apply de-emphasis on CDs requiring it, with 0.0dB deviation at 11kHz per the defined correction curve.
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I did not overlay with other CD players, because it's the best trace I got, again, and actually it is the same if I run the test from the digital output:
If I'd overlay the result of the OPPO BDP-95 on this graph, it would show the same.
----
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results of the Pioneer compared to others:
| CD Player model or DAC | Calculated ENOB (999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither, THD+N span = 20Hz - 6kHz) | Percentage of max resolution achieved (higher is better) |
| OPPO BDP-95 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| SMSL PL-200 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| SMSL PS-200 (from CD player) | 18.6bits | 99.47% |
| Pioneer BDP-LX58 | 18.5bits | 98.93% |
| Denon DCD-900NE | 18.5bits | 98.93% |
| Onkyo C-733 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL150 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL100 | 17.9bits | 95.72% |
| Sony CDP-597 | 17.5bits | 93.58% |
| Onkyo DX-7355 | 17.3bits | 92.51% |
| Denon DCD-3560 | 17.2bits | 91.98% |
| Yamaha CD-S303 | 16.8bits | 89.84% |
| Revox B-226S | 16.8Bits | 89.94% |
| Accuphase DP-70 | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Sony CDP-337ESD | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Teac VRDS-25x | 16.5bits | 88.24% |
| Marantz CD-73 | 14.9bits | 79.68% |
The Pioneer does not repeat the master class result of the OPPO, but it is very close and above many others. And by the way, the "DIRECT" button has a positive effect on this test, improving the result by 0.1dB!
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Testing the drive
Before going to SACD and 24bits specific measurements, let me talk about the drive tracking capabilities, since these tests are performed from a CD Audio.
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
The Pioneer took only 4 seconds to read the TOC of my 40 tracks test CD, after deactivating the memory of the last position.
Here are the results:
| Test type | Technical test | Results |
| Variation of linear cutting velocity | From 1.20m/s to 1.40m/s | Pass |
| Variation of track pitch | From 1.5µm to 1.7µm | Pass |
| Combined variations of track pitch and velocity | From 1.20m/s & 1.5µm to 1.40m/s & 1.7µm | Pass |
| HF detection (asymmetry pitch/flat ratio) | Variation from 2% to 18% | Pass |
| Dropouts resistance | From 0.05mm (0.038ms) to 4mm (3.080ms) | 2.5mm |
| Combined dropouts and smallest pitch | From 1.5µm & 1mm to 1.5µm & 2.4mm | Pass |
| Successive dropouts | From 2x0.1mm to 2x3mm | 2.4mm |
These results are extremely good, but the OPPO managed to nail them all. I saw the interpolation mechanism kicking off at 2.4mm and I could not hear it on single sine tones. The above are very good results that I don’t get from most ancient drives.
Pioneer BDP-LX58 - Digital Coax Output (from Audio CD)
Ok, so we get very close to perfect results, and nearly nothing more can be expected from an external DAC. But let's verify if it outputs a "perfect" digital stream. This is from my standard 999.91Hz @0dBFS file:
It's the same as the WAV file.
The 3DC test from Stereophile is nailed too, no surprises:
My ultimate proof of "perfect" digital output is when I reuse the intersample overs test at 5512.50Hz, with a phase shift of 67.5°, like I did for the TASCAM CD-200 review. This signal generates an overshoot of +0.69dB and so if the signal would be modified before being sent, it would show either a reduction of amplitude or we'd see some sort of saturation/increase noise/distorsion. So here we go, the below is a comparison between the WAV File directly processed by the PC, and when played by the Pioneer via the coax out:
Again, as expected, no trace of digital processing at the ouput.
Partial conclusion (As a CD Player)
The OPPO BDP-95 set a precedence, and I was hopping that this Pioneer BDP-LX58 would be close, I did not think it would be that close.
These two will sound the same from the good old CDA.
This is very good news because the current price asked for this Pioneer is much lower than the OPPO, and if you're into a near perfect CD player at very low price, you got one!
To be continued below...
Last edited:
