A-110 vs. DV-414

Posted by John Coggi [IP: 130.221.142.182] on December 29, 1998 at 16:42:59:

In Reply to: A-110 vs. DV-414 posted by Neil Lightfoot on December 29, 1998 at 11:43:07:

For me it was a close call between the Pioneer DV414 and the JVC XV-501BK. I like the fact the Pioneer is cheaper ($299 at CC versus $359 for JVC at Good Guys), can play CD-Rs and has coax out (the JVC cannot play CD-Rs and only has optical out); however, the JVC unit has a much nicer GUI, display, remote, and extra features. Both have DTS and Component out. The JVC unit has 4 DVDs in the box (Lost In Space, Wedding Singer, Pinocchio, and Deconstructing Harry). This may or may not mean anything but the JVC unit is also heavier than the Pioneer.

I demoed the Pioneer unit at Good Guys and noticed a lip-syncing problem on the Pinocchio DVD. I wasn't sure if it was the player or the DVD, but I've subsequently heard of others who have noticed the same thing independently (http://www.digitaltheater.com/bb/Forum2/HTML/001402.html) so I decided against this unit. (Note: many 414 owners have not seen this problem.) Going with the JVC was a little risky because it is newer and there hasn't been much mention of it on the forums (although what was posted has been positive except for a reported glitch playing Video CDs which doesn't bother me).

Although I've only watched a total of about 45 minutes of DVD (I just got the thing Saturday), I've been amazed at the picture and sound quality, especially in Lost In Space. The JVC GUI takes a little getting used to but after a few minutes you really get to appreciate it. The remote has a 4-way joystick for easy navigation and can control your TV as well. To be fair, I haven't gotten a chance to thoroughly test the unit with DVDs other than Lost In Space, the Wedding Singer, LA Confidential, Shine and Amadeus, nor try a DTS DVD.

If I could do it over again, I would have liked to bring both units home and test them out side-by-side. I probably would have gotten the DV414 if I hadn't heard the negative things about it amongst the many positive things. It seems that people are either really happy with their DV414, or they notice problems with it. Perhaps if the JVC unit was as popular, the same would be true. As it stands, I'm happy with my decision although I miss the CD-R capability. I would definitely stay away from the Toshiba 2108 unit, however, due to many reported audio problems on this forum and others. Don't have an educated opinion about the A-110.

Pricing Note: As a point of reference-- The Good Guys will "wheel and deal" with you. I was able to talk the salesman down to $359 from the $399 advertised price on the JVC. I also got my Yamaha RX-V795 receiver there for $659 ($799 advertised), although that required substantial haggling.

Good luck,
John

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