Pioneer DV525
Review written by Ted on 30-Dec-1999

After visiting just about all of my local home theatre dealers I finally decided to purchase the Pioneer DV525, after many many recommendations. It isn't the very top of the line player, but for what it's worth it definately is nice. This is my first DVD player, so I am not exactly an expert on it, but these are my comments anyway.

Audio
The audio quality for the DV525 just sounds amazing. Sounds are crisper than I have ever heard before. The CDA quality is as good as if not better than my friend's Marantz CD player which costs almost as much as my player, running on an identical amplifier and speakers.

One complaint I have with the player is with the lip synching problems which seem to plague modified Pioneer models, as mine is. I have read many comments around the net regarding this, and it seems as though some people experience many problems, while others experience none at all. For me the problem isn't very noticable, and only occurs on one DVD that I own - Lost In Space - which has been mentioned on other sites as being somewhat of a trouble disc. Besides that, all other discs that I own play perfectly.

Video
Using only the component video out I have found the picture to be incredibly clear, and the colours much more vibrant than any VHS tape (although that probably isn't too hard). So far I haven't noticed any glitches or artifacts, and have no complaints at all with the quality. All is just great.

Construction/Appearence
The construcion of the unit is one of the few areas I am unhappy with. The unit is rather light and seems too be made out of cheap materials, as it feels rather weak and flimsy. This isn't a major concern though as I don't exactly carry it around all that much. The tray is another concern. When opening and closing it sounds rather clunky, nowhere near as smoothly as it should. The appearence of the unit is the same style as just about all other Pioneer component units. The smooth black lines match perfectly with my Pioneer AMP. Personally I just love the shape.

Complaints
The remote. It seems as though the DV525 comes with one of two diffent style remotes, depending on how lucky you are. One of them is featured in the Pioneer 1999/2000 catalogue, and seems to be very nice. The one I recieved on the other hand, is incredibly annoying. It is a small and very stylish remote, however the buttons are all identical in shape, size, and distance from each other. It may not sound that bad, but when you are in a dark room watching a movie, and have 44 identical buttons to choose from to try and access the menu, it is not easy. All this said, most people interested in home theatre will probably have a universal remote, so this shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Tray noise. Many people have complained that the tray noise during play is rather loud. Personally I have not found any real problem with this. When I first load a disc I can hear it spinning up, but once the movie has started, or when I have sound on, I don't notice it at all.

Other Stuff

• The player supports CDRs, which is a great feature which seemed to be lacking from so many other brands.
• It comes with a 3 year construction warranty, and a 1 year warranty on the laser. I have never had to use the warranty for any of my other equipment, but it's always nice to know it's there just in case.
• While I am very pleased with the component video out, I have heard that the S-Video out is just amazing. I can't wait to pick up a new digital TV.
  

Conclusion
So far I am incredibly pleased with my purchase. For its price, I think it would have to be one of the better players around. While there are several complaints with it, they are easily worked around or not that severe anyway. If you are after a good, cheap, reliable player, I definately recommend checking out the DV525.

Pioneer DV525 DVD/VIDEO CD/CD Player Features
Video output:	PAL 625/50, NTSC 525/60
	S-Video Out, Component Out
Audio output:	DTS/Dolby Digital/MPEG Audio/PCM via Audio Out, Optical/Coaxial Digital Out
Other notable features:	Cinema Mode/Animation Mode
	Quick Start
	Resume (DVD/VCD)
	CDR Support