Integra DPS-10.5 Universal Disc Player

Integra DPS-10.5 Universal Disc Player

SRP: $2500

Highlights:
SACD, DVD-Audio, CD, CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, VCD, & MP3 universal playback
JPEG image display and slideshow
Dual-laser pickup
THX Ultra certification

Processing:
Dolby Digital, DTS built in
192K/24-bit audio D/A converters
216 MHz/14-bit video D/A converters
Progressive upconversion with 3:2 and 2:2 reverse pulldown
Direct Digital Path
VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry)

Connections:
HDMI digital video and audio out
2 i.LINK multichannel digital audio sockets
4 digital audio outputs: 2 coax, 2 optical
HD component video output
1 component video output, 2 S-Video outputs, 2 composite outputs
5.1-channel analog audio output
Dedicated downmix analog audio output
S-Video and composite video inputs with progressive upconversion
Bidirectional RS-232 port
IR in and out
12V trigger input

Functions:
Disc Navigator for MP3 and JPEG discs
Title, chapter, group, track, folder (MP3), time search
Frame-by-frame playback
Slow motion playback
Fast forward and reverse
Repeat, Random, Last Memory playback
Supports both 4:3 and 16:9 displays
Supports up to 8 soundtracks/languages
Supports up to 32 subtitle languages
Multiple camera angles
Parental Lock
Screen Saver

Others:
Auto Power Off function
Toroidal power supply transformer
Silent slide disc tray
Aluminum front panel
Display brightness is adjustable, incl. off setting

Specs:
Frequency Response -
DVD Audio = 4 Hz - 88 kHz at 192 kHz
DVD Linear Sound = 4 Hz - 44 kHz at 96 kHz
CD = 4 Hz - 20 kHz at 44.1 kHz
S/N Ratio = 112 dB
Audio Dynamic Range = 106 dB
THD = .002% at 1 kHz
Audio output (digital/optical) = -22.5 dBm  & 75 ohms
Audio output impedance (analog) = 320 ohms
Power Consumption = 48 W; Standby = 7.1 W
Dimensions = 17 1/8” W x 4 13/16” H x 14 13/16” D
Weight = 26.7 lbs.

Integra Division of
Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
201-785-2600
www.integrahometheater.com

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Intro

The Integra high-end line of Onkyo first brought out a universal disc player back in 2002, the DPS-8.3. Three years have passed and several features and improvements have been made and in the process the price doubled, but I found this unit the best sounding and imaging of all the universal players I have tried.  In fact so good that it has convinced me to finally dispense with the separate players for the different formats I have been using and make the Integra my reference disc player for everything.  I’m discovering anew the great convenience of being able to slip any optical disc whatever (except a Laserdisc!) into the silent non-resonant tray and have it display the format and play without serious hesitation.  I was just comparing two versions of the Verdi Requiem - one SACD and the other DVD-A.  Previously they would have been on different players of unequal playback quality, but now I can be assured any differences I hear are due to the particular recordings (or formats) and not to the different players.

Yes, it comes with a not exactly bargain price, but the 10.5 is an entirely different unit than the entry-level universal players you see at Circuit City-type dealers.  For instance, check out the weight.  Actually it seems it should tip the scales even heavier because this baby is solid - the heavy front aluminum panel and brass feet are the visible parts of the avoirdupois, but inside a massive toriodial transformer has to add to the weightiness. Separate internal power supplies for the audio and video elements are another addition to the weight and to the improved performance. There are all sorts of logos on the front panel, the usual suspects plus some probably unfamiliar ones such as VLSC, which is Integra’s trademarked circuitry which reduces pulse noise in analog audio signals converted from digital sources. Processors from Silicon Image take standard interlaced signals and converts them to progressive, correcting for DVD mastering errors, reducing scan lines and motion artifacts along the way.

Some Features

Like most play-everything players today, the Integra can not only read CDs burned with low-res MP3 audio files, but can also display on the connected screen JPEG images you have put on a cross-platform CD-R or DVD-R.  In fact they will automatically arrange themselves into a slide/dissolve show with each onscreen about five seconds unless you change the settings.  The only restriction is the image files cannot be any larger than 5 MB. You can be listening to a multichannel SACD or DVD-A and simultaneously send a stereo down-mixed signal to another zone in your house or to a computer burning a two-channel copy.

As with many of the latest DVD players, the 10.5 boasts an HDMI output to connect to the latest displays with HDMI inputs. (My older display currently lacks this new development so I couldn’t test it out.)  This bypasses various D/A and A/D conversions required before, preserving the digital purity of the video signal. In addition, the 10.5 features a special high definition scaler built in, which can upconvert standard DVDs and then send out the signals in a variety of resolutions to fit your particular display.  The remote control sports a special resolution button to go thru this list, giving one the smoothest screen image by matching the input to the native resolution of your display.

Speaking of the remote, this is one of the best-designed ones I have seen in some time.  First, it is backlit, and bright enough to really see all the buttons in the dark.  It is hefty in the same style as the player itself, and the Enter button is right in the center and sticks up a bit so there is no confusion about it.  This joystick is a joy to use. It is also a universal remote which can operate your amp, receiver, TV or VCR with dedicated function buttons.  There are four buttons for teaching the remote various sequences of your other remotes, and even buttons to turn the video circuitry off completely when you want the utmost sonic quality from audio disc playback.  You can also use the remote to bring up the on screen display at the top of the screen to deal with that increasingly annoying problem of the lip sync being off.  The AV Sync menu option lets you increase or decrease the delay on the audio (using an image of a slider knob) until it perfectly matches the mouth movement which has been delayed by video processing on its way to your set.

Video Testing

I checked out the video capabilities of the 10.5 first, after doing the fairly simple initial setup using its on-screen display.  My Pioneer doesn’t have a progressive option, so I set the Integra for a progressive signal thru my Monster Cable component video connection to the set. I was curious to learn if I could see any subtle improvement in the images with the unit’s 14-bit processing compared to the only 10-bit of my two DVD players.  I certainly could, and it was not subtle. The gorgeous black and white transfer of To Kill a Mockingbird by Criterion Collection gives the images a depth and sharpness with most players.  But with the Integra there was an almost 3D quality to the images which felt as though you could move right into them in some of the shots. Next I tried another Criterion DVD, their reissue of Kubrick’s classic Spartacus. One chapter starts with a long establishing shot of Rome with all sorts of detail in it. The Pioneer 59AVi player I had on hand showed much detail both at mid and far distance, but the Integra enhanced the resolution to the point that it became obvious where the actual studio set ended and the painted backdrop began.  In some of the dark cave scenes the Integra displayed more details in the murkiness.

The latest reissue of The Sound of Music is an excellent transfer of this classic.  The opening shot of Julie Andrews spinning around on the hilltop had a magnificent richness and resolution I had not seen with other players. So also was the famous alien aria scene in The Fifth Element via the Sony Superbit DVD version.  I found that the best DVDs looked close to the image quality of most HDTV programs.  You may discover that when you eventually have a separate hi-def DVD player, your old DVDs won’t look dated when played back on the Integra. And of course the sound element is just as important as the picture in video viewing, and the Integra is no slouch there either. In making those aforementioned comparisons of the two Verdi Requiem formats, I had to switch back and forth many times when playing the DVD-A between “DVD” and “8-Channel” on my Sunfire preamp - the quality of the Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks was so high that even on the big climaxes of chorus and orchestra in the work it sounded almost identical to the 96K DVD-A surround sound.

Audio Auditioning

I used a Monster Cable analog six-channel connecting cable to go from the multichannel analog output jacks on the Integra to the multichannel inputs on my Sunfire Theater Grand IV.  I also hookup up the coaxial digital out as well as the two-channel analog out.  The latter went thru a pair of Bybee filters plus the Taddeo Digital Antidote and then into the analog stereo inputs of the Sunfire.  This allowed for selecting “Source Direct” on the Sunfire, which is the purist “no processing of any sort” path for analog signals.  I then auditioned some of my favorite CD test discs, among them the Opus 3 gold series. It became clear quite soon that the Integra is the first universal player I’ve heard that doesn’t fall down on standard CD playback.  The guitar quartet on “Depth of Image” that I frequently use had a bite to the strings as they were plucked, combined with a rich timbre and awareness of the acoustics in the church where the recording was made. The upright piano on the left channel of the next trad jazz track sounded even closer to a real piano than it had sounded with my best-CD-playback modified Sony 9000SE player. The stereo and Pro Logic II settings produced glorious sounds with seemingly nothing lacking, but they were fed by the digital connection and going thru some processing, even without the derived surround enhancement.  Switching to the pure analog Source Direct setting brought a palpable transparency increase and a much more spatial placement of the instruments on the soundstage.  So any concerns about giving up the utmost in 44.1 stereo CD reproduction in order to realize the joys of universal multichannel were evaporated.

Next I tried several of my favorite DVD-As and SACDs.  The same Verdi Requiem I seem to keep returning to is a most exciting performance conducted by the dynamic Russian Valery Gergiev. One of the soloists speaks on the provided video about the strong communication of fear in the music and words.  That’s right on, and the enhanced DVD-A playback of the Integra (vs. my previous DVD-A-only player) made Verdi’s musical visit to The Last Judgment raise the hairs on the back of my neck. The terrific Chesky Bucky Pizzarelli DVD-A “Swing Live” captures the feeling of being right in the hall with the players, but the Integra captured it with an even more 3D quality than I had ever heard previously.

The new London Symphony performance of Smetana’s ‘My Country” symphonic cycle conducted by Sir Colin Davis on the LSO’s own SACD label seems to give this dynamic nationalistic work the playback power and impact that it requires, with a tremendous dynamic range going from the quiet harp introduction to the overpowering climaxes in some of the six tone poems.  Adding to the realism of the recording is that all the LSO hi-res discs are recorded live during actual symphony concerts.  The classic Layla 5.1 SACD remix on Polydor by Eric Clapton and friends had an increased impact and more support in the lower bass end than on my modified Sony CE-775 or the Pioneer DV-59AVi.

I’m returning to multiple guitars again in a jazz SACD, though only two this time instead of a quartet. And in only two channels instead of multichannel.  Ying Tan doesn’t do the multichannel thing on his Groove Note audiophile label, but somehow he comes up with even better sound on masters from labels such as Concord than others have achieved reissuing similar material. Take for example the Charlie Byrd/Laurindo Almeida SACD “Tango.”  Among my extensive collection of 45 rpm audiophile vinyl are a couple Crystal Clear Charlie Byrd albums, and they are direct-to-disc. In fact I helped select the sides to be released on one of them.  It’s difficult for even the most advanced hi-res stereo digital disc to come up to the sonic quality of a 45 rpm direct disc on a good turntable system. But I find that this Groove Note SACD, played on the Integra uni player, does it.

Wrap Up

Using the DPS-10.5 is a pleasure.  The tray is silent, sturdy and well-insulated against resonance.  I have carefully covered several disc player trays of the usual flimsy variety with Cramolin and other anti-resonance materials to tweak playback sonics. This one doesn’t need any, and it’s not one of those inconvenient top-loaders.  My only slight gripe is that it takes its time in both opening and in starting playback after closing.  But after all, the poor thing has some major decisions to make about which of the many different formats to play back!  I’ve noticed most universal players suffer this built-in delay.  And it plays perfectly every type of disc I throw at it.  None of the other universal players were able to handle jpeg image CD-Rs I burned on my Mac - only the Integra.

Sonically and visually the 10.5 is at the top of its game. (The Onkyo line sports a very similar player - the DV-SP 1000 - which has the same dimensions and weighs the same. It has a two-year warranty vs. a three-year with the Integra and may have other differences, but its street price runs from $1600 to $2000.  So you may want to compare the two players if possible.)  If your system includes either i.LINK digital connectivity to your preamp or receiver and/or HDMI connectivity to your video display, chances are you’ll be enjoying enhanced listening and viewing even in excess of what I am experiencing. The two-channel 44.1K achievement of the player makes it more of a truly universal disc player than any of the others I have auditioned. I plan to make it my reference disc player for all of my reviewing work.

- John Sunier

My Reference System: Sunfire Theater Grand IV preamp, Pioneer Elite 510HD 53" RPTV, Sony CE-775 SACD changer (modified), 3 Opera Consonance M400S tube monoblocks, Parasound HCA-2003 3-channel amp, Von Schweikert speakers: 4 VR-2s, LCR-15 center channel & VRS1 subwoofer; Bybee AC conditioner, SOTA Star turntable with SME V arm, Transfiguration Spirit MC cartridge and Grado head amp.

 

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