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 Post subject: Re: Not working MSC4000
Posted: 06 Aug 2019, 21:36 

A quick update on the Sony. I decided to keep the decoder and contacted a local reputable repairer that I had used previously for a DVD player repair. I dropped the MSC 4000 with him a couple of weeks ago admittedly with not very high hopes of a successful outcome. Anyway I received a message the other day to say the problem had been traced and a repair was possible for what I thought was a really decent sum (£40/€45) for which I gave the go ahead. Julien you were spot on, the Sony has now been fully recapped plus a dry joint corrected and is now working beautifully in my set up, I can now join the ranks of the Hi-Vision Club :D

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 Post subject: Re: Best quality Laserdiscs
Posted: 06 Sep 2019, 15:17 

Here's another thumbs up for a PAL LD release. I recently viewed the Pioneer LDCE UK release of Cliffhanger (PLFEB 31991) and was genuinely impressed by the picture quality on offer, solid colours and excellent overall clarity (quite amazing on close ups) the only criticism being what appears to be occasional aliasing artifacts, whilst sound quality was equally top draw stuff with some of the best rear effects and sound steering that I've ever heard, in fact very close to DD 5.1 at times but with all the benefits of the superior PCM audio. It would be interesting to compare the other European releases of this movie as I note that the French and German discs were manufactured by DADC Austria, whereas the Italian and British versions are made in Japan by Pioneer, anyone out there own/seen these other EU issues?

Finally a quick screenshot of the movie, it obviously doesn't do proper justice but does give an indication of the quality. Source Pioneer CLD-925, Display Sony VPL VW 500ES 4K Projector.

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Posted: 31 Oct 2019, 12:46 

I owned an R7G for several years until selling it earlier this year for around £/€600, it was a mint example both cosmetically & mechanically. It's a super machine with the most advanced 3D comb filter ever fitted to any Pioneer player (X0 & X9 inc.) and when using its s-video out the image quality was very close to my HLD-X9 on well mastered LDs e.g. The Fifth Element, Star Wars Trilogy etc. although the performance gap perhaps widened a little when running discs with poorer quality transfers. The big downside with this player though is that unlike most other machines it's performance when switching to the composite output is a huge disappointment; in my system the image appeared very soft indeed, infact the CLD-925 produces a far better result especially via the Lumagen 2144 processor. In my humble opinion I wouldn't advise the R7G as a particularly good choice and especially as your display isn't fitted with an s-video input. Finally I thought R7G image did tend towards the digital look which is no surprise for such a late player, perhaps you should be looking to obtain something on the lines of a CLD-97 or similar for that smoother more analogue kind of image you mention is your preference?

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Posted: 31 Dec 2019, 18:29 

You beat me to it rein-o, pretty much what I would have guessed too. Having dealt with this seller/repairer I personally couldn't fault his service which is very meticulous in every way, also I'd wager people as knowledgeable as this guy will be pretty thin on the ground now around these parts of Europe tbh.

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Posted: 01 Jan 2020, 02:48 

Yeah, I could totally see something like the person replacing a laser and then it going in a week as its pulled from
another player and he can't warranty the work but then having to refund and hes out time money and parts.

Its just too hard to do this type of thing anymore.
I was on the repair end of getting an older toy fixed about 20+ years ago and the guy who did the work was great but
didn't have a store or anything, just did it as a hobby and it was a different time then.

We'll we've hit 2020 this side of the Atlantic now so your post rings even truer as the years roll by!

Oh and may I also wish you a happy and healthy New Year when it shortly arrives in the USA too :thumbup:

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Posted: 11 Mar 2020, 15:28 

As an ex R7G owner I'll add my findings if I may to the excellent advice provided in the above posts. Definitely go for it if your display supports S-Video, if composite is your only option you could very well be disappointed as this player produces a rather lacklustre soft image when connected this way, even when connected via such as a Lumagen Radiance 2144 processor. Using its S-Video output it gave my HLD-X9 a very close run for its money on well mastered discs, only losing out when it came to the lower quality stuff. It's no master when it comes to noise free video performance but that comb filter Pioneer fitted is probably about the best ever fitted to any LD player (certainly superior to HLD X0/X9) and this really elevates its performance towards the top end when carefully adjusted, don't think there's much in it between the one fitted in the Radiance 2144 tbh, what do others think? As I think was mentioned above just make sure the original remote is provided otherwise you may have a problem accessing the R7G set up menu with other remote control units.

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Posted: 31 Mar 2020, 09:08 

Good to hear you're happy with it so far, enjoy! :thumbup:

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Posted: 22 Apr 2020, 21:56 

Regarding the 925....oh yes and don't you just love the way the expensive luxurious plastic facia creaks & squeaks should you wish to push the front power button of a machine so light that the whole player almost moves aswell lol! What did we European PAL nations do to deserve this as our high end player especially as a replacement for the previous far superior build 2950? Jeez Americans & Japanese etc. really don't know they are born :D

Anyway your post really cracked me up when I first read it (infact still got a smile on my face) but it's also got me drooling too about this disc, although noting your words of warning I'm presuming its one PDO UKs finest so just wondering if there is a US or Japan release of this also?

Regards, Steve.

Ah here now come on! I love my CLD-D925! I bought it back in 2013 and it was like new, fully boxed with paperwork etc. She's my treasure, my sole link to the world of Laserdisc! With that said a 919E would take it's place in a heartbeat but I cover my CLD-D925's AV ports whenever I contemplate the 919E out loud. :mrgreen:

I don't think this whopper classical disc received a USA release (unless someone else can verify?). These things are genuinely not my thing. I have one other one in my collection by this eccentric bloke who made a classical album and then dragged an ensemble out to the Grand Canyon to shoot a feature length film for his magnum musical opus! It's in my collection, look up the name in there somewhere.

I love weird crap like that. You wouldn't see the likes of it made today.

Regarding this disc, I think I maybe got lucky that the disc was in such good playback condition (physically it doesn't look so great, which baffles me how it plays back so well). The sound on this thing though is truly tremendous and made my little AV setup actually sing.

There's a slightly odd looking chap who's a cross between that Dr. Whatshisname who does the Nintendo Brain Training games and a serial killer. He plays the cello with the other 3 chaps in their 'Be Sharps' quartet of geography teachers. His cello actually made my subwoofer gurgle and burble rather handsomely. If anything this disc is a testament to how good Laserdisc audio actually was. Well, it blew my socks off anyway, but I'm easily pleased. :thumbup:

Ah, was only joking regarding the 925 (build quality aside) I've had this one for around ten years now and it's never put a foot wrong tbh, kept another one as back up until about a year ago but sold it on. Would love to get hold of another 2950 the player that introduced me to the format back in 1995 which was purchased brand new, it had a smoother less digital looking image than the 925 although perhaps a tad softer which I think is my preference. Anyway Ted with the way you've been banging on about this classical CD Video disc any potential seller will by now be hiking its asking price to T2 Squeezed THX version insane levels no doubt! Well done you :lol:

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Posted: 22 Apr 2020, 22:54 

teddanson wrote:
Opened up a repair thread. Just about to post a video.

Hopefully something simple.


Just seen that, fingers crossed there's no actual damage and you manage to sort it.

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 Post subject: Re: [CLD-D925] E0 Error
Posted: 12 May 2020, 22:52 

That is one very clean looking D925 Ted; in fact it looks absolutely like new, no wonder you were so upset when you accidentally fed it that bad disc to chew on!

Seriously agree with that sound advice from @cplusplus though....

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Posted: 06 Jun 2020, 21:02 

Thought it about time that I put up a few shots of my current set up....

https://i.postimg.cc/gjk65PDM/IMG-2931.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/26xZ254b/IMG-2933.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/zvtRYP2q/IMG-2939.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/zfCbGf2t/IMG-2932.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/76qCGypx/IMG-2934.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/5NXXFgkF/IMG-2935.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/RhFNdLSy/IMG-2936.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/7PsC6dXk/IMG-2937.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/D0MmM4mZ/IMG-2938.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/pTkmK6HK/IMG-2940.jpg

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Posted: 07 Jun 2020, 09:38 

incredible. That is so pure. It's non-compomising but not just a guy who's gone out with a bunch of money and bought all the latest gear. You've obviously built this up over years and years.

Where/how do you keep your media?

Many thanks forper. Yes; been through a lot of gear over the years and made lots of mistakes along the way despite doing everything right to the letter, I was never totally satisfied with the results I was achieving (mainly the sound quality) and more than once lost interest and nearly gave up, but I feel over the last year or so I've finally got there so certainly glad I persevered.

This system is now very revealing and is certainly capable of showing what the various formats are capable of (or not) concert LDs with PCM audio running on this system are especially a joy to behold!

LD collection (300 approx.) are stored in Ikea style cabinets along the right side wall, likewise for BD/DVD/SVHS/VHS but at back of room, would really love to add D-VHS but uncertain whether to take the risk investing in the format at this late stage?

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Posted: 09 Jun 2020, 18:06 



Interesting that you mention the sound quality of VHS Hi-Fi tracks @forper as a few weeks back I decided to run some of my old pre- recorded music vid VHS + home recorded from early 90s TV broadcast S-VHS tapes (video still holds up well on these btw!) also some 25 year old audio only CD recordings made from my first LD player a Pioneer CLD-2950; in fact I was hooked for a whole evening enjoying a type of sound quality that you perfectly describe above, overall I wouldn't say it is on a par with the best LD PCM quality that's available but I'll stick my neck out and say I find it preferable to a lot of the audio (of any type) that DVD offers which to my ears nearly always sounds somehow uninvolving in a way I can't quite put my finger on.

Yeah so good man, I wish I kept more of my VHS from the '90s, and some of my tapes. I foolishy decided to "upgrade" wholesale to DVD at some point. I wasn't at the level then when I could dub from an LD player though. I had a lot of HiFi tapes though. Your story is a lesson to the youth. Go high end, and go high end early, don't look back! I wish I'd worked harder back then to acquire gear.

The%20nearest%20LD%20to%20VHS%20comparison%20I%20could%20make%20is%20probably%20the%201987%20U2%20Rattle%20&%20Hum%20movie,%20the%20VHS%20always%20sounded%20very%20good%20although%20perhaps%20a%20little%20thin%20and%20congested%20in%20the%20mid%20range%20on%20certain%20tracks%20whilst%20others%20had%20open%20mid%20range%20with%20superb%20drum%20and%20impressive%20bass%20reproduction.%20The%20LD%20has%20the%20option%20of%20DD5.1%20or%20PCM%20audio%20but%20comparing%20the%20latter%20to%20the%20analog%20VHS%20Hi-Fi%20tracks%20the%20LD%20leaves%20it%20standing%20in%20nearly%20all%20ways%20and%20the%20whole%20recording%20just%20sounds%20more%20powerful%20and%20consistent%20throughout%20by%20comparison,%20to%20my%20ears%20at%20least. Interesting! Thanks for the comparison.

When you posted the shots of your setup some time ago I was honestly very impressed by your kit and equally by the way you have it configured; it looks aesthetically perfect to my eyes and just the way I would want it e.g. plenty of breathing space around the front L+R speakers all the electronic along one side etc. I appreciate that not everyone has the space to achieve/or desire this but it just looks so right to me if it's possible, I'll bet you get quite satisfactory musical results?

That is kind of you. I am often satisified when I can crank it but that is limited to Saturday nights and not too late as I live in an apartment complex and even then I worry I'll get complaints. I envy the back garden locale! My ideal home would be a farm I feel. No neighbors!!

Never thought about a farm but yeah, that sounds even better than a garden building ....I hope one day you'll manage to achieve your ideal location @forper! :thumbup:

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Posted: 15 Jun 2020, 17:57 

Just wondering if anyone knows what the best version of Pink Floyd - Pulse is? My guess is the PAL version, though the Japanese edition does have coloured sleeves and a booklet.

Thinking of plumping for the PAL version but keen to see what the consensus is.

Well I've owned the PAL release from new, but around five or six years ago picked up the US NTSC version. The US version did have the picture inner sleeves too but there was no booklet at least not with my copy. In terms of video/sound quality definitely the PAL version for picture quality as the program was clearly originated on PAL Videotape, the US version looks decent but rather softer in comparison as you would expect after conversion to NTSC, although the PAL version does have a fair bit of chroma noise on certain scenes which is completely absent on the US version. I read somewhere that Pioneer addressed this problem on later pressings though I'm unable to confirm this but mine is certainly one of the earlier copies.

Regarding SQ, nothing to choose here, well perhaps the NTSC version did sound a tad superior but I only ever spun this on my X9 whereas the 925 handled the PAL disc if this is of any help?

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Posted: 16 Jun 2020, 09:49 

Apologies for taking the thread briefly off topic. On a trip to London last summer my daughter who is a huge Floyd fan and constantly pressuring me to show her the Pulse LD demanded that the first thing we must do after arriving is make a pilgrimage to Earls Court the iconic venue for this now legendary series of concerts.

I warned her that I didn't think it would be a great idea and told her so, but she was having non of it as it was at the top of her "Must Do" list; anyway as we stepped of the tube train at Earls Court station I immediately realised that something was missing that used to partially fill the view when looking southbound from the platforms, we then made our way to the exit which was directly opposite one of the two main gated entrances to this former huge venue which dated back to the 1930s to be greeted with the sight of a tall screening totally obscuring any view. Anyway with trepidation after we crossed the road there were a few gaps in the boarding and I really wished we hadn't looked through....we were shocked to see a massive open wasteland where Pink Floyd, Genesis and many many other top artists had once performed to 20,000+ audiences over the decades, but the most gutting thing for me was that amongst this scene of devastation the flight of main entrance steps still remained in situ!......why did they leave them untouched? What a sad site and at that we quickly turned our backs and hurried back to the station.

At least we can still visit this place on our beloved LD format.....enjoy the show Ted! :thumbup:

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Posted: 19 Jun 2020, 08:12 

je280 wrote:
On UK ebay at the moment is a copy of THE MATRIX US issue on LD for £1000 , quite a listing description - see below.


When I first viewed it about a week ago he was asking £1,425 so an absolute steal now!

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Posted: 10 Jul 2020, 21:56 

Your rig would be a great candidate to test it on! I'd happily send my copy over to you if you want to stretch your sound systems legs but I guess it would cost more to post there and back than to just pick up a copy from eBay, even from the USA with added 'heartbreak tax'.

Make sure you get the same one I did. It doesn't mention Sensurround at all on the sleeve, but it does say at the very end of the sleeve notes to make sure you turn every piece of equipment you own up to maximum volume and prepare yourself!

What kind of subwoofers do you have in your rig? Do they go to 30hz or below? Have you got more than one sub, e.g. 7.2.2 etc?

Regarding PQ, it looks great and is in the right AR too afaik. The sound is a tiny bit weedy, maybe that is the whole Sensurround thing, so you do need to crank it up a little bit more than most other discs. That said, you will be watching it with absolutely everything maxed out so you should be fine! Let us know how you get on, I'll look out for the local news headline:

"POLICE BOWEL-WILDERED AFTER MAN CRAPS PANTS IN HIS GAF WHILE WATCHING NOISY OLD FLICK."

:lol:

By the way, in the YouTube video above, skip to 7mins 4seconds to see the Sensurround in action. It nearly took out the bar glasses and rumbled the chandeliers in the cinema lobby!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Interesting clip btw. Looks like there are plenty up for grabs on eBay currently, not yet checked LDDB shops for any.

Had numerous subs over the years such as REL Stadium 2, Monitor Audio Gold GXW-15 to name two, but the best performing (and cheapest) by far is what I currently run, that being a BK Monolith Plus. Manufacturer claims it goes down to a genuine 15hz, brand new these beasts sell for just a third of the price that MA ask for the Gold offering above and absolutely trounce it in every department except perhaps cosmetically. BK Electronics used to manufacture the original and (arguably) best REL subwoofers ever produced and the Monolith Plus shares plenty in common with the former range topping and highly respected REL Studio, I've toyed with the idea of running a pair of these but trust me just one is more than capable of doing the job in my opinion at least!

Anyway I'll definitely report back when I've sourced a copy of Earthquake Ted :thumbup:

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 Post subject: Re: Retrotink 2x Pro
Posted: 12 Jul 2020, 11:05 

Unfortunately yes GB,
No S-video in on my tv which hopefully this could remedy.

So you've really yet to experience the true capabilities of your player as its image looks quite lack lustre via composite versus s-video, I would give it a shot Jake unless you can get your hands on a rather more expensive AV processor that provides an s-video input. Best of luck Mate....and I suppose you could always sell it on if your not happy with the result?

Update: Was thinking again about this and tbh if it were me I think I would hang on until a decent processor showed up, just looking on eBay here and there is currently a DVDO iScan VP30 for sale next door in the Netherlands for €325/£290 with a make an offer option and worldwide shipping. It may be way more than you desire to spend but I'd bet any money it'd be far superior than the other option with lots of additional flexibility available should you need it.

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Posted: 14 Jul 2020, 12:09 

bighamnegg wrote:
For some reason it is not uploading my photos . I will give it another try later .


Hi, it could possibly just be that you haven't yet made enough postings, although I'm sure someone will be along shortly to confirm.

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Posted: 14 Jul 2020, 18:58 

Hi there
I recently purchased a Pioneer CLD-950 with no remote . I was wondering if it has to be a specific remote that I buy for this or if I can buy a universal remote . Also while I’m here I just watched true romance today on LD and when I checked side 4 to see if there was anything on there it had a cool little graphic . Are these the same on all dead sides or are there different ones .
Thanks lads

There is a CU-CLD071 remote control on eBay uk, this is I believe for a Pioneer CLD-925 but should be compatible with your 950, currently at £21.

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Posted: 22 Jul 2020, 10:50 

So to get proper Sensurround in your gaf you're gonna need to buy about another 60 subwoofers then! :D

This is the version of Earthquake you want, though nearly all the copies are going to come with heartbreak tax as they're US-based sellers.

Earthquake (1974) [42072]

Make sure to report back, and make sure to just play it all at maximum volume!

Well....it arrived yesterday morning Ted, a mint copy perfectly packaged from a Lddb seller in Rotterdam :thumbup:

So late last evening got a chance to get into the cinema to test things out; didn't have time to view the complete movie but watched the first 20 minutes or so and was reasonably happy with both PQ and audio transfer for a 1974 film, some aliasing and perhaps a little digitally processed looking here & there at times but not too bad really.

So on to the much anticipated chapter 21 (The Big One) and.......sadly it was somewhat underwhelming on my outfit tbh. It definitely slowly intensifies and the chairs (and ribs) are vibrating in harmony but none of the really low earthmoving pant flapping sensations that are the norm in more modern movies released from the 1990s onwards, it sounded more like a lower mid/upper bass type of subwoofer test tone generated by your AV amplifier, actually towards the end of the chapter the ground really did properly shake till briefly pausing the playback revealed it was actually a heavy freight train passing by! :lol:

Anyway after testing out I went back to the house to google search any past reviews of Earthquake and soon learned the possible reasons why the soundtrack on this LD didn't meet the expectations I had - firstly there were some interesting discussions on this forum some years ago where a much respected member @disclord (who I believe is sadly now no longer with us) stated that the P/S LD 10002 is by far the best one to get with the original stereo audio and the proper Sensurround audio track included, on 42072 the widescreen release from 1994 Universal had for some reason remixed the audio into Dolby Surround format and the end result was rather lacking in comparison.

Reading the notes regarding Earthquake LD on lddb database, someone had reported that the JP widescreen release has both superior PQ and audio over the US widescreen remaster that we posses, also apparently the Bluray version has the same original audio mix as the P/S LD but the DVD releases have the messed about with surround track such as on 42072 if I've read correctly.

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Posted: 23 Jul 2020, 23:12 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Top Gun up to now? also I've had U571 for years and for a DD5.1 DVD it sounds amazing, I believe it got a late release on LD presumably in DD and I've always wondered how it sounded/looked, can anyone confirm?


Will confirm the visual and sound quality of U-571 is optimal.
One of my favorite movies on LD, not because of late release status.
Love the cast, story, and production.
Bill Paxton at his best dramatically imo !

That Top Gun AC-3 is prime, no doubt.....

Excellent....many thanks for confirming that firehorse_44, something I've been keen to learn of for a good while - will look out for a copy now and probably retire that DVD :thumbup:

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Posted: 04 Aug 2020, 14:58 

teddanson wrote:
Yeah going to try it once I have the audio embedder installed. If it's as good as Nice and Rough I shall be a happy chap!


Trust me Ted cut straight to the Proud Mary chapter on side 2.....makes the sensurrond track on Earthquake seem like a storm in a teacup as a comparison!

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Posted: 04 Aug 2020, 16:32 

teddanson wrote:
Challenge accepted! Are we talking full, unfettered bowel prolapse here?


Absolutely! Just don't be fooled into a false sense of security by the low key start....as soon as Turner mouths "we like to play it rough" you'll quickly see what I mean! :crazy:

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Posted: 08 Aug 2020, 12:44 

I remember looking for 97's on Ebay about 5 or 6 years ago and they were all going for around $200 to max $500. I paid $400 for my 95 about 4 years back but was about $600 with shipping. I paid £1800 for my x9 which I felt was a good price at the time. Thinking back maybe I should've bought a couple more 97's.

I paid similar for my X9 also, came fully serviced and still looks like it just came out of the box from new. Only thing is that the remote is (I think) from an S9 so unable access every single function, therefore would love to get hold of an original if possible but they never seem to come up, also like yourself I'd dearly love to own a 97 or the 959 JP version at some point!
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