Hii guys! ^^

Which is the best option among the Pioneer models: CLD-D406,CLD-D704 and DVL-L700 in terms of image?

I'm looking for one that has a good quality (in laserdisc standards) - I'm not a very picky person with that but I wouldn't want it to be so "blurry" either

I have a collection of laser discs and a very few CDs, but I don't intend to buy DVDs. The price difference between them is small, so I'm on the fence about which one to choose...

I'd love to hear your experience!:) Which model would you recommend?

I personally think the CLD-D704 is the best option. It has the more durable Gamma Turn auto reverse system vs the other two have the Epsilon system. For DVL units, I would avoid just because they weren’t really all that great in general and you said you didn’t need DVD (and this DVD player is very average).

In general the 704 does have the better picture for LD as well due to the better video circuitry along w/ variable Y/C adjustment. Also, I think the 704 is the only one of the group that has the twin D/A Converters w/ Legato Link for digital audio but I could be wrong (DVL might have a good D/A set-up as well but not sure).

Listening to a CD on my 704 clone right now as I write this and it’s great

None. They’re all a waste of your money that you’ll be bored with soon.

In respect to what Zeta just said, he has a point.

I just noticed you are in Brazil. Do you have a local source to get these units? If not, shipping is pretty risky especially internationally but even so domestically.

I appreciate your advice, but disagree on some points. At least from what I see, many people buy their players after many, many long years after getting to know this old universe, because they already know the risks. As is the case with me and several other interested parties... From new people, new things emerge for the laserdisc community, a good example is its preservation and digitization of discs... among other things.

I appreciate your advice anyway, I will remember it when I dose how much money I could spend on this type of media!

LDFAN, thanks for replying to me!

The Brazilian laserdisc market is very curious! People imported countless players, records and we still have Brazilians who worked in the Pioneer factories that still work with the maintenance of the players here.

Many imported the records, people knew how to take very good care of them and the prices of most are very cheap because many titles were imported en masse, a good example is "Mariah Carey: MTV Unplugged +3" (I've never seen so many ads as in Brazil, it seems to be a must-have item for any collector).

Only one album was released in Portuguese, and it seems to have been only 01 unit sold... Extremely rare.

On the other hand, the players, like the Elite, are a little more expensive. The 3 I mentioned are fairly priced and cheap, in addition to being in great condition.

Here's a picture of our Ayrton Senna holding an LD!

I agree with the others, the CLD-D704 is the best among your listed options. I am very happy with mine here in the USA.

Truly, though, no player is -bad- at all, especially regarding picture quality. The differences are far smaller than most people think (or claim), I have found.

I wish you success!

Sounds like you’re good to go in that case.

Had no idea Senna was an LD guy back in the day. I collect slot cars so I’m familiar with him in that regard .

They made one in his memory so it's appropriate.

Ayrton Senna: The History 1960-1994 (1994) [PILW-1171]

If the laserdic was something niche abroad, here in my country it was even more so! Only the mega rich had it and at the end of the 90s it was being even "more" imported. There were even some rental companies for this specific audience!!

The points against the collection is the same for everyone... A concert can be a bit expensive, as can a record player repair... But the owners of the breeders here seem to have been even more careful because we don't have the right assistance here.

Of course, it always looks like a salesman putting absurd and clueless prices... Some things don't change from country to country

If there was a country that loved Senna more than Brazil, it was Japan. There are so many records about it! There is always some "new" laserdisc on eBay

Oh man…I remember that era so fondly. The late 80s was the golden age of Japanese print. I had a friend who was back and forth between Japan and his dad more so and he would always bring back Jump comps (Fist of the North Star, Kinnikuman, Dragonball) but also stuff like Option magazine. F1 was max popular back then, I’m talking about like 88-92, thanks to McLaren Honda’s massive success and you’d see them mentioned in pretty much every publication.

I think that DBZ McLaren Honda thing was a pinup in Jump originally.

If you want a player I'll sell you a working player but you get no guarantee of it playing once you get it.

Willing to take the risk??? LMK

I did recommend the Pioneer CLD-D704 earlier, but the truth/fact is, -every- working laser disc player will have -excellent- picture quality, compared to regular TV of the 1980s or 1990s, let alone VCRs, haha. If you can buy two "average" players (locally) that you can confirm are working properly, for the price of one "fancy" player (such as the CLD-D704) especially if it is not "local", I would do that. Do not bother to chase after something distant but "better", imagining that the risk is worthwhile.

Many of the "experts" will disparage any other than the best players, but even the oldest, most basic players that are still working (or have been repaired) will look and sound very good.

Go get -any- player, enjoy it, and welcome (back?) to the laser disc community!

What is the difference between CLD-99 and CLD-d704? Is the CLD-99 just a D704 with an upgraded 3d comb filter for s-video and a face lift with a different face plate?

Jesuslovesgood, you may have described exactly the difference between the CLD-D704 and CLD-99, but I think it is more than just a face plate. The entire cabinet (and wood side panels?) may be different. Specification charts may show one decibel or two higher performance in some aspects, too. But in the real world, I think very few if any disc watchers will be able to see or hear anything "better".

Depending on how this person tends on using a laserdisc player. He or She might want to pick a player up with a 3d comb filter but that might be too expensive for them. If they plan on mostly using crt tv's it would probably be best to pick one up. However, if they plan on using flat screen lcd, led, or oled type screens I doubt there's any real benefit to the s-video in players such as my CLD-99 or the Japanese players that have the 3d comb filter built into the s-video. How many players have this 3d-comb filter overall and are any of them affordable options? When I bought my CLD-99 over slightly a year ago it was and still the most expensive player I own. I paid $506 for it and I also had to buy the remote separately so I probably spent close to around $540 if we include the cost of the remote.

Recent Ebay searches in the past year or so have shown people are now trying to sell the CLD-99 player for around $1,000 or more on ebay. Which I personally find absurd. I mean there's other players out there that are probably better at that price point and don't suffer from clv smear. Even though I personally think clv smear is more noticeable on flat screens oppose to the crt fat tube tv. The cld-99 is light despite having wooden panels. Well light compared to my cld-3080 which has some awkward weight and the metal face plate is definitely causing it to feel quite awkward by comparison.

I know people will say stuff about the rarity of players and so on but with age passing i'd imagine that anything is more prone to dying or having issues with the capacitors. Yes, many of these players cost 2-4 grand at one time but that was the past when the technology was brand new. Everything drops in price over time.

Bitcoin. This is why all stuff is so high now, bitcoin and nostalgia.

The only LD player released for the North American market (I beliveve) with a 3D Y/C Separator was the CLD-99 so there is really no point in recommending it to anyone getting into the hobby to look for one since they are expensive and rare to come by.

Also, since it only works with S-Video (as they should), that makes it even more useless since no TV’s made today don’t have that option anymore.

A better option (as you already stated) is to get a display optimized for an analog signal like a CRT. However, even older flat panels with a lot of analog inputs will sometimes provide a 3D comb filter comparable or even better than what is used on a CLD-99 and in that case you can plug almost any LD player into them via composite and have a great picture (obviously a better player is still preferred).

As for players being expensive, that’s expected when there is this odd demand for it and no players are being produced. It’s supply and demand working here. You won’t see that with likes of turntables and CD players since they are still being made new even in this day.