LaserDisc Players, Accessories, and Media

[Titanium Dome]

Here is a general purpose thread for LaserDisc enthusiasts, diehards, and blowhards. If it's in the wrong forum, someone will move it.

If you'd like to attack or criticize LD, please start a separate thread. Thanks!

[Titanium Dome]

Well, to be fair, it was JBL, Pioneer, and Technics that got me into LaserDisc.

After many faithful years of service by my L100s and Kenwood electronics, I went into Montgomery Wards (a now defunct department store chain in the US) at Maple Hill Mall in Kalamazoo to buy an Apple computer. Between the computers and the door was the "Electric Avenue" section of Wards, full of consumer level home audio and video stuff.

There were some brand new Technics Dolby ProLogic receivers on display, including one hooked up to a Pioneer LaserDisc player. It was showing the typical demo disc with exciting scenes from blockbuster movies: Top Gun, etc. All of this was being done through a TV and two el cheapo JBL surround speakers!

I was wowed by the video, not so impressed by the audio, and continued on to the computers.

A few weeks later, I was at ABC Warehouse in Portage, MI, and there on an end cap were two JBL L7 speakers. I instantly coveted them, and due to a number of factors, including brilliant negotiations, I eventually got them, some superfine big-ass speaker cable, and two new Soundcraftmen A200 amp for around $1300.

Read all about it here: http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...9&postcount=17



Anyway, once I had those bad boys with my L100s for surrounds, it was inevitable that I went back to Wards and got the Technics ProLogic receiver and one of the demo Pioneers for cheap, and I was in HT heaven.

I was ignorant, but I was in heaven.

[mikebake]

When I worked at a dealership, Toyota made us buy a giant commercial Pioneer LD player, one that was really for commercial TV stations etc. It was a beast. The dealership never really used it much, and gave it to me later. I enjoyed it for quite awhile and then sold the player and all the discs to someone on ebay. That player was such a tank; very heavy and pretty neat. Unfortunately one more thing I didn't have room for.

[clmrt]

I have enough LD's to warrant a backup player in case my 504 blows up one day.

I first got into it because Disney LD's were plentiful and cheap compared to the DVD's. My daughter has quite the colletion.

Looking for a '97...

[Fred Sanford]

I'm getting into them in my usual backwards way- my clients and co-workers are now gradually removing them from their systems and giving away their players & collections. I've ended up keeping just the Pioneer combo DVD/LD players and giving away the Marantz/Denon/Mits & other Pioneer players that have followed me home. Actually, I also gave away two of the combo players, leaving me with about 5, currently.

The Living Room system in my new house will have a Pioneer DVL-90 (among other sources) into a Yamaha RXV-1000 surround receiver powering five JBL L46s with an NHT subwoofer. Video screen is a 42" Sony LCD rear-pro. This system is mostly stuff I actually paid for, with the exception of the LD player and four of the L46s. This room will also have another music-only stereo system with the JBL 4333As. Not sure yet what will power them, I may biamp them with Adcom amps. Pics of the temp setup in this room are in the gallery, which doesn't seem to be working lately.

In the basement I'll have a Pioneer DVL-91 into a Marantz DP870 AC3 decoder, slated to then run through an Adcom GTP600 preamp and some Adcom power amps into Canton speakers and a Velodyne sub. I've also just picked up some Faroudja pieces that might help make the most of the LD's video output. Video monitor is likely to be an NEC plasma. Pretty sure this system will be 100% client castaways.

In my Mother-In-Law's house in PA I set up a nice little theater, with a Pioneer DVL-909 into a Marantz Pro-Logic receiver with Boston Acoustics speakers and a sub I can't remember. Display is a 42" Fujitsu plasma. System is all remote-controlled by a Crestron system with a wireless touchpanel. I think this rig totalled out at ~$65, mostly repairs for blown drivers in the Boston Acoustics.

More about the discs and players and gear later- for now, if anybody's looking for a job in the AV field in the NYC area, let me know- I'm quitting and moving out of town and my company's actively hiring. Lots of challenging fun for the system designer in you, and lots of loot for the bottom-feeder in all of us...

je

P.S. to Ti Dome- I just got a copy of a Pioneer demo disc this weekend. Do you know if it was this one you were watching?

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc.php?id=19614

[mikebake]

Whaddaya gonna do, Fred?

[Fred Sanford]

I've interviewed at three places in my new area, roughly in the same field but not nearly at the same level as the market in NYC. Gotten great responses so far. Smaller scale systems, more commercial work, and hopefully less stress and fewer work hours. We'll see.

I'm sure there's going to be a shortage of rich folk's trash, but I honestly have enough toys for now...no, really. 22 van loads so far, 6 of those with trailers, and I haven't even moved any of my wife's stuff yet. Two more van loads & one more trailer load moving this month.

je

[mikebake]

I've interviewed at three places in my new area, roughly in the same field but not nearly at the same level as the market in NYC. Gotten great responses so far. Smaller scale systems, more commercial work, and hopefully less stress and fewer work hours. We'll see.

Good for you! I just made a similar move. Glad I did.

[GordonW]

It was japanese animation (anime) that got me into LDs. Got quite a few import LD's, including more than one title that never got commercially released in the US.

I've gone through several LD players, in the quest... started with an old Sony top-loader, then to a Pioneer early-generation front-loader, to one that I've kept for the last 10 years... a Pioneer CLD1070, from about 1990. Bulletproof player, sounds GREAT on audio (better than or equally as good as most CD players of any price, that I've compared it to).

I've also got a couple of backup players... a Curtis-Mathes player, that's a dead ringer for the CLD1070 (even uses a Pioneer remote, that was easier to find than the Curtis-Mathes remote)... a Marantz double-side (plays both sides) LD player that I need a remote control for (hey Fred, got any extra Marantz LD remotes? ), and a more-recent Pioneer CLD-S104 that I've decided to sell, since I really don't need FOUR players...

I've got about 60 LDs total... but my real insanity is not having those, but actually HAVING and KEEPING the even more archaic format, CED/RCA SelectaVision capacitance video disk players. Got a working RCA SelectaVision player, and about 80 disks or so for it, INCLUDING an original copy of Pink Floyd at Pompeii!

I'd really like to get the Marantz into the system, because, well, the system has a Marantz SR4600 receiver in it, and matching Marantz would be nice. Also, the Marantz player does coax AC3 output... which would be a cinch to hook up to the SR4600. Would be neat to be able to do Dolby Digital from the LD!

Regards,
Gordon.

[Titanium Dome]

Hey Gordon

I got about a dozen or so CED discs mixed in with a lot of LDs I bought a couple of years back. Honestly, I don't remember what I did with them; I might have thrown them away or they might be in the garage in a box.

If indeed I still have them I'll give them to you for the price of shipping. Packing is on me! Let me know if you want me to look. I can't remember titles, except possibly The Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy.

[GordonW]

Hey Gordon

I got about a dozen or so CED discs mixed in with a lot of LDs I bought a couple of years back. Honestly, I don't remember what I did with them; I might have thrown them away or they might be in the garage in a box.

If indeed I still have them I'll give them to you for the price of shipping. Packing is on me! Let me know if you want me to look. I can't remember titles, except possibly The Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy.

Dude! PM me with some titles! If they're stuff I don't already have then heck yes!

Regards,
Gordon.

[clmrt]

The 4600 has a demodulator in it? Coool.

I'd like to get the Sherwood pre that has not only the AC3 feature, but also a phono pre. Then I could dump two boxes (Yama DDP-1 and a phono pre), and simplify things greatly....

[Titanium Dome]

About a year after I got the ProLogic set up running, I started to get annoyed by the disparity in sound between the HF on the L7s vs. the L100s. The novelty had worn off, and I started to think more critically about the whole experience.

So off I went to Highland Appliance which carried a pretty full line of JBLs. (It's now out of business. ) I came out with a nice pair of LX300s to use as rears and placed them conveniently on some end tables.

At this point, one of the most unusual things happened. My second son, who was in HS at the time, out of the blue showed up with a very nice pair of speaker stands, which he gave to me. He purchased them with his part-time job money at Little Caesar's Pizza and brought them home after hearing me wish for better placement of the surround speakers. I was--and still am--stunned by this. It was the first of many times that he "paid me back" (his words) for everything I'd done for him. Special. I still use the stands today.

[GordonW]

The 4600 has a demodulator in it? Coool.

I'd like to get the Sherwood pre that has not only the AC3 feature, but also a phono pre. Then I could dump two boxes (Yama DDP-1 and a phono pre), and simplify things greatly....

Most "better" Dolby Digital processors can handle decoding AC3, IIRC.

Rare to find a box with both DD/DTS processing and phono preamps, anymore. I tend to SNAG those things, whenever I find them. Make great gifts to friends, if I can get 'em at good prices. I've set up three friends with HT systems using stuff like these, and various speakers I've rebuilt/built from scratch/modified...

Regards,
Gordon.

[Rolf]

I have enough LD's to warrant a backup player in case my 504 blows up one day.

I first got into it because Disney LD's were plentiful and cheap compared to the DVD's. My daughter has quite the colletion.

Looking for a '97...

You bring up a BIG problem here ... On TV commercials they say " Now available on Disney DVD ... " I have asked my retailer for a "Disney DVD player", as an add on to my regular DVD player ... He does nor have it, so I can't buy and play Disney DVD's ... What to do?