Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. Products

Pioneer’s new Elite Blu-ray players are aimed squarely at audiophiles

Alex Tretbar
By

pioneer unveils pair audiophile geared elite blu ray players bdp 88fd large
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Pioneer announced last week that it’s set to release two new reference Blu-ray players under its famed Elite line of electronics. The flagship BDP-88FD player and the  only slightly less sophisticated BDP-85FD will be the first Elite Blu-ray players released by Pioneer in roughly five years, and they appear to have enough “oomph” to appeal to both the reluctant videophile and skeptical audiophile.

Both players reproduce high-quality video via Pioneer’s new video engine comprised of a Precise Pixel Driver image processor and the company’s new 4K Reference Converter that upscales existing disc-based or network content to 4K resolution (4K/60P/4:4:4/24-bit). Upscaled video is output via HDMI 2.0 at a full 18 Gbps-bandwidth. The 88FD and 85FD both process video signals with the same hardware and the same proprietary technologies, but the two models differ drastically when it comes to audio-processing capabilities.

Recommended Videos

The 88FD and 85FD each carry an ES9018 ESS Sabre digital-to-analog converter (the same DAC used in Oppo’s $1,200 high-end BDP-105D player) capable of playing DVD audio, SACD, and most popular high-resolution audio files. However, the 88FD employs four of these integrated DACs, in parallel, to reduce  noise – again, just like the Oppo BDP-105. Both also feature a “Direct Function Circuit” for use in a “pure analog audio playback mode,” which essentially shuts off all video circuits to eliminate any potential interference and dedicate all processing power solely to the audio components.

Related

The 88FD takes its hi-res audio chops even further with a large-capacity power supply transformer, independent quartz for 44.1 kHz/48 kHz playback, Hi-Bit and Hi-Sampling processing, and a DAC filter.

In terms of networking capabilities, Pioneer’s two new players are DLNA-compatible for streaming audio and video content from a PC via home network. They also are capable of streaming content directly from mobile devices, can play hi-res music content from USB, disc, and hard-drive sources, and feature a YouTube “Send to TV” function for all those back-to-back cat-clip-bingers out there.

While Pioneer seems to have inched significantly closer to the high-end roots its Elite line became known for (we didn’t quite think the VSX-70 deserved the “Elite” moniker), the company is selling its home electronics division to Onkyo, which means these may be the last pure-bred Pioneer players we see, depending on how the terms of the sale play out.

The 85FD and 88FD Blu-ray players will begin shipping in December with suggested retail price-points of $1,000 and $2,000, respectively.

Editors' Recommendations

Alex Tretbar
Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
Hisense’s PX3-Pro Laser Cinema gets AI, a bigger picture, and better sound
The Hisense PX3-Pro Laser Cinema.

Hisense's PX2-Pro Laser Cinema ultra short throw projector made all kinds of best projector lists for its excellent picture, big brightness, and accurate color. Today, the Chinese electronics maker announced the popular projector's latest model, the PX3-Pro, a $3,500, premium triple-laser projector that improves on its predecessors with better sound, a brighter light source, and AI smarts to further enhance its image.

The PX3-Pro sees some improvements over the PX2. For one, it's brighter than the PX2's 2,400 ANSI lumens at 3,000 ANSI lumens, which should mean a significant boost, especially in brighter rooms. But one key improvement with the PX3 that Hisense is certainly hoping will make an impact is its integration of "real-time Pro AI Algorithms" that Hisense says will "enhance brightness, fine-tune contrast, and eliminate noise." Using AI to enhance picture quality, color, and more, has been showing up in all the best TVs over the last year or so, so it's no surprise to see it start making its way into the best projectors now, too.

Read more
Get up to $1,000 off Victrola, Mobile Fidelity, Yamaha turntables today
Yamaha MusicCast Vinyl500

For those who are thinking about diving into the world of vinyl records, or if you already have a healthy collection, you may want to take advantage of Crutchfield's turntables sale. You'll enjoy discounts of up to $1,000 on turntables made by some of the most popular brands in the space, including Victrola, Mobile Fidelity, and Yamaha. You're going to have to be quick with your purchase though, as the offers will only be up for a limited time. As soon as you decide what to buy, whether from our recommendations below or by browsing through all the deals yourself, you should push through with the transaction immediately.

What to buy in Crutchfield's turntables sale
In Crutchfield's turntables sale, the most affordable option is the Victrola Hi-Res Onyx, which is a semi-automatic belt-driven turntables with the option to play your music through Bluetooth. It's down to , following a $100 discount on its original price of $400. Next up is the Music Hall MMF-Mark1, a manual belt-drive turntable that will be yours for , for savings of $80 on its sticker price of $475.

Read more
Don’t miss this clearance sale on Samsung OLED TVs — up to $1,900 off
Samsung S95D OLED

Samsung makes some of the best TVs on the market, and if you're looking to pick up a new high-end TV, then you'll be happy to know that there are some excellent options in this Crutchfield sale. With four main models of Samsung TVs to pick from in different sizes, you could potentially save yourself up to $1,900 depending on the TV you want to go for, so be sure to check the complete sale using the button below. That said, if you can't find a TV at a price that works for you, be sure to check out some of these other great TV deals as well.

What you should buy in Crutchfield Samsung Sale
For starters, you have the QN90C lineup, which is one of the more affordable options in this sale and comes in various sizes from 55 inches to a whopping 83 inches, although the 55-inch version is sadly out of stock at the moment. Nonetheless, if you want to pick up one of the other sizes, you'll be happy to know that it has an OLED display with Samsung's proprietary Quantum Dot technology for better HDR, as well as HDR10+ and support for 4K upscaling so you can watch your older content. The middle-ground choice for size is probably this 65-inch QN65S90C, which is , so you get $1,100 in savings.

Read more