Jump to content

Magnetar Blu-ray Owners & Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

 

Anyone with this UHD Blu-ray player having problem playing Flac music format through the USB port. Message from the player "Not support to

play this file for audio code".  Plug out the power cord and reinsert back,  same issue, same message.

Have written twice to Magnetar Europe for assistance. Unfortunately no reply from them.

Have updated the latest firmware.

Please assist me should you encountered this problem and having solved it.

Thank you. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • 1 year later...

After posting a couple of times on the Oppo thread regarding a recent Magnetar purchase.....yes, it is indeed appropriate to start a Magnetar thread once I was informed no such thread exists. 

 

I will kick things off by reposting my two posts from the Oppo thread and we'll go from there.....hopefully there are more Magnetar owners out there, although this HK based brand has not been active for too many years in Australia, maybe 4 to 5 years?

 

Firstly though, here are a few links to some Magnetar history, one from this very website earlier this year:

 

https://www.noteworthyaudio.com/collections/magnetar-audio

 

https://www.stereonet.com/au/news/much-life-left-for-physical-media-as-magnetar-audio-moves-to-indi-imports

 

Also, proud Oppo owners, please ignore my cheeky tag....although TBH, Oppo, as a physical media supporter and media source unit manufacturer is already dead from a self inflicted wound!😆

 

So, proud current and future Magnetar owners.....give us your thoughts on this promising physical media player brand and their so far very well reviewed products.

 

image.png.279850617daaf7dcbbe1a9c8843d8520.png

PS:  The next day: I now see that @allfor4k started a Magnetar thread a year ago and the mod's have merged both....all good, I didn't search hard enough.😉

Edited by stevoz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

First posted October 14 2024 on the Oppo thread:

 

I have been wanting to buy an Oppo 203 or 205 (ha ha....second hand prices for the 205's have gone ballistic!) for a while now but then along came Magnetar and with big price reductions on their two models at Selby at the moment, I bought a Magnetar UDP800 Universal 4K Blu-ray Disc Player.

 

I have had a Panasonic UB820 for around three years now and it's been great but it doesn't play SACD's or DVD Audio and this does and by all accounts it has 'audiophile' standard CD and SACD playback.

That's what I want (the Panasonic CD playback is pretty average so I have stuck with my older Cambridge Audio player for CD playback.....plus the Magnetar has analogue stereo RCA and balanced outputs to hook up to my music amp). I also want top shelf video and surround audio playback. No complaints with the latter from the Panasonic but this will take it up a notch or two.

 

From what I have read, the Magnetar could be the new 'Oppo' as a universal disc player. Hope so!

 

image.png.d55e3b6f61cbd22c2a94b1f1a0c9efc1.png

Edited by stevoz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

First posted October 23 2024 on the Oppo thread:

 

I got the Magnetar UDP800 the other day and finally unboxed it yesterday and set it up. Digital multi-channel output only so hooked it up to the Cambridge Audio AV receiver via HDMI.....then found that the HDMI input on the receiver had to be 'assigned' to an output source, eg: DVD, Video 1, Video 2 etc but this had to be done via the on-screen display, which I could not access because the TV was not connected to the receiver via a Composite, S-video or Component connection, so I was getting picture but no sound.

To cut a long story short, I thought 'f*** it, I'll swap it for a UDP900' which has analogue RCA multi-channel HT outputs, like my current Panasonic 820 and my old Cambridge bluray player had. I prefer those connections anyway, so today I drove to Selby's in Thornbury (after checking with them first) and got a UDP900, at their special price ($1800 off RRP) and got refunded for the UDP800, minus 10%.

Pretty happy now though, this is their top model, better CD/SACD playback than the UDP800, which did sound rather excellent from what I heard last night.....and it's built like a tank and weighs a ton. They only had one left and it was a 'static display' model (ie: on display but never switched on), so it has a thick perspex top so you can see the interior. It looks pretty cool.....but I should have asked them (and I still will) if they have the actual metal top as well and get that sent if they do have it.

 

I will do a report on video and audio performance once it's set up and I have watched a few movies and listened to a few CD's/SACD's.

 

image.png.a3b6c22c1eeb998c0845ee72f5d4bc37.png

 

Edited by stevoz
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the Magnetar players, when I switched from another unnamed player to the Magnetar in our large theatre room, as soon as I took it out of the box I thought 'now we're talking!'

 

Fantastic build quality, great performance, snappy UI, and no real software hiccups which is amazing considering how many different disc formats the thing plays. 

 

Selby, through their own distribution company Fundamental Audio, are no longer the distributor, Magnetar has moved to Indi Imports. This is why there has been a big price reduction - the 800 was $2599, RRP is now $1999. Similar reduction for the 900. So Selby have done a big sale to move their remaining stock.

 

All players sourced through Indi now are region unlocked from the factory. 

 

The main downside is due to different distributor and their particular arrangements, far less retailers around the country are now going to carry the Magnetar product. Which is a shame and will result in less sales, despite the lower price tag.

  • Care 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • 2 weeks later...

Magnetar UDP900 Universal 4K Disc Player review time.🙂

 

image.png.fac49c17cc09cbab141527cf063e9fd6.png 

 

Firstly, I must say I love how this unit looks, it exudes quality.....but more about that later.🥰

 

I have had the Magnetar for around ten days now and have watched approx. 8 movies and 2 live concert blurays. I have listened to 6 CD's (selected songs from 4 and 2 in full) and 1 SACD in full.

 

Movie wise, it's an absolute cracker.

 

5.1 channel audio quality is incredible, certainly better than my previous player , the Panasonic UB820 4K disc player. Centre dialogue performance is clearer.....better surround performance that is truly immersive.....LF performance on par with the Panasonic but slightly less 'boomy'.

I'm using the RCA analogue multi-channel outputs and the top shelf Sabre ES9028PRO DAC chips appear do a fine job with multi-channel audio.....better than I've ever heard with movies on this system and certainly also better than my previous audio benchmark, the Cambridge Audio 650BD universal disc player.

 

Picture quality is insane. The Panasonic was a solid performer indeed but this takes it to another level. Resolution is incredible without losing that 'cinema' look and the colour palate is to die for. So good to look at and totally pleasing on the eye. My 65" 4K QLED TV is indeed no 'top shelf' unit but while it's always looked good, with the Magnetar, it looks amazing. A decent OLED 4K TV would really shine!

I haven't watched a 4K bluray yet.....I really should do that soon but normal blurays look just incredible, the upscaling from this unit is extremely effective.

The two multi-channel live concert blurays were also better picture wise and more importantly, audio wise, than I'd ever experienced before.....just stunning to watch and listen to......excitingly so!

 

As a music player, it's fantastic.

 

Stereo audio wise, it's the best CD player I've heard. It's all over the Panasonic and also an improvement on the Cambridge. The audiophile standard Sabre ES9038PRO DAC chips shine here, detail is fantastic. I'm using the RCA stereo outputs to connect to the new Luxman amp and the sound signature, while slightly (and pleasingly) warm is crystal clear and very dynamic.....it has me excited to grab out more CD's (that I don't have the LP's of😆) to check how they sound. Having said that, I'm still playing more LP's but that's just me.😉 

It also has XLR balanced stereo outputs which I will one day hook up but in no hurry to do for now.

SACD 5 channel performance, from the one I played (Dire Straits, 'Brothers In Arms') was also great but I wouldn't say measurably better than the Cambridge Audio player, via the same Cambridge Audio AV receiver.

 

Build quality is right up there with my 'hand made in Japan' Luxman amp.....it's built like a tank with a spare no expense ethos. Truly impressive, it's hard to believe a disc player could be this heavy (15.5kgs). The interior looks truly impressive, reviews revealing that all components used are truly top shelf.....and as a display model, mine has a thick clear perspex top so the interior is on show, not that you can see anything now with it positioned in it's 'cosy' rack.

 

Overall, I am loving this universal disc player.....it's delivering truly stellar performance and so far is everything the reviews and the company that makes it promise.

I can't see myself needing to upgrade to anything different for the rest of my life.

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ product IMO.👌

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...
To Top