4 Reviews for MAGNETAR UDP900MRZ High end

1. 

   4 of 5

   Thomas B. - September 10, 2023

   I've been using the Magnetar UDP900 player for just over a month now. Previously a Panasonic UB9004 was in use.

   The workmanship of the device is very good, much higher quality and heavier than the Panasonic, but there are slight deductions in the B grade.
   The remote control should therefore be of higher quality. It is encased in sheet metal, which feels slightly cool and of high quality, but there are irregular and protruding gaps on both long sides.
   The drive tray is completely made of plastic.

   The UDP900's loudspeaker noise is pleasantly quiet during operation, but it naturally becomes significantly louder when reading in, but is still sufficiently quiet compared to other players.
   To date I have played around a dozen UHD Blu Rays, all of which ran without any problems except for two films. There were problems with “A Quiet Place (2)” and “The Batman (2018)”; the image froze for several seconds in certain places. The discs were flawless and the Panasonic player played both films without any problems. Perhaps a future software update can optimize layer switching.

   The picture and sound quality are very good, but whether it is really better than a Panasonic UB9004 is difficult to say. The sound is analogue for sure, I wouldn't want to commit to digital. The bottom line is that the picture should be the same on both players, perhaps you can see differences on a large screen, which unfortunately is not available to me.

   The firmware is stable, with a few minor bugs that will certainly be fixed in future updates. The screen saver only works sporadically when the film is paused, but always works in the player menus.
   After each firmware update, parts of the settings are not adopted, e.g. Bitstream Out on HDMI.

   What I miss, especially when playing audio CDs, is a way to display the remaining running time of the current track or the entire CD (time counts backwards). Maybe this could be added later via an update.
   Basically, the stereo playback of CDs via analogue out (XLR in my case) is excellent.
   Wonderfully vivid reproduction, minimally warm. Very comfortable to listen to music for hours with the UDP900. A significant step forward compared to the Panasonic's Analog Out.

   Verified purchase. More information

2. 

   5 of 5

   Konstantin Kraepelin - 2 December 2023

   Design and processing:
   The Magnetar UDP900 impresses at first glance with its elegant and modern design. The robust housing shows excellent workmanship quality that will impress even the most demanding user. Its compact design allows for easy integration into existing home theater setups.

   User friendliness:
   The operation of the Magnetar UDP900 is intuitive and user-friendly. Installation is straightforward and the device connects seamlessly with various other components. The clearly structured menu and the responsive remote control contribute to a pleasant usage experience.

   Performance and functionality:
   The Magnetar UDP900 sets new standards in terms of performance. It offers exceptional picture and sound quality that leaves nothing to be desired, even with high-end media. Support for 4K UHD and HDR ensures impressive image clarity and vibrant colors. The audio output is also top-notch, with clear and dynamic reproduction that makes for an immersive listening experience.

   connectivity:
   The Magnetar UDP900's variety of connection options makes it an extremely versatile device. It has multiple HDMI outputs and USB ports. This offers the user a wide range of options to enjoy different media formats.

   Price-performance ratio:
   Although the Magnetar UDP900 is in the higher price segment, it offers excellent value for money. The combination of high-quality workmanship, excellent performance and wide functionality fully justifies the price.

   And finally ...
   The Magnetar UDP900 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a high-performance, versatile and easy-to-use player. Its excellent picture and sound quality, coupled with the robust construction and wide range of functions make it one of the best devices on the market. I can fully recommend the Magnetar UDP900 and am convinced that it will delight every home theater enthusiast.

   Verified purchase. More information

3. 

   3 of 5

   Patrick Luck - 4 December 2023

   First of all, I would like to agree with Thomas B. regarding the player and address some of the points in his review.

   The workmanship is of course excellent and I also had the UB9004 as a comparison. As far as the picture is concerned, I have to say that the picture looks much more natural than with the Pana, but when it comes to the sound, even via HDMI, it swept me off the couch. My first 4K was the US 4K from Underworld and I had never noticed the sound like that on any player before, that alone was worth the investment.

   Regarding the sad part of the device, I can only agree with the layer change on UHDs, I had the same problem with Terminator 2. Since the firmware is completely based on the Oppo firmware and the Oppo developers are also involved, I assume that they will never be able to get this under control, because this was also the problem with the Oppo 203. Unfortunately, compared to the Oppo firmware, in my opinion some points have been made immensely worse when it comes to operation - whatever the reason, in my opinion the Oppo firmware was always the best of all Blu-ray players but I have to say, the manufacturer answers and I am with them in a lively exchange of emails. The biggest problem is that the current firmware has been completely destroyed and NFS access no longer works and after repeated rejections from the manufacturer, it now seems to have recognized the problem and will fix it again in the next update. The same problem as with Oppo is, among other things, that SMB only works in version 1, which is an absolute no-go but is currently essential due to the elimination of the NFS function. It would be important that the manufacturer publishes changelogs for every update, even for those who only access the player online. As far as resetting the settings during an update, this was already the case with Oppo, so you can save this as a backup on a USB stick, which I always have in my player anyway to collect the BUDA data. And last but not least: as far as the Remaining Time is concerned, according to the developer, this function should also be reintroduced!

   Personally, the network functionality is very important to me and especially the region free function, which is why I chose this player. The developers wouldn't always answer me in detail if I had already returned the device. I hope that in the future the developers will test the firmware properly and not only the Chinese version, but also the US and EU versions.

   So much for the player, but I also have to write something about the dealer and only one word comes to mind: RUDE!
   I will never order anything from Heimkinowelten again unless I absolutely have to. It may be that everything works great in the store, but this was one of my worst experiences when it comes to online orders. I was actually very excited in advance because they replied to my emails even on Sunday. However, after ordering, I felt free to follow the motto, we have our money - now we can't care less about the customer and that with a 3000 euro device!! Lying to the customer several times about an order is simply an impudence. Once I am told that the device will arrive in the current week, then I am told that the device will be shipped on Tuesday and then I am assured that the goods will always be shipped via UPS Express. Everything was a lie!
   So much disinterest towards a customer, even on the phone, is disgusting!

   In addition, I expect that if a retailer does not have the goods in stock but only orders them from the distributor, they will also state this on their website. After three days I was already aware that the player would not come from Germany but from France and of course they don't ship express. Which also begs the question, why don't you offer express shipping? There are customers who would also pay for it. Goods that I order in the US, UK and China are now all shipped express and I sometimes receive goods from America within three working days. I don't want to see any apology from the retailer here, because lying to the customer three times in a row within a week can only be deliberate! This review will also be published by me on other platforms regardless of whether you publish it or not. No retailer has to complain about a lack of customers if they treat them like this.

   Verified purchase. More information

   • 

     Andre Eifler - 4 December 2023

     Thank you for the detailed review and description. In fact, before, during and after Black Friday, not everything is as easy as it should be in terms of shipping. That can hardly be denied and we also struggled a lot in many areas. Many packages were picked up late during this time and took much longer than usual. In our shop it is also clearly declared what is in stock or is only marked as available: “Deliverable” – “In Stock”. We make a double distinction here. For us in Ritterhude, in stock means in stock, as we now work with various fulfillment service providers in both Poland and Germany and have products in storage. But we only keep this stock as “available for delivery”. I don't know where you got the express information from, but we don't send such goods by express. Express shipping is also a very complex topic and cannot be explained in one sentence. Not everything can be sent express: size and value of the goods play a role. In addition, a high quota of express shipments per month must be guaranteed so that a service provider can pick up the shipments, otherwise they have to be delivered yourself. We are primarily a specialist retailer and not an online sender with hundreds of shipments per day. A delivery time of 900-3 working days was stated for the UDP5MRZ when ordering. In fact, delivery took 6 working days (including Saturday). We apologize for any inconvenience. We are constantly adjusting and correcting delivery times accordingly. Depending on the current market and delivery situation. We never have the Magnetar MRZ versions in stock, they are actually stored (externally) by the manufacturer. This is our paid quota, which we usually have sent directly from there. This saves us double shipping for these expensive devices. Which also has advantages because we want to send such devices on the road as little as possible. The email also didn't say that we have the device in stock, but rather clearly said that it would be delivered externally. Nobody was lied to here either. The shipment was processed and shipped as quickly as possible. We are really sorry that we cannot send faster. But many factors come together in a chain. Even in our own warehouse in Ritterhude, DHL was not always able to take all the packages in the allotted time: too many shipments, too few staff and staff absences on top of that. However, we had no other option. We have provided you with the tracking number as quickly as possible. I didn't promise that the player would be delivered at the weekend, but rather I wrote that I "firmly assume so."

4. 

   3 of 5

   Patrick Luck - 11 January 2024

   I would like to write another review here after 2 months of use. In addition to the UDP900, I also have an Oppo 203 and a Panasonic 9004. All I can say about the image quality is that it is better than the other two devices and the sound is outstanding. The firmware of the device, which now has a price of over 3000 euros, is a disgrace to say the least!

   Starting with the fact that the manufacturer does not provide any changelogs for the online updates, there are different firmware versions for the European, Asian and American devices, all of which apparently have a different firmware version. The player was delivered to me with firmware 655 and an update was immediately installed, so the trouble started. According to forum participants in the AVS Forum, the 655 firmware is the last one that worked almost perfectly. Since the first online update, the NFS protocol no longer works on European devices, SMB only works in version 1, which is security-critical, but the problem was also with the Oppo, but at least NFS always worked on the Oppo! If you're already copying the Oppo firmware with a license, you should at least keep the positive things, but that's my personal impression, supposedly the developer also wants to bring back certain functions but who knows when this will be the case...

   With each firmware there were various problems with various discs not being read. Two examples here are the German Password Swordfish and the US UHD resident Evil Afterlive. Oppo knows that sometimes discs won't be read, but my UB9004 has never had a problem with any disc!

   Since I owned the player there have been at least 5 online updates, which I installed each time in the hope that NFS would finally work - none! I wrote to Mganetar support every time and all I got back was the statement: install the latest firmware update. Impudence!

   With the latest firmware from January 10th (686) I'm now giving up because with this the manufacturer has finally put the device out of operation. Blu-rays either don't load at all or they start and stop as soon as you go into the Blu-ray menu, some start and suddenly the entire player crashes and restarts!

   What are the boys doing there? However, I have the feeling that this only affects European devices, in America and Asia customers don't seem to have any problems with the device!

   Since the developers are of course no longer in touch, this text is now sent to the dealer by email and I expect improvements here, however the dealer can manage this. I like to be surprised. And if I'm honest, I don't want to be without the player because of the image quality, but my device is just completely unusable.

   I simply cannot understand why manufacturers are so uninterested in customers' problems with a player that they sell for 3000 euros. I simply can't think of anything else here!

   Verified purchase. More information