- Magnetar announces two new 4K Blu-ray players
- The two players are the UPD900MKII and UDP800MKII
- Magnetar is the second company to announce new players this year after Sony
At CEDIA Expo 2025, Magnetar revealed it is bringing two new 4K Blu-ray players to the market, the UDP900MKII and UDP800MKII.
Referred to as the MKII series, the new players are successors the Magnetar UDP900 and UDP800, the latter of which is our current choice as the best option for audiophiles in TechRadar’s guide to the best 4K Blu-ray players.
The UDP900MKII and UDP800MKII arrive with a stacked list of features: SACD playback, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ High Dynamic Range (HDR), and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio format support.
Magnetar’s players stand out for their enhanced audio performance, and the MKII series is no different. The UDP900MKII features dual ESS 9038 Pro DACs and a dedicated audio HDMI port. It also features XMOS USB playback, and supports up to 768kHz PCM and 512 DSD high-resolution audio.
The UDP800MKII has seven OPA1602 op-amps for reduced noise and HDMI jitter, and enhanced EMI shielding. A redesigned chassis also means more stable performance, including quieter disc reads, according to the company
Both players come with redesigned USB 3.0 ports for improved performance with connected devices, and both are Roon Ready.
The UDP900MKII and UDP800MKII are both expected to arrive stateside by the end of 2025, priced respectively at $3,299.99 (roughly £2,440 / AU$5,050) and $1,799.99 (roughly £1,330 / AU$2,750). Information on availability in other regions was not provided in the company’s press release.
Good news for 4K Blu-ray
Here’s something I didn’t have on my 2025 bingo card: not one but two brands releasing new 4K Blu-ray players. Sony kicked things off earlier this year, releasing a ‘new’ version of its UBP-X700 4K Blu-ray player, called the UBP-X700K. The only real difference between the two players on paper however is that network support has been removed in the new model.
Magnetar has also heard the call, releasing its own new players in the new MKII series. On paper, the MKII series has gone through some serious hardware upgrades that should ensure its dominance as the best audiophile 4K Blu-ray player option. But, most importantly, we have two new 4K Blu-ray players!
While the MKII series is very much at the premium end of the 4K Blu-ray player market, this is still great news for 4K Blu-ray fans after a tough couple of years, with LG announcing its departure from the Blu-ray player market, followed more recently by Reavon – leaving Sony, Panasonic, and Magnetar as the only major choices (other than the two next-gen games consoles).
Retailers are also dropping 4K Blu-ray disc sales (although Best Buy recently introduced a 4K Blu-ray online marketplace) even as great movies continue to get the 4K disc treatment from outfits like The Criterion Collection and Arrow Video. Heck, we even started our own 4K Blu-ray feature called the Blu-ray Bounty in November due to the format’s ongoing popularity.
Two new 4K Blu-ray players from Magnetar is excellent news, and as a 4K Blu-ray fan, it gives me hope for the format’s future.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
