HDCD Decoding, Burr-Brown DAC's, Neutral sound with no emphasis on either end of the audible spectrum.

Mechanical construction. Loading mechanism exhibits jerky and somewhat erratic operation. Unit developed problems after 1-1/2 years of operation. Did not recognize certain CD's and would completely skip over them as if they weren't in the carrousel. Developed a harsh glassy sound.

Overall I was apprehensive about purchasing a Denon entry level CD player. The HDCD feature was the main feature that I was after having several HDCD CD's in my collection. Overall the DCM-370 player did not perform as I had expected. This player lacked the build finesse of some comparable SONY and other CD changers that operate much smoother and with quicker and surefooted mechanical response, I get the impression that the Denon design is better electrically than mechanically. The platter motions are jerky and track search times are rather slow. Recently, my DCM-370 player developed problems. It started to sound harsh and suddenly refused to read several of my CD's that played perfectly well on other players. After a $90 dollar out of warranty repair bill (the unit is 1-1/2 years old), I have this player back home. The repair ticket reads "Modification of Disc Sensor". It sounds much better now and the CD reading problem is gone. Overall I would give this product 2 stars on build quality, but with it's neutral sound presentation I add another star overall, I like a CD player that is low in musical coloration. My conclusions: The DCM-370 neither delivers quality in manufacture or longevity of service. Next time I am in the market for a CD changer I will stay away from the Denon low-end. I believe their strengths are in their high-end product lines.

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDPC-525 Player and other similar carrousel players.

I did a blind HDCD/Non-HDCD test using my wonderful wife as the tester.
She loves country music, so I used the HDCD-enhanced Dixie Chicks album.

The players were a Denon DCM-370 (HDCD) and a Toshiba DVD (2108) - digital output - and a three-year old Sony CD Changer (again, using digital output).

All were digitally connected to a Denon AVR-5700 running in "Direct" mode.

Here are the results:
In 3rd place - the Toshiba 2108. Sounded pretty good, but "muddy". The highs and lows seemed to be missing.

In 2nd place - The Sony CD Changer (with Toslink). Great fidelity and a good soundfield. This player through analog would have been in 4th place, by the way.

And in 1st place - wasn't even close - the HDCD Denon DCM-370 (running digitally or analog). It sounded more "analog" to me - like the first time you played an LP on a good turntable. Seemed like more information was present - filling in the spaces.

Or, using my wife's words, "It isn't even close - it's like they're playing right in front of us!". And we know - we saw them in the 1st row in early June!

So, to summarize, the HDCD seemed to us to be a real winner. I'm very glad we spent the money. Give it a listen - let us know what you think!

I am on my second unit. The sound is great, but the first unit had a bad "clicking" sound, especially when the tray was opened. The second unit has a mind of its own. It does not always change discs (tried several) when after a disc is played. I am ready to take it back as well.

This CD player is worth every penny ($279). I also bought a Monster Cable Datalink 100 to go with it to take advantage of the digital coax my reciever has (Denon 3600DTS). Anyway, it's a great unit. If you're thinking of HDCD, this is the cheapest one out there (as far as I know). Sooooo, I give it 5 stars!

After reviewing and listening to the Yamaha CDC 765 and the Marantz CC67 , i decided to try out the new Denon DCM 370. It won me over immediately. With the added plus of having HDCD processing( which up to now i have not had the opportunity to listen to a player or media that had this capability)The difference in sound is incredible. When i started my search for a new cd player i wanted to find one with a coaxial digital output which this player has also. I decided to use Monster Cables Silver M1000D digtial coaxial cable to connect the player to my HK AVR65, and with that connection the quality of sound is simply awesome coming thru my Definitive BP8 speakers. I am very pleased with my decision to purchase the DCM-370. HIGHLY Recommended.

Denon DCM-370 ($232 Online, $279 Store)
I've only had a little bit of difficulty getting it to change disks. Sometimes it just doesn't automatically go on to the next one. It will play 4 CDs, then stop after the 4th's last track. When this has happened, I just tell it to skip to the next disk. It doesn't happen very often, though.

The sound is very transparent. Layers and samples that previously were difficult to make out, now sound clear and distinct. The unit is nice and quiet, as well. You'll want to tune your system to an HDCD disk, though. HDCD tends to have a different tonal balance than normal CD, with louder treble and stretched out bass.

I thought I owned one HDCD disk. Then I found another. And then two days ago I found a third with all but two tracks encoded. There is no HDCD symbol anywhere on it. The HDCD Site doesn't even mention the disk. It's kind of weird.

Denon has a leaflet that describes the 370 as having 24 bit HDCD. That's most likely incorrect. HDCD uses 20 bit word length encoding that approaches 20 bits when played back through a decoder. The 370 uses the origional Pacific Microsonics PMD-100 HDCD Chip connected to a Burr-Brown DAC. Burr-Brown is that very high quality audiophile DAC maker. While some of Denon's high end CD players use 24 bit Burr-Browns, I'm assuming the 370 uses a 20 or 18 bit BB DAC. . .probably the 18 bit one. But, I would love to be corrected on this.

My biggest difficulty now is deciding whether I want to return this and order a Toshiba sd-3109 DVD player ($333 Online, $370 Store). This also has HDCD decoding and filtering. However, it uses a Zoran Vaddis single chip and software audio/video solution. From what I've heard, normal CDs sound much better on comparatively priced CD-only players. But I don't already own a DVD player. Decisions, decisions. . .

Just bought this unit from Reference Audio Video in Gardena, CA. Wonderful service and absolutely unbelievable pricing. I am just thrilled with the sound quality of this unit. Listening to the handful of HDCD CDs in my collection, I was just astounded at the degree of detail, bass definition, and general smoothness displayed by this player. Generally, this level of detail is often accompanied by harshness and edginess. At a list price of $300, I have a hard time imagining a better bargain. Long term reliability remains a question, however, as many here have complained about the carousel mechanism. Denon is touting this unit as having a new and improved mechanism, so we will see.
I had considered a Marantz changer, but none of them will play HDCD, which to my ears is an absolute must if you have some HDCD discs. Based on my first listening session, this product rates five stars on sound, even higher on value.

I have had the 370 for two months now and had no problems at all.HDCD is a great improvement,and digital out helps also.All in all after my old pioneer the Denon DCM-370 is terrific.Dennon AVR 1700.
Denon DCM 370.
Krix Lyrix.[see review if your in market fof new speakers]
Krix KDX-M & C.
Denon 2500 DVD.

HDCD

Tony, where did you buy it for $120? I am also in NC. Thanks.

Good price/performance value
You get HDCD for the low price

Cannot play select CDs.

The overall performance of the DCM-370 is very good and I am quite satisfied. The only problem I have had is that it cannot play one of my favorite CDs - "Clair Marlo - Let It Go" for some unknown reason. It plays on other CD players that I've tried out though. That's the only CD that doesn't work on this player though. This is the only reason I'm not giving this a 5 star rating.