Low cost, high quality

Remote

Overall I love this cd changer. I never knew CDs could sound this good. Have zero complaints about its performance, although I do think the remote is a little plain.

Sound!

Noisy carousel. Doesn't properly recognize which discs are loaded.

I bought this player yesterday primarily based on my research here at Audio Review and the reviews about the product.

I have only used the product a few hours and here is what I've found:

1) Incredible sound. Even on non-HDCD discs, the sound is great and I've noticed things (such as flaws in the music) that I've never heard before. My girlfriend even loves it!

2) The tray is noisy; but since I have it in a cabinet, I suppose this isn't a big deal because the cabinet dampens the noise.

3) The remote is fine.

4) The player doesn't properly recognize which discs are in the tray. If you put a disc in position 1, and no others, the player says that discs are in positions 1 through 4. If you put a disc in any of the other positions, it properly spins through all positions to locate which discs are present. To me, this is pretty basic CD player mechanics. Why can't Denon get this right?

If the other reviews are correct and the player stops after playing the fourth consecutive disc (which I haven't tested for yet), this is another major flaw as far as I'm concerned. You would think after all of these years building CD players Denon could figure out how to make the basic functions of a CD player work properly.

I haven't contacted Denon to see if they have a fix for item #4 and the consecutive playing problem. If they do, I'm definitely keeping this player. If not, I have the next 29 days to decide whether or not the problems are big enought to make me return it.

My rating:

Sound: 5
Quality: 3
Overall: 4

HDCD, quality D/A convertor not usually found in this $ bracket, 5-disc changer.

Not a lot of bells and whistles. Trade off of more sound quality for fewer gadgets

This is a simple, sturdy, cleanly laid-out CD player with some very, very nice electronic hardware inside. HDCD is real. The D/A conversion in this unit does make wonderful music. See below for my reasons for thinking so. If your an audiophile wannabe (me! me!) one a budget (me! me!) this is a player to consider.

Two review links for interested persons (and a faq):

http://equip.zdnet.com/audio/cdplayers/feature/16622/index_4_1.html (player review)
http://hometheater.about.com/library/weekly/aa122300a.htm (player review)
http://www.wildwestelectronics.net/hdcd.html (HDCD faq)

I agree that the tray mechanisms are a bit clunky; the tray jerks a small bit and sometimes you kind of wonder if it knows what it's doing (it has never failed, however, and it does get the job done, and it's really not that noisy), and I have to occasionally make sure the CD is properly seated in place or it won't be recognized. This display is a bright one. For me, these are minor concerns. The player makes up for this with very nice sound at a reasonable price. If the tray changing mechanism concerns you, maybe you should look for a single disk player. You can get better or equivalent electronics for the same or less money. I, however, like to play 2 cd sets without interruption and I like to shuffle for parties.

There are analog and digital outs on this unit. which is nice but if you output digitally, you need an HDCD decoder downstream to get HDCD sound. I have tried both outs to my receiver (Yamaha RX-v800, no HDCD). After many days and many CD's I'm confident that even on non-HDCDs that the analog out is better sounding. I have fairly revealing speakers (Paradigm Studio 20's V.2). I can here the difference, the difference is noticeable and notable. Generally, the Denon D/A sounds more rich, round, and natural. The character of the instruments comes through to a greater degree. Bypassing the Denon D/A and using the Yamaha the sound was harsher and had less of that quality that draws you into the music. Conclusion for me is that the D/A on the Denon is clearly superior than D/A in the Yamaha. I figure Yamaha has decent electronics comparable to other major brands. I like Yamaha. The chips in the Denon are pro-audio stuff. The HDCD decoding apparently will also make a normal CD's sound better; I don't know why but this is a fact not an opinion.

When I play HDCD disks (Sailing to Philadelphia, Mark Knopfler; Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing!, Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers; Time Out, Dave Brubeck; Mutations, Midnight Vultures, Beck) there's no question that HDCD is better. It just is. There really isn't any debate, honest. AND, HDCD disks play like normal disks if you don't have HDCD decoding!

earl's comment (below) that "PCM technology is dated now" is just wacked. Sorry earl, but I call 'em as I see 'em. PCM (pulse code modulation) is how you digitally transmit analog information (e.g. sound). ALL audio CD's (HDCD or not) use linear PCM encoding. The alternative to PCM is compressed digital formats like MP3, DolbyDigital, and DTS. These compression formats are "lossy" so it could be argued that linear PCM is the most accurate way to digitally encode audio. Current audio CD's are 16bit, 44.1kHz PCM. Some up and coming formats will be 24bit, 96kHz PCM. High numbers will certainly deliver more accurate music reproduction but it is debatable if one would notice (the difference is really at the limits of human perception). Either way its still PCM.

This unit delivers quality sound for the dollar. It sacrifices some bells and whistles and perhaps some esthetics to deliver that quality.

Sorry, I can never say anything in a few words...

My H/K fl8550 had to go into the shop after 2 years, because the tray was spinning several times before stopping on the correct disc. This gave me a chance to bring home a dcm 370 to try out. Reviewers talk about the warm analog sound of this player. The sound, in my opinion is too laid back and does not have enough detail. The harman kardon is a much more reveiling player that has more punch. The Denon looks nice and seems to built well but PCM technology is dated now. I took it back and got a H/K fl8380. It sounds just as good as my old player and there are improvements in the build quailty. 2 stars for value because a better sounding player can be had for less $. I guess it depends on your associated gear but the Denon is not for me.

Similar Products Used:

H/K

Seems pretty neutral. Very Dynamic. Very Detailed. Awesome Soundstaging.

Headphone jack is a little warm sounding. Midrange resolution isn't as good as the other frequencies' amazing resolution. The random mode overthinks things...JUST PICK A TRACK FOR GOD'S SAKE!

You CAN directly select a disk with the remote, and the tray can even be open when doing so. You don't need to buy a universal remote to do that. The tray also DOES turn both ways; not just one way. YES you can hear it selecting disks. Is it loud? I don't think so. It makes less noise selecting disks/tracks than my playing VCR.

Similar Products Used:

HK 8550 piece of crapola...HDCD disks on that thing sound worse than normal disks on this one.

HDCD, Burr-Brown A/D Converters, Price, Wonderful Sound

No On/Off on the remote

I've gone through alot of CD players and have finally found the Holy Grail. The sound is as good as the $500.00 Rotel player and blows my Sony, Onkyo, and Harman/Kardon away. HDCD at this price is a steal. I've fallen in love with the sound, imaging and soundstage is the best I've heard, only the Rotel sound comparable. This is a wonderful CD player that I would recommend to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Rotel, Onkyo, Harman/Kardon

Sound quality, lack of useless features

Build, mechanics, warranty (only 1 year)

Note: I posted this review for the Sony player too (the one I ended up keeping) because I believe that many people are comparing the Sony player against this one. I used this player for a few days, so I have enough experience to write this review.

I just recently entered the market for a new CD player because UPS broke my old Yamaha changer. Reading the reviews on this site, the decision whether to purchase the Denon or the Sony became quite difficult so I bought both players to compare in my home. As far as sound goes, both players sound good. However, I found that the Denon player was clearer, especially towards the upper end of the sound spectrum. For example, listening to Pearl Jam on both players, I found that the cymbals were very well defined on the Denon player, but with the sony, I had a harder time hearing when the cymbal was hit and when it was silenced. Listening to the Denon more, I became privy to the fact that clearer does not necessarily mean better. In one song I was listening to, the snare rim taps became very annoying in my ear whereas on the Sony, they weren't quite as harsh. I own B&W speakers (see list at bottom), which are typically bright, so the Denon player could sound better on another set of speakers. One night, I popped five CDs in and let it play while I worked in the same room. Unfortunately, the player skipped at least once on every CD (some burned, some original). I checked and cleaned the CDs to no avail. As far as build, the Denon's tray movement simply scared me. If you ever check out the player, listen to it's mechanical movements, and watch the try spin around when loading CD's. The tray jerks from one position to the next as if it is already close to breaking. Combined with the reviews posted here about the unit failing out of warranty, I began questioning this player. The Sony, on the other hand, is quiet, and seems very smooth and controlled. Features are not a big deal with me. In fact, I was a little disappointed in how many useless features the Sony has. I will never use the auto fade in/out feature, which just seems to me to just clutter the remote and face panel. Unfortunately, neither player has a panel dimmer, and they are both quite bright (the Denon is the brighter of the two). Finally, the fact that the Denon has only a 1 year warranty compared to the 3 year the comes with the Sony sealed the envelope. As a summary, while the Denon sounds better, the mechanics and warranty of the Sony make it the better, more reliable player for me. If I could, I would give this unit a 5-star sound rating. For value, I give 3 stars because of the poor mechanics and skipping. Overall, I give the product four stars because it sounds pretty damn good.

My system:
Denon AVR-2800
This Sony Player
B&W DM302 (fronts)
B&W CC2 (center)
Polk Audio cheap speakers (back) - for movies only.
KLH ASW10/100 Sub

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDP-CA70ES

Excellent Sound! Very clear highs and mids

Terrible Drive mechanism-the player makes very harsh vibration sounds when it is opened and closed. Also, the tray does not spin smoothly at all.

A decent cd player, when it comes to the sound, but I am highly dissatisfied with the mechanical operation of the unit. I'm not any mechanical engineer, but I know an annoying sound when I hear one! I'm concerned that it will break down in a short while, since it is only a year and a half old. I'm planning to find a new cd player, maybe a single disc. I suggest to everyone else, who already bought one, to contact denon and see if they will do something about it, but for everyone who hasn't bought one, and is interested, look elsewhere.

Similar Products Used:

Some NAD's, Onkyo, etc.

Excellent Sound! Very clear highs and mids

Terrible Drive mechanism-the player makes very harsh vibration sounds when it is opened and closed. Also, the tray does not spin smoothly at all.

A decent cd player, when it comes to the sound, but I am highly dissatisfied with the mechanical operation of the unit. I'm not any mechanical engineer, but I know an annoying sound when I hear one! I'm concerned that it will break down in a short while, since it is only a year and a half old. I'm planning to find a new cd player, maybe a single disc. I suggest to everyone else, who already bought one, to contact denon and see if they will do something about it, but for everyone who hasn't bought one, and is interested, look elsewhere.

Similar Products Used:

Some NAD's, Onkyo, etc.

Best value HDCD, excellent detail, smooth sounding.

No dimmer, disc changer a bit noisy

I just got the Denon DCM-370 and this CD player sounds excellent. Compared to my Sony 5 disc changer, this player blows it away. The soundstage, bass, and detail is outstanding. Playing regular CDs on this player really brings out the quality or lack of quality the CD was engineered. Playing HDCDs on this player is just as impressive. This player plays HDCDs better than my Toshiba 3109. I'm really happy with this player. A great upgrade for anyone looking to move up from a mass market consumer multi-cd player.

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDP-C335
Toshiba 3109