I have now had this unit for two months.It has had a lot of use(but no abuse,I have to wonder how some people treat their stuff)and has never missed a beat.Sound is great and the unit works flawlessly.One minor quibble is the brightness of the display.

This is a follow-up review to address one "nod" from "elsewhere". Maybe I mis-quoted the sales consultant at Tweeter. There are different kinds of PCM technology. Yamaha uses something called s-bit D/A converters, the Denon 460 uses something called alpha-processing. So maybe I got the verbage wrong but as I stated in the review the sound quality of the dcm-370 doesn't cut it. The H/K FL8380 blows the Denon away. The sound is cleaner, more detailed. The bass is louder and tighter with the H/K. Sorry "nod" from "elsewhere" I call em' like I hear em', and my ears tell me this is an inferior sounding player for the money.

Sound and price.

Changer mechanism.

First of all, for the price (got mine for ~$220 from Soundcity several months back), it's a great value.

As far as sound quality, I was actually surprised how much better this player is over my previous Sony cd player. Music seemed to just open up and came alive. Maybe this says more about how bad my old Sony was; nevertheless, I do prefer the SQ of the Denon. Haven't found a HDCD encoded cd yet out of the 350 or so that I have, so can't comment on that feature.

True, the cd mechanism could be a little less clunky and a little less noisy, but cd change time and track to track access speed is more than adequate. Some features are accessible through the remote only, but overall, the changer is easy to use and the layout pretty straight forward.

As I said in the beginning, it is a great value. Definitely the best cd changer for the price that I looked at when I was shopping several months back.

HDCD, good sound quality

Front panel illumination does not match Denon's own receivers. Somewhat noisy mechanics. No direct disc selection (1-5) or random (Shuffle) function buttons on front panel.

I bought this player to go with my Denon AVR-3300 and to replace my 5 year old Sony which I really liked. I bought this model primarily because of the HDCD and I have to admit that it does sound nice. However, the disc changer is clunky and noisy which makes it somewhat annoying during random disc play. When I load CDs, I like to operate the player via the front panel while I am there rather than search for the remote to control the player functions. The Denon has limited front panel buttons which make grabbing the remote a ncessity to select random play. I still like my old Sony better, but over time with more HDCDs to choose from, I may grow more fond of the Denon.

I'll give it a 5 for value due to the HDCD, and a 4 for overall rating due the noisiness and limited front panel functions.

Doug

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDP-C425

Sound!!

Noisy carousel.

Correction to previous post.

I was too quick to judge this player and I posted a complaint about the player that was unfounded.

The player sequentially reads discs, which is why if you put a disc in the first position, it shows discs 1 through 4 present. This is so because only the fifth position passes the lens before the first position is read. The carousel then stops at the first position because it is the first position with a disc in it. No problem here.

The noisy carousel. No problem.

However, I did notice that my player will not play one of my CDs either, which a previous post mentioned was a problem. I checked the CD and it is an SHCD (not sure about this format). My portable JVC player plays it fine. Not sure why the Denon won't play it, but not a big problem.

I paid full retail at a local dealer $300. To me the ability to return it in the 30 day window and the trade up policy is worth the piece of mind.

My new rating:

Sound: Strong 5
Quality: 4
Overall: 4.5

HDCD, need i say anythign more?

no dimmer

I picked this unit up online after shopping around for a good price, best $200 bucks i've ever spent. I've never thought that cd's could live up to vinyl's full range but this one sure gives vinyl a run for its money. I have but one HDCD, Dick Dale's "Calling up Spirits" it had without a doubt the best sound i've heard from a CD player, there was no "tinny-ness" I've noticed with regular cd players, the sound is very full, detailed and clean! The bonus to HDCD is that the burrbrown DAC makes my other CD's sound far better than they ever did before.

Great warm sound..no harshness.
HDCD feature and fair price.

A little noisy when changing discs, but acceptable.

Well satisfied with this product. Much improved from earlier (harsh) Sony model. Sounds better(warmer-more pleasing) than cd's played in Toshiba 2200 dvd player. All cd's have improved sound quality when played on this player. Only played a couple of HDCD's, Mavericks and Merle Haggard. Somewhat better sound from the HDCD discs. I was influenced by reviews at this site (mainly) and others. Value and sound quality are top notch. I recommend this to any audio enthusiast.

NOTE: I do not recommend "Lets Go Digital" as a source for this player. They originally had a good price, but they raised their price and cancelled my order after one week. After another week they sent me a played via UPS which I refused since I purchased mine locally. I still wound up paying a $24.95 shipping charge (they refused refunding) after the third week. I paid for their error!
Other than that, I'll continue to enjoy my cd player.

Denon 1600 receiver
Energy C6 main speakers
Energy Encore sub
Energy XLC center
Energy Take 2 surrounds
Toshiba 2200 dvd player

Similar Products Used:

Sony 5 disc carousel (older model).

Nice sound

CD changing mechanism is a disaster

The Denon DCM-370 CD changer is without a doubt the worst piece of audio equipment I have ever purchased. The above average sound quality is completely nullified by the chaotic and unreliable operation of the CD changing mechanism. Everything bad said about this unit is true.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Sony, Otari Professional

HDCD and regular CD sonics, build quality, transport 'lock screw' on bottom of unit, price

Cannot turn unit on or off with remote, but this is a minor quibble

I would never have believed it... a $300 HDCD decoding CD player that sounds THIS GOOD! I too, like many here, bought this gorgeous looking unit with much reservation, basically relying on the stellar and passionate reviews given here. Man, am I glad I did! For years, I have been living with my Sony ES player, which sounded average, but had a harshness and sterility to the sound which made me reach for the 'off' button after 20 minutes or so of critical listening. The very affordable Denon 370, on the other hand, sounds so 'full bloom' warm and natural, with nice deep bass and clarity, that you have to dwell on the fact that how the hell could this thing only cost $300?!!! The voices and instruments seem to have separation and air about them, with a timbral accuracy that is not possible on such an inexpensive player. Especially on HDCD! I would not have believed it, but HDCD makes a very noticeable difference, separating the instruments better with a clarity, sweetness, and punch that has to be heard to be believed! All in all, truly the audiophile bargain of the century!

I obsess with:

Denon DCM-370 HDCD
McIntosh MC-162 amplifier
Parasound PHP-850 preamp
Magnepan MG-1.6 QR
Cardas cables and interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES, Rotel, Harman Kardon, Cambridge, AH Tjoeb!

excellent sound quality for a 5 disc changer, great value too

tray mechanism is a bit noisy, but what changers aren't?

After I started to have problems with my HK CD player I bought the Denon DCM-370. This player gives high end performance for less than $200.00 (most places). HDCD sounds pretty good, I think alot has to do with the mastering process of these discs. You get a warm, almost analog sound from HDCD and regular discs. If you are one who does not care for the digital sound of CD this is the player for you. This player also has a coax digital output which is rare for a player this price. Some may not agree, but digital coax sounds better for CD playback than optical. Optical is good for DD5.1 and DTS.

Similar Products Used:

Technics PD-5(or something like that)HK FL8550