Audio Quality,

Cheap Remote Control, No Progressive Scan

I have this DVD player for about one week now and so far have been impressed with most aspects of it. The sound quality is very good and clean with a good soundstage.
I have watched several movies in DD 5.1 and it seems to handle things very well. The price point as far as the retail suggested price I think is a little high. I have not yet been able to take advantage of the DVD Audio features although I am in the process of upgrading my receiver in the near future. I will say that the audio quality is probably the strongest feature of this player though. I look forward to upgrading so that I can enjoy the DVD Audio.
Many people have said some negative things regarding this unit and I really don't understand their reasoning. I auditioned several other players to include Marantz 7010 and several other's and this player seemed to outperform them. Another strong point is the headphone output. I listened to music through the headphone jack using my Sennheiser's and the output is clean and detailed with good bass response as well. It has more power ouput than most I have heard. All in all I really like this player so far and would recommend it highly if you are able purchase it at around the 500 dollar range or cheaper. Ubid and Ebay are both good resources for this unit lately. The only other player that I auditioned that I thought was comparable was the NAD model. I would not give it five stars due to the fact that it will not play cdr's otherwise a great deal and available at good price point if you shop around.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP 500SD 1998 model

Simple Controls and DVD Audio

Picture Quality is poor compared to much cheaper Toshiba models I auditioned. Audio quality is grossly over-rated and doesn't compare favorably with my dedicated Sony CD Player.

I found this player to be over-rated in this forum. It looks and feels low quality. The remote is cheap and poorly laid out. The video play-back is not up to even mid level DVD units I have experienced. The audio section is nothing special. I simply do not understand the high price point of this unit.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD2300, Sony CDP-XA50ES

Build quality and smooth sound.

Issues with dirty power can affect the players top end.

Dear

Reader


I exchanged my Vienna Bach's for Vienna Mozart's, which exposed the true nature of the DVD 3300 top end. The D29 tweeter was able to bring forth the fact that DVD 3300 has a slightly "Defocused" top end, which reduces the listening experience.

While quite pleasing, the top end was not up to the midrange, or low end capabilities of this excellent player.

Enter the Monster Cable HTS1000. This line filter "Cleaned -Up" the top end, and also helped bring added life into the midrange. The top end is now better focused, and smoother.

The DVD 3300 offers fine sound with excellent build quality. It is not quite up to the standards of the Meridian, but it's cost of entry is far lower.

This may be the best $1,000 CD/DVD Player currently on the market. A great low end/high end player.

The Denon DVD 3300 and Monster Cable HTS1000 is a very fine combination for playing CD's and DVD's. Please note that the Arcam and CAL players should also be considered, for they can match the DVD 3300 in sound quality. If you need DVD Audio, then the DVD 3300 is the logical choice. If not, then it's an even race with the afore-mentioned competitors.

Similar Products Used:

Meridian, Proceed, and Yamaha.

Price

?

People are idiots,in general.The Denon DVD3300 is a well built piece of equipment.Cannot give a summary now because I haven't used it.I CAN tell you this.If you want progressive scan,you MUST buy a progressive scan unit.If you want to experience DVD-AUDIO,you must have a receiver that has inputs for DVD-AUDIO.If you are an audiophile,you should have better equipment than what you buy at Circuit City.And at what point does one graduate from an idiot to an audiophile?

Keith

Similar Products Used:

none

Excellent audio and video quality, full range of signal outputs

Supplied remote control is an ergonomic disaster!

I purchased this unit primarily for DVD Audio use. It hasn't disappointed me from a sound quality standpoint. It replaces my Yamaha CD1 player and is a significant improvement over that vintage 1983 device. High quality CDs sound great, but the DVD-3300 makes it even easier to hear shortcomings in my older CDs. The DVD Audio discs I have sound terrific, and the noise floor is astonishingly low! There is an audio-only mode that cuts the video section off which presumably could reduce some noise, but I cannot hear any difference. Also, this setting does not eliminate the annoying pause between selections on DVD Audio discs when the player loads a screen with lyrics or other images, and you can hear this shuffling around between the selections.

I use six RCA outputs for DVD audio, two others for stereo playback of CDs, and the digital optical output for DTS recordings and for movies. There is also a coaxial digital output. While the DVD-3300 offers channel level and delay adjustments, I defer all that to the Denon AVR-3801.

From what I can discern in viewing DVD Video on a small Sony screen the picture quality is excellent. The player will convert wide screen to 4x3 if you want. There are RCA, S-Video and component video outputs. This unit lacks progressive scan capability.

Operating the DVD-3300 with the supplied remote is a drag. The design of the remote is not good: the shape and button layout is symmetrical enough that you can just as easily try and use it pointing it backwards! Not a worry for me though since I programmed the remote that came with the AVR-3801 to run it and that remote can be operated by feel.

I do find the wake-up a bit annoying. You press the disc drawer button and it takes about five seconds before the drawer opens. During this time the player's screen scrolls "Welcome to DVD World". I also wish I could defeat the 30-minute timeout after which the unit switches to stand by if it's not being used.

The manual could be improved. In some instances there is only a brief mention of a feature or setting so a full understanding of the implications are a bit hazy. This seems to be a common complaint with Denon documentation.

Because of the remote, the manual and the learning curve it took me a while to warm up to this thing. But I'm finding when it is controlled from something other than the supplied remote and you get to know it thoroughly it is very satisfactory. At this point in time I'd buy it again.

Audio, build quality, video ability, DVD-Audio

on screen controls could be more helpful, remote is not as ergo as it could be

I was looking for open box bargains at the GoodGuys, and I had read up on this model before . . . and there this one was, with a marked down price.

I asked why this unit was open box, and they didn't really know...but I think it was the floor demo model. What I didn't get with this model is the owner's manual, and included cheapo cables. The benefit of it being open box, was that I got it for only $720!..esp with a list price that's in the 4 figures, I couldn't pass this up.

Only complaint about where I bought it was that the "guys" at the GoodGuys don't really know as much about audio equipment as I'd like esp DVD-Audio. Yes, I would NEVER buy speakers at the GoodGuys, but I haven't quite crossed over the line for components at the higher end stores yet. Denon still delivers a great deal for the money...at mass consumer outlets. Also, I tend to buy such products online now..as that's where the real bargains are...esp for brand new things.

I thought I'd wait a while before the DVD-Audio format sorted itself out, but surprise, surprise. AND, I am very pleased; thank goodness. For me, this replaces my desktop PC as my main DVD viewing device (patched through to my TV with a video out card, and sp/dif out from my sound card to my digital in on my Denon AVR-3801.)

So far, I think software DVD players aren't the best yet...even with really good hardware accelleration. ANYHOW, what a huge improvement in picture quality with this unit. Absolutely no (or virtually undetectable) mpeg motion pixelization with dark areas (think of a space movie with black backgrounds etc.) Now, clear as "night" :) AND I get to use a remote control!! Novel thought. I have a cordless mouse, but still...

My girlfriend has the Denon DVD-1500 which I have to say is NOT a very good unit at all. Many times, it's barfed on a few titles. Sometimes chapters can't be played back...where the player just seems to freeze...

BUT the DVD-3300 is a gem and seems to handles all the DVD software I have, no problem. The onscreen set up controls are attractive and easy to use, but they could use more details (explanation...especially since I don't have a manual.) While the movie is playing too, the onscreen controls are useful, attractive and easy to figure out, I might add.

NOW, the clincher. The DVD-3300 is top knotch audio wise. I have loved Denon now for a long time and am continued to be amazed at the value, quality and the leading edge they tend to push for all their products. This thing can export digital out, true 96khz signals. No down mixing. It's cool that I finally saw on my AVR-3801 screen "Direct96khz". WHOA! Talk about pure digital bliss. AND...with that, on par with the DVD-Audio spec, this thing has 6 Channel analog audio outputs...to be mated with your receiver's External "in" jacks, which I have. If you get DVD-Audio software that has 192khz data, the Burr-Brown DACs will process it and NOT downmix the signals. I don't think I have any true DVD-Audio with 192khz yet, but am looking forward.

One thing that I think shows the quality of this player, is that when watching movies and you switch from playing the movie to accessing a menu, a noticable "click" sound happens in the unit. In my mind, I think it's switching off some audio or video circuits with the hardware and keeping things separate in it's memory computing space (if I only had the manual!). It's a heavy player too. Real metal sides, etc. and well shielded.

Listening to DVD movies through the External "in" jacks, or switching to the digital input and having the AVR receiver process this digital signals is neat to compare. I have found, that the onboard DTS and DolbyDigital processors of the DVD-3300 are excellent. I feel that I can hear more fidelity bwtween the channels and now prefer to watch movies this way. THE ONLY thing wrong with MY system when using External "ins" is that for movies, the DVD-3300 will ONLY output subwoofer information if the LFE track is used... no combination with the mains (or I haven't figured it out yet). Since I like having my subwoofer used in conjunction with my main speakers, I may opt to have the AVR (reciever) process the digital in signal, and then combine the LFE and the main bass notes through the subwoofer.

So in effect, the DVD-3300 has convinced me that my Paradigm Reference Studio v2 60's don't go low enough (30hz) as main speakers!!! My subwoofer only extends down to 25hz, but I appreciate the difference/power addition. Darn thing is too, that my pesky (I jest) girlfriend has the Paradigm Reference Studio v2 80's...which are much bigger and extend the bass much more uniformly and cleanly (less boomy) and you can really tell... so she got me on the speaker envy front.

This unit is highly recommened if you can afford it "right now". You may wait for more DVD-Audio hardware offerings to come out...but I personally have made the decision by faith that DVD-Audio will beat SACD in the long run. Denon may offer another DVD-Audio unit too, who knows?

I think this is their first DVD-Audio unit? As this unit is very pricey $1000 something list price, which almost surpasses the AVR-3801 receiver, it's a very solid and good quality done job. I think they put the very best into it...but they've got to come out with a cheaper unit to be competitive IF, the format (DVD-Audio) catches on. I wonder how expensive 192khz DAC processors cost?

Regardless of audio, for video...short of progressive scan --and I don't have a progs. scan monitor *yet* anyhow-- this thing is excellent too...it has the 3 component video jacks too.

- - - -

My SOUND* system to date:
*I won't mention my TV or VCR. (You don't want to know!)

Denon AVR-3801 Receiver (love this guy)
Denon CDRW-1500 Dual tray player/recorder (does HDCD)
Denon DVD-3300 (DVD-Video/DVD-Audio) - this review
Paradigm Reference Studio v2 60's (Main speakers)
Paradigm Reference Studio Center Channel
Paradigm PS-1000 (Powered subwoofer)
Paradigm Titans v1 (surrounds)
Paradigm Atoms (surround backs)

. . . using shielded Monster cable for connects

In the future, the idea is for my girlfriend and I to eventually move in together. Then, the primary surround channels will by my Studio 60s and the mains will be her 80s. That will be fun. Thank god I have a music lover girlfriend who's also gadget happy :)

Similar Products Used:

Denon DVD-1500, Windows PowerDVD software