THE DENON DVD 5000 AS A REFERENCE CD, DAD, AND DVD PLAYER IS THE BEST AT ITS PRICE I HAVE YET TO HERE IN MY SYSTEM. THE RESOLUTION AND DEPTH OF THE SOUNDSTAGE WITH THE POSITIONING OF INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS IS UNCANNING. MYONLY REAL FAULT WITH THE DVD PLAYER IS THAT IT WILL NOT PLAY CDR'S AND CERTAIN
REGION DVD'S. AT THE ASKING PRICE OF 2500.00 DOLLARS I WOULD THING THE ENGINEERS COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM WITH OUT SOUND DEGRADATION.
WITH THIS FAULT I CAN GIVE IT ONLY 4.5 STARS AND GO BUY THE DENON 5 DISC CHANGER
FOR CDR'S. I CHOSE BELOW ON THE RATING 5 BECAUSE OF ITS PURE SONIC QUALITY.
MY SYSTEM-CJ PREMIER FOUR AMP-LAZARUS H1A AMP-APOGEE DUETTA SIGNATURE SPEAKERS-
ORACLE TURNTABLE WITH WELL TEMPERED ARM AND MICROBENZ CARTRIDGE-AUDIOQUEST
EMERALD AND CRYSTALL- MY HOME BREW PREAMP HYBID TUBE WITH MOSFET.

I purchased this player after evaluating a variety of units. I am very impressed with the video performance of the player. It is replacing a sony dvsp 7000 and seemed to corect the pixelization problems that unit had. DVD audio is excellent as is 96/24 audio. It sounds very natural and acoustic. Although the dac is highly acclaimed I feel that in cd mode the soundstage is a bit confined. The unit is very comparable to the cal audio labs piece in price and performance but their cd audio seems a little more open.

I just auditioned the Denon DVD 5000 against Sony's new DVP S7700 in the context of a transport/video only comparison. I did not compare the sound quality from the analog outputs. My comparison lasted about 30 minutes and took place in a dealer's showroom.
Video quality on both players was excellent. Both produced sharp, detailed, and color saturated images. It was difficult to determine if one was obviously better then the other. If there was a difference I would say the Sony had a more film like quality. Thats not to say the Sony has a soft picture, it doesn't. Compared to my Sony DVP S3000 it was much sharper and detailed, with better depth and contrast.

Sound quality using the digital outputs was easier to distinguish between the two players, however the differences were subtle. On DVD sountracks both sounded similar, or very good. The Denon had a slight edge in presence, and the bass subjectively seemed to be a smidge tighter. Music only CDs exhibited the same characteristics.

In the short time I compared these two players I was continually drawn to the Denon's tank like build and THX rating. However the percieved difference in performance between the two players does not add up to the 1300 dollar difference. At 1200 dollars the DVP S7700 closely matches the Denon's performance as a DVD video player and transport. While the Sony's 18lb chassis cannot match the Denon's 35lbs it to is well built and engineered.

I ended up buying the Sony. The performance of both players is excellent, but from a value standpoint I can only give the Denon 4 stars.

Bought the Denon DvD 5000 on impulse and have had a few months now to reflect on my decision. Every day that goes by my overall feeling of EXTREME SATISFACTION with this product grows. The best part is I can put aside, at least for a few years, the anxiety associated with wondering if I should of bought the "V-8". The player's picture is so precise it makes me wonder if I will ever demand another type of video interface for my system. The CD quality is incredible as well, again leaving me with the satisfaction of owning the best CD player under $10,000. I paired the 5000 with the Denon 5700 along with M & K s150 THX fronts, MK tripole rears and a MK 350 sub and HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVERY PIECE. The 5000 is a SURE THING.

I've owned the DVD 5000 for a month. It is powered by their flagship AVD A1D amp. Speakers are B&W Nautilus 805s and the latest B&W CC6 S2 centre. The AV performance of this combo is exquisite.
However, I found that the DVD 5000's tray gets very hot, as do the software played on it for a couple of hours. In fact, I returned the first player thinking that it's a serious problem. But the replacement gets equally hot. Denon's technical people assured me that this is normal, as the disks spin at a very high velocity. But I'm talking big heat here. As I have not encountered this overheating disk tray/disk problem on my previous players (granted they were mid-fi) I'm still a bit concerned.

I'd appreciate if Denon DVD 5000 owners could offer me some feedback. Comments from any techies out there would be valuable.

I'm giving the machine 4 stars. It loses a star because of the heating problem.

Thanks and happy listening.

P.S. By the way the Sony 7700, which I auditioned alongside the Denon, is no match for the latter. I especially didn't like the Sony's sibiliant sound. The Denon's sound is definitely more purist. AL 24 processing is no gimmick: it works. As I spend more time listening to music than I do watching movies, I found Denon's heavy weight combo, including a first class DAC, to be ideal. Picture quality is beautiful, too.

OK, this has gotten way out of hand. The Denon is a fantastic DVD player, yes.It may even be worth the price. However, as a CD "reference" player for HDCD et al. it falls down badly in comparison to even mid priced CD players(Arcam 9, Ultech 100, Denon 1640AR, etc.) The sound stage is confined, the transport makes noises, the imaging isn't terribly impressive, and I would never mistake
it for a Meridian CD player of the same cost. Voices aren't convincing, there still is a touch of grain, and the bass on the Denon 1640AR is more extended and accurate. I, personally, own a Parasound CDP 2000 Ultra and could not see how one would consider calling the Denon DVD 5000 a reference for under 12000$.
It doesn't come close to my belt-drive Parasound, let alone the top of the line Linn Sondek.
Don't get me wrong. It sounds wonderful on HDCD's and XRCD's. But, it's no reference. Not by a long shot.

3 *'s for CD's (VS CD players in it's price range down to 1000$) - 5*'s for DVD gives it a 4.(Admittedly, I haven't much experience with DVD's. So, this being one of the best I have seen so far doesn't mean terribly much.)

WYK

Just purchased the 5000 (also own the Denon DVD2000, Toshiba SD3109 and Sony 7700. IMHO the Denon is built the best, build quality seems better than my Parasound 2205/AVC2500 gear and almost as good as the Proceed AVP/AMP5 combo. Currently have it connected to the Proceed gear, both analog and digital and I must say, Denon's processors are close to the Proceed AVPs, though the AVP seems to pull more detail and create a more "spacious" sound. I will say, head to head with the other processors in the other players, there is no comparison. Toshiba's HDCD is very poor (maybe just their processors). Sony comes closest. Video quality is exceptional on this unit, again compared to my other units there is nothing that comes close. Considering what I paid for this unit........ :~> ........ If you can find this unit for around $1500 (hint, hint) then it's a must buy and definitely 5 stars.
Using All Harmonic Technology interconnects and Cables
Speakers: Von Schweikert VR-8
Monster Audio 5s
System: Proceed AVP/AMP5
Parasound HCA2205A/AVC-2500

I agree with WYK that the idiots who claim that the DVD 5000 is the best CD player for under $10,000 are f**kin retarded. Clean out your ears guys!! The 5000 does not even sound as good as the Denon 1650AR stand-alone CD player. I auditioned both players side by side and the 1650 sounded better without question. The 5000 will absolutely get f**kin smoked by CD players from Meridian, Wadia etc and that's the truth boys, so accept it!!
A number of more intelligent reviewers have mentioned that the 5000 is a really noisy player. I couldn't agree with these guys anymore. The 5000 clicks while doing just about everything. You press play, it clicks, stop, it clicks, skip, it clicks, direct access of a scene, it clicks...just click, click click galore!! Hardly what you would call smooth operation which is what you expect from a player in this price range. The 5000 has got to be one of the most over-priced and noisy players you can buy, so I recommend that all potential DVD buyers out there stay away from this player. You would be better off buying a Sony 7700 for less than half the cost of the 5000, and spending the money you save on the Denon 1650 or some comparable stand-alone CD player.

For all of the high and mighty a**holes who think the DVD 5000 is "the best", wake up and smell the coffee, this player ain't the best, it isn't even close to being the best!! No matter what you 5000 lovers out there say, Denon is still mass-market Japanese crap, and not high end!!

I give the DVD 5000 a generous 2 stars for good build quality but nothing higher than this because it is way over-priced for what it offers, which is not much!!

Hope this helps to set the record straight!!

For the people looking for a DVD player that also provides reference quality CD sound.
I've recently started looking at high end DVD players, mainly to get better CD sound quality. I'm actually quite happy with my $325 Pioneer 414 for playing DVD's, but it's CD playback just doesn't cut it, even using the excellent 24 bit DAC's in my Denon 5700 reciever. I looked at the Denon DVD 5000 and will say that it's the most visually stunning machine I've seen (especially in gold). It also produces an incredible picture and very good (though not audiophile) CD sound.

As others have noticed, there is also some transport noise, and what sounds like relays clicking during some player operations. Come to think of it my Denon AVR 5700 clicks a lot, too, but I still love it. But transport noise??
What good is a S/N ratio of -118db if you have 10db of transport noise?

All current DVD players I know of use a red laser which is optimal for reading DVD's, but not CD's (CD players use an infra-red laser). As far as I know that is the primary technical barrier to the optimum one box DVD/CD player solution. You also have to remember that most all DVD player manufacturers also sell CD players. They'd rather sell you both types of machines for as long as possible. Do you really think it would be difficult for Denon to provide a DVD/CD player with two lasers: a red one for DVD and an infra-red one from their high end CD players? Trust me, you are'nt going to see that as long as Denon sells high end CD players.

I've read that there will be many more high end DVD players to choose from in the next year. Since I want state of the art CD sound, my choices are to either wait or buy a dedicated CD player. I'll probably end up buying a Meridian 508.24 CD player since I don't want to wait and I've no idea what will be available in the next year in any case.

The ultimate DVD/CD combo isn't here yet, but it's coming. Given the DVD players available today, I'll give the Denon 4 stars, since there are no DVD players under $5000 that provide audiophile CD sound anyway. But I'm subtracting a star for the the transport noise.

What can I say? Built like a tank, sounds like a dream. Not only is it THE reference DVD player, it sounds pretty good with CDs also (best i have heard under 5K). Very flexible (DD, DTS, HDCD, you name it). I have the little clicking niose in mine, too. Unlike others, I understand that this is no big deal. This thing always makes me feel like it will last a lifetime, and it is such a pleasure to experience every time I turn it on. Definitely worth the investment of $2000.
Related componentry:
Denon AVR 5700 receiver
Def Tech BP2000s
Monster cable interconnects
Def Tech CLR 2000 center channel