- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
A hidden gem
Pros
Great bass performance. Excellent imaging. Good detail retrieval. Solid build quality.
Cons
Needs careful partnering for best results.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This Denon makes me want to listen to more music than anything other CD player I've found under $700.
The model I have the the DCD-1550AR. The 'AR' bit stands for Alpha Reference.
Tech-heads reading this will appreciate the benefits of the 20-bit D to A converter coupled with their Lambda Super Linear Converter which Denon claims reduces cross distortion. There's also something called an Alpha Processor which helps dig more information off the disc when the signal level is low and digital distortion is high.
Denon makes use of two separate transformer coils to keep digital noise away from analogue circuits. This isn't quite as good as two completely separate power supplies, but it's much better than them sharing a single coil as in cheaper machines.
The whole package is wrapped in a solid metal chassis. The dimensions are 434(W) x 134(H) x 340(D) mm. Approx 17"x5.3"x13.4". Along with the normal play/search controls the front fascia also includes a 6.3mm (quarter inch) headphone socket with volume control and a fluorescent display that can be dimmed or switched off.
The back panel has one set of fixed and one set of variable stereo phono (RCA) outputs with volume controlled by the remote. Digital outputs are provided in both flavours - coax (spdif) and optical (toslink). The whole chassis weighs 7.3kg (aprx 16lb).
My system is a Philips DVD963SA DVD/SACD/CD player, TAG AVR32bp192 pre/processor, Rotel RB985 power amp and Focal JM Lab Electra 905 speakers.
OK, that's all the techie stuff out of the way, now what about sound quality...
I bought the Philips 963 because everyone said it's good as a CD player, but this Denon just blows it away.
Bass is equally tight and deep on both players but the Denon is able to help you hear the detail of how the instruments are being played. It's the same story further up the frequency range. I can hear far more information in the mix, it's better separated and the stereo imaging is in a different league. In short, this player makes my foot tap and my heart beat faster.
The player isn't perfect, of course. The top end is a fraction brittle in my system so it might not suit bright sounding electronics and speakers. But I can forgive that in a player that keeps me so hooked to the music.
Tech-heads reading this will appreciate the benefits of the 20-bit D to A converter coupled with their Lambda Super Linear Converter which Denon claims reduces cross distortion. There's also something called an Alpha Processor which helps dig more information off the disc when the signal level is low and digital distortion is high.
Denon makes use of two separate transformer coils to keep digital noise away from analogue circuits. This isn't quite as good as two completely separate power supplies, but it's much better than them sharing a single coil as in cheaper machines.
The whole package is wrapped in a solid metal chassis. The dimensions are 434(W) x 134(H) x 340(D) mm. Approx 17"x5.3"x13.4". Along with the normal play/search controls the front fascia also includes a 6.3mm (quarter inch) headphone socket with volume control and a fluorescent display that can be dimmed or switched off.
The back panel has one set of fixed and one set of variable stereo phono (RCA) outputs with volume controlled by the remote. Digital outputs are provided in both flavours - coax (spdif) and optical (toslink). The whole chassis weighs 7.3kg (aprx 16lb).
My system is a Philips DVD963SA DVD/SACD/CD player, TAG AVR32bp192 pre/processor, Rotel RB985 power amp and Focal JM Lab Electra 905 speakers.
OK, that's all the techie stuff out of the way, now what about sound quality...
I bought the Philips 963 because everyone said it's good as a CD player, but this Denon just blows it away.
Bass is equally tight and deep on both players but the Denon is able to help you hear the detail of how the instruments are being played. It's the same story further up the frequency range. I can hear far more information in the mix, it's better separated and the stereo imaging is in a different league. In short, this player makes my foot tap and my heart beat faster.
The player isn't perfect, of course. The top end is a fraction brittle in my system so it might not suit bright sounding electronics and speakers. But I can forgive that in a player that keeps me so hooked to the music.
