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Review 2 of 25
Price Paid:
$650.00
from Tour de Force Summary:
I've owned various pieces by Denon over the last 20+ years in the hobby, and they have always provided performance and quality far beyond their cost. Being much more into audio than video, when I went shopping for a good universal to tide me over until the BluRay/HD-DVD debacle works itself out, Denon was the first to come to mind as they rarely skimp on the audio side, unlike most of their contemporaries. The 2910 was up to the challenge.
The first thing I noticed about the Denon is its sheer girth. This is a quality piece and it feels like it! The chassis is very well built complemented by a thick, gleaming brushed aluminum face plate. It feature a detachable power cord and sturdy RCA binding posts. Opening the tray is like a watching a vault door slowly open. You can tell the transport has been optimized for stability and resistance to vibration. In fact, a review in Secrets of Home Theater has pics comparing the completely isolated transport in the 2910 versus a competitors. The difference is easily recognizable, but all that stability comes at the cost of speed. It's not as slow as grass growing, but Speedy Gonzales certainly has nothing to worry about either.
Audio processing is handled via high grade Burr-Brown DAC's that have discrete DSD processing for SACD. There is not DSD-PCM conversion, which many lower grade DAC's provide. The sound is smooth, warm, and highly musical. I've always preferred the way Denon handles rbcd's, expecially when compared to Sony or Yamaha, both of which can be a bit sterile and cold for my tastes. There is a programmable Pure Direct function that allows the user to shut down auxilary functions such as video processing and even the front panel display. Once engaged, the sound becomes more analog in nature with better body and weight. Dropping in hi-rez material such as John Mayer's Heavier Things SACD proves the worth of these formats. The snare has even more body and snap and his voice has more depth. I'm certainly no wordsmith, so sufficeth to say everything simply sounds more natural. This is no small thing considering the standard rbcd of Heavier Things is reference quality and easily on of the cleanest, most unmolested recordings out there. Separation on multichannel sources is very convincing, although most of this can be attributed to the recording and not the player. If I could change anything, it would be for Denon to include the DenonLink which allows you to use a single cable, instead of 6, to connect the player to a Denon AVR for hi-rez playback. For this luxury, you are currently forced to step up to the 2.5 X as expensive 3910.
On the video side, Denon employs Faroudja processors. With that decision comes the infamous spectre of MacroBlocking. On certain displays, MB can be a real problem, which is why you'll find Silicon Image or Teranex processors on the higher models. However, the key here is "certain displays." Did I see MB on my LCoS? Yes, although it was easily minimized with some easy tweaking.* Once dialed in, the picture is as good as I've seen. Blacks are rendered with authority and grey levels are excellent. There was no artifacting visible in high action movies such as SW3:ROTS. It simply presents a very cinematic picture.
*A side note on this: The 2910 is highly configurable, to the point that if you don't know what you're doing you can easily make it worse instead of better. If you're a videophile, this is a boon. If you're not, it can be a curse. If you find you need to access the submenu's be ready to have a calibration disc handy and enough time to do it right.
From the point of sound quality, I doubt you could do better at twice the price. Seriously, it's that good. Video quality is excellent, but not superior to some Panny's or Sony's I've seen. However, you would invariably be sacrificing sound quality with either of those units, which is something I am unprepared to do. Overall this is a very strong performer, especially at this price point, and certainly worth an audition.
Strengths:
Superb DAC's
Rock solid transport
Audio quality on all formats
Apparently carved from a solid billet of aluminum
Weaknesses:
Potential for macroblocking
No DenonLink Similar Products Used:
Sony, Panny, Toshiba
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