Denon DCM-560 CD Players

Denon DCM-560 CD Players 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 10  
[Sep 12, 2008]
Nhialong
Casual Listener

I was lucky to have it at this price. Compare for others paying $100.00 or more at other stores.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 15, 2002]
timorhu
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Warm, detailed sound. Ease of use. Nice remote.

Weakness:

Noisy tray (you get used to it).

I purchased this changer to replace a Sony CDC-735 changer. That same week I won a bid on a Marantz CC65-SE changer (don't recall what price was for either). I had quite a time comparing the three changers to decide which one to keep. The Sony was to harsh (listener fatigue) was setting in. The Marantz was a beautiful sounding player, very lush sounding. The proble with the MArantz was its functionality. Too quirky. The Denon on the other hand sounded very detailed, with a wonderful warmth that invited listening sessions. It also was a snap to operate. Not as many features as the Sony, but I rarely used the programming functions and almost never used the soundfield functions. My only complaint is the noisy tray. But after eight months of daily use, I'm used to it. I took the top off for a look inside and discovered a weel built machine with a heavy chassis. Another nice feature is the full function remote control.

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDC-735, Marantz CC65-SE and a couple others.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 27, 2002]
Alexander
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sound is flawless. No problems whatsoever with hardware. Easy to set up and use.

Weakness:

Tray initially looks cheaply made, but upon 2 years of use, works as beautifly as the day I bought it.

An absolutely perfect companion for my Denon 3300, I love this sound system. Relatives of mine have tried Luxman, Sony, and Yamaha CD players, and two weeks after they heard my denon, they went out and bought their own! Now if I only had enough money that I could run it directly to an amp rather than a AVR.....

Similar Products Used:

Luxman 6+1 CD changer, Sony 6+1 CD changer, Yamaha single CD changer (all in the $500 range)

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 13, 2000]
Marshall
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Built well. Dependable. Easy to use.

Weakness:

CD drawer a bit noisey.

The operation of this CD player is easy and dependable. The audio is very clear and clean. Never had a problem with it at all. My only complaint is that the drawer makes some noise as it opens and closes. If I had to buy another, I'd buy this make/model again.

Similar Products Used:

various

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 01, 2000]
Jon
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Excellent sound quality, great headphone output.

Weakness:

Noisy changer mechanism. Static-electric discharge from finger to cabinet causes cd to stop playing and drop onto tray... kinda annoying in a dry carpeted environment.

Purchased mine refurbished for $249. Sound quality for a changer is incredible. It sounds even better now that it is broken in, it seemed slightly harsh for the first couple weeks... it is now very pleasant and smooth. There is no digital "funk" that coats the music; the 560 is quite transparent and very ear-friendly. The headphone output is probably the best I've heard. It has a neat motorized volume pot that also controls the variable outputs.

When comparing the Denon to a Sony ES, the sound is smoother and more laid back. Compared to a Yamaha, it is more detailed and less colored but certainly darker. When compared to the DCM-370, the sound is "dryer" but also less fatiguing (to my ears). The HDCD decoding and the lower cost of the DCM-370 gives it a few bonus points but I only own one HDCD so it was not a priority for me.

I took the Denon apart about a week after buying it... just to note... If I remember correctly, the DAC's used are the Burr Brown PCM-1702 (20bit, used on many better cd players and outboard DACs)... Denon advertises as if they have proprietary DACs, but I think this is just to make the Alpha processor appear more mysterious. Also, (internally) the tray mechanism looks as bad as it sounds... its fairly simple and it doesn't win any points for neat engineering. I doubt that it will be a reliability problem, but the squeaks and groans may get annoying to some owners. The cabinet construction is superb with a nice metal face and a copper backplate.

I would recommend the 560 to anyone looking for a changer who is willing to exchange a quiet tray for wonderful sound. While it is not in the league of high-end transports with outboard DACs, it is certainly near the top of the CD-changer food chain. If I don't consider the tray mechanism, I think it is definitely worth 5 stars Overall. For value, if you pay $600 at a store then consider it 4 stars, at $250 refurbished it is a 5 star product.

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES, Yamaha, Onkyo

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 16, 2000]
The Rhyno
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

warm yet detailed sound; coax out.

Weakness:

user interface, and yes the tray is clunky

bought this puppy unheard from tweeter for $350--it was a demo with a 3yr warranty (good price, but that company is unbelievable. i would never purchase from them again!). unit arrived in need of a new laser (thanks tweeter! you jerks) so it went right into the shop.

hooking it back up i think of a couple of words to describe it:
clean sound: you get the details that crappy cd players miss or simply screw up.

smoothness: i didnt understand the 'japanese sound' crack until i heard this deck. all the treble is still there, but its no longer as twangy (which as i am discovering caused listener's fatigue; the denon doesn't cause such fatigue, but my previous deck did). now dont think that 'smoothness' is a crack against it, as some readers like myself prefer music that is predominantly treble (jazz, metal, big band). 'smoothness' pays off when you can listen for hours & hours, getting the same detail & sound, but without the fatigue.

clunky: the cd tray is noisy and somewhat cheap, and the user interfaces (remote & front panel) are a joke. but hey, i dont listen to trays moving, i listen to music. i'll take a crappy user interface so long as it has great performance anyday!

having said that, i bought this unit for the coax out so i could do D>D burns onto my tascam 700 cd-r (the best!). it performs very well (plays cd-r's no sweat), and with the deal i got, i'd do it again. for $250-$350, its a bargain.

the rhyno

Similar Products Used:

POS pioneer cartridge (POS = Piece of S**T)

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Sep 19, 2000]
Bill S
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Nice full detailed sound, direct connections w/volume control

Weakness:

clunky - slowish tray

Was lucky enough to pick this up at a local clearance for only $300. Fantastic piece at that price. As mentioned below, the tray is a bit clunky, but hasn't given any problems after 6 mos of daily use. I usually run it through my 3300 for convenience, but sounds even better direct to amp. Very clean sound. Not too "electronic", but I would hesitate to call it warm. I constantly hear new things from old CD's, and 20 bit remasters sound incredible! 5 stars for value thanks to the clearance sale, 4 for overall because of the tray mechanism.

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES (same price point), Denon 360, Kenwood 6+1

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 24, 2001]
Brian
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sweet, neutral sound with no digital grunge.

Weakness:

Tray is noisy but who cares.

After two years, this sucker has totally won me over. I wouldn't replace it if it broke.

This is the most neutral and refined digital playback device I've ever heard other than my 24 bit pro recording card.

Super solid and simply beautiful sound.

Similar Products Used:

sony

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 16, 1999]
rocco
an Audio Enthusiast

i was using a marantz cd-48 changer i was totaly happy with. i was in a stereo store that had denon cdm-650 on sale reg.650 sell 400.oo so i gave it a listen thought it sounded great. still unsold i came back next day with a disk i like it sounded awsome. i purchased it. got it home hooked it up to my crown ps-400 amp & psl-2 pre-amp, i thought i had made a big mistake. hearing so much about cd burn in i remained patient let it play for one week strait non stop. bam it was the player i was hopeing it to be. superb sound tight deep bass, sizzling highs and silky mids. very sophisticated controls but ease of operation. a asset to any system . highly recomended for someone looking for a quality cd-changer. i give it a full five star rateing

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Aug 09, 2001]
Pstrick Enders
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Highs not too painful. Detailed sound and warmth.

Weakness:

Transport is a little loud sometimes, but not as loud as the dcm460.

I bought this unit recently for $250 including tax and 5 year warranty. All the things I read about the DCM-370 put me off of that unit a bit. I like the sound that the DCM-460 produces. I run the 460 through a Denon AVR-2801 using the dac of the 2801. Seems close to the sound of the 460's dac. The 560 I run through a Onkyo TX-SV90 Pro receiver and EQ-25 coupled with infinity sm82's. The sound is not a overly bright as I used to have with the sony and pioneer units. It reminds me of a very early belgium made philips player that I had. Warm and bright with a nice tone to it. I dont get headaches, even with the infinity's. The sound and quality of the player I think are unmatched by the 370. HDCD does not really become an issue to me, none of my dics are HDCD. For the price of this player, it is very good till a affordable SACD player comes along. The sound between the 460 and 560 is close, the transport of the 560 being of a higher quality. But yet it is still loud sometimes.

Similar Products Used:

Denon DCM-460. Onkyo CDX-206, Sony and Pioneer Laser Discs, Proscan DVD

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 10  

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