Denon DVD-3910 Universal DVD/CD/SACD/DVD-Audio player with HDMI and DVI output Silver

Rating:
Summary: Mixed impressions
Review: I have only had unit for one month. It has worked flawlessly and is an impressive looking unit. It is connected to a Denon 3805 receiver utilizing the Denon Link and analogue connections for audio only use. I was told by Denon rep that I would be able to use the Denon Link for audio in a month though there is no sign of this being available yet.

The unit seems fine for video DVD. I have not assessed it for this. The audio on video DVD is unimpressive but I have found the same when I have auditioned a number of higher end units so suspect this is inherent in the discs.

However the sound from CD and SACD is a real disappointment, particularly the former. There is a lot of detail with both. However the sound is harsh and gritty. It is particularly fatiguing to listen to CDs.

Easy sounding SACDs (e.g. rich female voices like Bartolli Gluck SACD)do sound good. However more challenging music, like the recent RCA Ravel SACD which has been very well reviewed for sound quality, is quite unpleasant. (I listened to the same disc on Esoteric DV50 player and there was none of this.) The staging and particularly the detail is impressive. But the sound is marred by a harshness and the same grittiness noted in CD, though to a lesser extent.

I bought this unit not wanting to spend a lot more which appears to be necessary to get a really good SACD player at this stage given the limited attention paid to this market so far. I hoped it would carry me through for a couple of years. However, I now believe I will end up using it in a dedicated video set up and look more aggressively for a better CD and SACD player.

I would recommend people either go down market and save a lot of money, buy high end if they have money to burn, or wait and hope that the mid-level market will be better served in a year or two.