New Denon DCD-1500AE SACD player - Just a 2900 with the video guts removed??

dynamic turtle

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I've just seen this at AVland: http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dcd1500ae/dcd1500ae.htm

And was wondering if its just the 2900/3910 with the video components removed (i.e. quite a lot). Its the sort of thing I'm after, but I'm a bit suspicious because it would seem like the lazy, cost-effective thing to do. I also have the same reservations about the Marantz SA8400. Is it just the audio components of the DV7600 or somesuch??

Just wondering about the value for money side of things here. Might be tempted to buy the dvd versions of one of the above sacd players, as they come with pure-direct modes anyway.....

DT
 
Abandoned the Sony DT?

Looks like the DCD-1500AE has got same converters as the 2910, i.e. PCM 1791.

I doubt that you'll like the Denon as much as the Sony tho.

T.
 
No Timbo, absolutely not! I need another sacd/dvd player for the lounge, and am just looking at the alternatives. I'm still not sure about dropping £500 notes something like the Denon 1500AE or Marantz SA8400, especially as both have had average cd reviews and don't spin DVD's!!

I think it'll be either the 900V or 963SA (which are the current front runners). I've managed to find dealers selling new ones (£179 & £149 respectively) so I might pay a little more for the warranty & peace of mind ;) . There's also the 963SA's replacement, the DVP9000, but I haven't seen any reviews, nor have I been impressed with my cousins new philips dvdp. It's a noisy, clunky pile of crud!

DT

The 900V is working properly again btw, for some bizarre reason. I moved it into the other system at the weekend which probably gave the transport mech the jolt it needed :D Reading hybrid sacd's now!!

What are you're views regarding the 900V's "leading edges"? I listen to a lot of acoustic music and am a little disappointed with its performance in this regard. It doesn't have much bite in this department, which is a shame. Still gorgeous with voices and overal tonality & texture though.
 
Hey DT I noticed the 1500AE after checking up on the 1500AE amplifier on a HFC thread, this range looks like a really nice mid level hifi package, check the internals of the £550 1500 AE amplifier (the toirods are marked SACD) seems they are pushing the SACD usage of this range, also worth noting are the facilities pre-outs & ins, excellent solid brass binding posts, not bad for £550 :

Amplifier :
http://www.denon.de/site/frames_main.php?main=prod&ver=1&MID=3&sub=2&action=detail&Pid=253
CD/SACD player :
http://www.denon.de/site/unten.php?main=prod&ver=1&MID=3&sub=2&fill=2&action=detail&Pid=251&#

Anyway, Im considering a SACD player in future dude myself and hence the interest in the 1500AE above, looks like a very nice range to my eyes, if you see any NS-900s in black @ £100 give me a shout (same for you Timbo), one last note Ive seen a couple of Sony 999-ES DVD-V/SACD player for £250-300 in the past, this is one worth considering, only marked down in DVD-V terms, your getting a Sony ES SACD machine for pennies compared to the standard £500 you would pay for the X3000-ES or older generation SACD ES machines. The 999-ES would be a step up in performance to the 900 I reckon.
 
Both the 8400 and 1500AE use the DNM 2 Channel SACD transport and don't seem to have anything in common with their DVD player brethren. I have to say, I rate the 8400 very highly and suspect the 1500 should prove equally adept. Brickbat to Denon for not supporting black though.
 
Tons of fun said:
Brickbat to Denon for not supporting black though.

1_gr_eb_DCD1500AE_Black.jpg


Hey Tons its one reason I have been looking at this player.
 
I retract my earlier statement :). That is good to see.
 
CJROSS said:
Anyway, Im considering a SACD player in future dude myself and hence the interest in the 1500AE above, looks like a very nice range to my eyes, if you see any NS-900s in black @ £100 give me a shout (same for you Timbo), one last note Ive seen a couple of Sony 999-ES DVD-V/SACD player for £250-300 in the past, this is one worth considering, only marked down in DVD-V terms, your getting a Sony ES SACD machine for pennies compared to the standard £500 you would pay for the X3000-ES or older generation SACD ES machines. The 999-ES would be a step up in performance to the 900 I reckon.

CJ, glad to see you're poking you're nose into SACD. Trust me, it'll be a worthwhile investment. At the end of the day, the majority of discs are hybrids these days, so you always have the cd layer to fall back on if you decide to sell. Don't tell me you've forgotten about that *gorgeous* NAD M55 already?? £1,300 to you sir!!

NS-900V for £100? I'd have it for myself!

I am indeed keeping an eye out for ES machines around £300, but even that's pushing it for me (money really is too tight to mention :( ) .

Both the 8400 and 1500AE use the DNM 2 Channel SACD transport and don't seem to have anything in common with their DVD player brethren. I have to say, I rate the 8400 very highly and suspect the 1500 should prove equally adept.

DNM 2-channel transport? A dedicated 2-channel sacd transport?? Seriously? Does that mean it'll actually read a cd after playing an sacd for more than 10 minutes? The 2900's mech was buggy as hell and a major disappointment, which is why I'm not keen on buying another Denon. Also, I didn't like the cd sound of the 2900 (when it worked :mad: ).

Is the 1500AE's analogue section op-amp/IC or discrete like the Marantz? Just wondering where they've cut corners. Much prettier than the 8400 too.

I know the SA8400 is good Tons, but £400 (ex-dem price) is a stretch, especially as I'd have to buy a seperate dvdp.

Still lusting after a VPI Scout too.......

DT
 
dynamic turtle said:
DNM 2-channel transport? A dedicated 2-channel sacd transport?? Seriously? Does that mean it'll actually read a cd after playing an sacd for more than 10 minutes? The 2900's mech was buggy as hell and a major disappointment, which is why I'm not keen on buying another Denon. Also, I didn't like the cd sound of the 2900 (when it worked :mad: ).

Is the 1500AE's analogue section op-amp/IC or discrete like the Marantz? Just wondering where they've cut corners. Much prettier than the 8400 too.

I know the SA8400 is good Tons, but £400 (ex-dem price) is a stretch, especially as I'd have to buy a seperate dvdp.

Still lusting after a VPI Scout too.......

DT

Its a good mech- variations of it go all the way up to the Marantz SA-11 (don't know about that big Denon but odds on it does as well) one of which is our reference spinner. Disc access time is not lightening fast but is sub 20 seconds with both disc types.

No idea about the innerds but although the Denon looks smart, it is quite possible that the chassis costs less than the 8400 (which is completely overengineered in several respects). Obviously the proof of the pudding is in the listening.

I too remain interested in the VPI. I have decided to buy a telly first though :).
 
dynamic turtle said:
CJ, glad to see you're poking you're nose into SACD. Trust me, it'll be a worthwhile investment. At the end of the day, the majority of discs are hybrids these days, so you always have the cd layer to fall back on if you decide to sell. Don't tell me you've forgotten about that *gorgeous* NAD M55 already??

Im steadily amassing quite a collection of SACDs, just back from the states with 5 in my luggage, including Police, Peter Gabriel & George Harrison’s Live in Tokyo with Eric Clapton. I use them currently on the CD layer and great it sounds but it will be a secondary player to my SD-9500 DT, hence the interest in the 900. I also like the fall back option of having a DVD-V player too. And yes the M55 is gorgeous bro, but it will take a very special player SACD/DVD-V & Audio wise to change me from the SD-9500 with its XLR outputs & digital inputs. Even the Primare DV30 is not up to scratch. Cant really see me doing much digital wise if I get a £100 900 TBH.

PS On course for a set of Domus Concertinos in the January sales next year dude. Unless a set of Signums or Dyn 1.3 MkIIs don’t sway me from the righteous path that Im embarked on.


PS A thread that may interest you chaps of a VPI nature :

http://forum.hifichoice.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=20123
 
Its a good mech- variations of it go all the way up to the Marantz SA-11 (don't know about that big Denon but odds on it does as well) one of which is our reference spinner. Disc access time is not lightening fast but is sub 20 seconds with both disc types.

Interesting. The way manufactuer's harp on about it, you'd think they all had to use the same dvd-rom mech!

Cant really see me doing much digital wise if I get a £100 900 TBH.

That's assuming you beat me to it, of course!!

PS On course for a set of Domus Concertinos in the January sales next year dude. Unless a set of Signums or Dyn 1.3 MkIIs don’t sway me from the righteous path that Im embarked on.

Oh yes sir, that is one fine looking pair of speakers. If they're still RRP £1000 then they're a bargain too IMHO. Radial (vifa?) tweeter & scanspeak woofer, boat-tail walnut finish & leather baffle? Yes please!! Stands are lovely too.

I hope this doesn't sound wierd, but SF's aren't just lovely to look at, they feel nice too! You just want to run your hands over that walnut & leather!

No jokes about sleeping with them/rear porting etc. please!

Incidentally, does anyone know if the 1500AE & SA8400 are "pure" DSD, or DSD>PCM? Not that it matters much, just interesting to know.....

DT
 
That's the Scoutmaster though, not the Scout??

DT
 
Still big and shiny though isn't it?
 
Oh dear look at the back of the SA1 :

1_gr_eb_DCDSA1_back.jpg


XLR outputs …. Must resist !!!!! Luckily it costs £4999 so I will be able to resist.

DT the Domus are £787 rrp, no need for the stands have very good ones in places, not as pretty as the sloped SF ones but they cost £399, I would rather that went on the speakers TBH.
 
Christ - £787 - cheaper still! A lot of (beautiful) speaker for the money.

Not that they matter one jot, but the SA1 got a very average review in this month's Haute Fidelite. 4 stars for sound quality & 3 for value. Which at €8k is unsurprising!!

I mean - FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS!! You don't even get an AES XLR or BNC's!

DT
 
dynamic turtle said:
......There's also the 963SA's replacement, the DVP9000, but I haven't seen any reviews, nor have I been impressed with my cousins new philips dvdp. It's a noisy, clunky pile of crud!
[/I]


Good to hear the 900 fixed itself :thumbsup:

There was a review of the Philips DVP9000s in the last HCC. it got 4.5 stars for picture & the same for sound. It said it's upscaling was comparable to more expensive models from Denon & Pioneer & better than the cheaper Samsung ones. But I know sound is what you're interested in, and it says: "Super Audio & CD playback enjoy a richness, subtlety and delicacy of timing that I would suspect would impress many a gruff audiophile." They also say build quality is good. Audio jitter is rated at average. It got a best buy with 4.5 stars overall. Doesn't do DVD-A, and upsamples CD to 192k/24bit.


In regards to 900 with acoustic material. I find it great with Norah Jones. I must say that it perhaps lacks a certain aggression the 3910 has. I recently got a SACD of Holst "The Planets" & definitely prefferred it on the 3910 with denon-link going into my 3805. It just gave it a bit more oomph and was more upfront. But The Police surround SACD "Every Breath You Take" & Roxy Music "Avalon" rock BIG time on the 900. I do forget I'm listening to digital :)

T.
 
But The Police surround SACD "Every Breath You Take" & Roxy Music "Avalon" rock BIG time on the 900. I do forget I'm listening to digital

Yep, the strength of the 900V definitely lies in its abilities with vocals. EBYT is quite cymbal-heavy, so the tight & smooth delivery of the player is ideal for this type of music IMO.

Tons, seeing as you're sort of connected with them, I have another marantz question for you: The DV-7600 has discrete HDAM output stages on each of it's six channels (first dvd player i've seen with discrete analog output stages btw). Are these HDAMs configured in exactly the same as the SA8400's? Also, does the DV-7600 use schottky diodes like the SA8400, or just generic variants?

Another important question, does the DV-7600 use a SMPS or dedicated transformers for audio & video?

What's your take on the cd & sacd performance between the two? Is the DV-7600 passable in both regards? I'm trying to get the best vfm of course and am hoping the DV-7600 offers decent enough audio performance to render the SA8400 unnecessary.

Sincerely,

DT

Although I'm sure Marantz wouldn't have bothered making the SA8400 if it didn't offer a significant increase in performance over the audio performance of their DVD brethren. I am aware the 8400's build is a substantial cut above the 7600 btw.
 
The short answer is I don't know because I've only ever tinkered around with a 7600 in the context of setting it up for the audio majesty that was the "Weekend at Dave's show." In other words I had to get a picture out of it and that was it.

The two units have a totally different ancestry and as far as I know are built in two different places so I have no idea what they do and don't have in common I'm afraid.
 
Tons of fun said:
The short answer is I don't know because I've only ever tinkered around with a 7600 in the context of setting it up for the audio majesty that was the "Weekend at Dave's show." In other words I had to get a picture out of it and that was it.

The two units have a totally different ancestry and as far as I know are built in two different places so I have no idea what they do and don't have in common I'm afraid.

OK, no problem.

One for marantz customer support then? Do I have a rat's chance in hell of getting a decent reply??

DT
 
Normally good.
 

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