I cant believe this!! Am I nutts!?

[shredder]

Help! I am in need of serious help!

So I just purchased a Denon 3910 DVD player to replace my old Sony 5-disc changer DUPNC655P (Paid $225 a few years back). I was completely, undoubtedly convinced that this would push my Marantz SR8500 / Paradigm Studio rig over the edge into some really good sounding play back. WRONG!!!!

I connected both players via optical cable (same make model) to the Marantz (which was set in 2 ch. stereo with equal settings and then later to direct mode) and put in the same OEM CD (Blues Traveler) so that I could switch back and forth and hear the major improvement. Only problem is I could not hear one. Dazed and confused I called over a fellow audio guy, who has a very nice setup himself, to tell me how stupid I was. Guess what. He could not hear a difference either. We even did the blind, leave the room, come back in and the other would switch back and forth between the two so we could hear a difference. None. Neither of us could decifer which one was playing.

What am I doing wrong!!!!!!! How can I make this $1500 player sound better than a clearance player!!!!!! Help me please!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[j_garcia]

Ummmmm...via digital, the RECEIVER is doing the decoding, so it SHOULD sound the same.

My 8300's DACs sound pretty good when stacked up against my 2900, but it's when you drop in a well recorded DVD-A or SACD that the player's capabilities are apparent. My 222 is better with SACDs though.

 

[ozdvduser]

CD - connect via 2xRCA from 3910 to SR8500 CD L&R inputs
DVD-A/SACD - connect via 6xRCA from 3910 to SR8500 5.1 Ext.In inputs
DVD - connect via Coax/Optical as you currently have
For CD playback select the CD input & use the dedicated CD inputs on the SR8500
For DVD-A/SACD playback select the Ext.In input & use the dedicated 5.1 inputs on the SR8500, also do the speaker setup/bass managment in the 3910
For DVD playback select the DVD input for DD/DTS

You will hear the difference of better audio from the 3910 via analog vs digital as your are letting the DACs in the 3910 do the processing

 

[shredder]

Ohhhhh... So when I use the optical cable the reciever is doing all of the decoding which makes the both of them sound the same regardless of the signal... but when I use the RCA cables then the Denon does the work, like it is supposed to do...

THANK YOU!!!

I will try hooking it up that way right now!!

 

[mtrycrafts]

What am I doing wrong!!!!!!! How can I make this $1500 player sound better than a clearance player!!!!!! Help me please!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing. Modern, well designed components are transparent. Both are well designed and you expected too much.
A few years ago, T$$ did a DBT comparing an RCA Cd player, $80 to ones costing $1000s. The panel of a number of listeners could not differentiate between them.
Even if you go analog out, I seriously doubt the DACs are so different to be audible. Make sure you level match to very close tolerances, then have at it
You should have brought this question before purchasing.

 

[PENG]

Don't feel bad, I have the 3910 connected via both Denon Link and RCA to the 3805. When playing CD, HDCD & 2 Ch stereo SACD, I could not tell the difference between using the 3910's DAC (via analog) and the 3805 via the digital Denon Link. I am not the only one who cannot tell the difference neither. I still like the 3910, it looks good, quite heavy, and can play almost anything.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I still like the 3910, it looks good, quite heavy, and can play almost anything.

Today, that is what it should be about

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I connected both players via optical cable (same make model) to the Marantz (which was set in 2 ch. stereo with equal settings and then later to direct mode) and put in the same OEM CD (Blues Traveler) so that I could switch back and forth and hear the major improvement.

Intersting choice of cd's. By chance was it "Four"? That could be one of the best recorded cd's of all time.

If you're into tweaking sound to perfection in your room, return the $1500 cd player and pick up a $380 Behringer DEQ2496. I guarantee you'll hear a postive difference.

Here's a review for in-home use.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0705/behringerultracurve2496.htm

 

[edwelly]

If you're into tweaking sound to perfection in your room, return the $1500 cd player and pick up a $380 Behringer DEQ2496. I guarantee you'll hear a postive difference.

How would you use this if you still wanted to use your sub - 2.1 channels for CD play back

 

[shredder]

Well, well, well.

So I hooked up the 3910 to the Marantz via an RCA cable (not the best, its from the famed Best Buy-- it was donated to me by an individual that has long since surpassed my spending abilities in cable), Monster THX, and I was able to pick up a noticable difference in sound,,, mostly the separation of instruments and bass pickup (tighter and more pronounced). The highs were also more "bright". I am happy to say that I am happy with the audio difference.. although I would not say that it is "better" in all respects... as hard rock seemed not to flow as well....

HOWEVER.........

The video performance is absolutely stunning!!!! StarWars III was played last night and the picture was absolutely KILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good player, but I've had problems with it recognizing my CCR hits CD and it had a repetitave pause playing my Dave Matthews / Tim Renolds CD that was oddly cured by opening and closing the DVD tray..........HMmmmmmm

 

[tbewick]

I'd be amazed if it makes that much difference using an RCA cable. You should use an optical/electrical digital cable if you're using a subwoofer. If you don't, the amp has to ADC the analogue signal from the RCA cable. ADC is usually worse than DAC.

 

[Duffinator]

HOWEVER.........

The video performance is absolutely stunning!!!! StarWars III was played last night and the picture was absolutely KILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you compare how this movie looked between the 3910 and your old player and if so what player was it? This movie should look killer on just about anything although I'm sure the 3910 does a great job on video.

I always find this topic of audio comparison interesting. I have a hard time telling the difference between players as well. I have my Sony DVD 700 (2001) connected via digital connection, my Sony CDP 535 (1992) connected via analog connections, and my Media MVP (2004) connected via analog connections all to my Denon 3805. Using my RS SPL meter trying to match volumes and using burned copies of the same CD and using 192 kbps MP3's from the MVP I have a hard time telling any difference between them. While I think I can tell a slight difference with the MP3's in the lows and highs, I doubt I could pick them out in a DBT. I could be partly death but the last time I had my hearing checked all was well. My point is I think the law of diminishing returns applies here. I have no doubt some people can tell a difference between players but I can't. So I'll spend my money on speakers where I can tell a difference.

 

[PENG]

I'd be amazed if it makes that much difference using an RCA cable. You should use an optical/electrical digital cable if you're using a subwoofer. If you don't, the amp has to ADC the analogue signal from the RCA cable. ADC is usually worse than DAC.

In his case, he cannot play SACD via optical or digital coax, he has to use RCA analog.

 

[indcrimdefense]

I have a denon 2910 and cary audio DVD6, both connected to a denon 2805. the cary is a recent purchase after 2 very lengthy demo trials. i still have the 2910 for SACD & DVDA, as the DVD6 does not support either format, although it will play a DVDA disc, just not at the high res rate. the cary was purchased based upon its exceptional sound quality playing redbook cd's. the differences between the 2 players are quite pronounced. for redbook cd's, the cary has an exceptional sound quality, to the point of at times rivaling sacd sound quality from the denon (this is quite dependent on recording quality). the differences between the cary's analog and digital output is also evident, with analog output being exceptional. it's not exactly a fair comparison, as the cary msrp is nearly 3x that of the denon, and while the denon is a very nice player, the cary is a 35+ pound tank. i snapped up a demo unit as the dvd6 is now supposedly out of production, and the dvd7 has an msrp of something like 4000. so far have not noticed any real difference in picture quality between the 2 units, but i bought the cary for its exceptional redbook cd sound.