[kool bubba ice]

I have both.. The Denon 2930ci easily beats the 5900 in the video department. But audio wise, Digitial/Analog the 5900 is a clear upgrade.. My HDCD on my 2930ci sounded less then special.. I was thinking HDCD was more marketing hype.. Not with the 5900.. I was surprised how much better it sounded. The small audio detail I missed with the 2930ci.. Instruments came a live with better seperation, realism, & a resolution I wasn't used to before.. The 2930ci accepts SACD over 2 channel. I don't think the 5900 does. I tried playing my SACD & got nothing.. Will read the manual. The 2930ci.. Is more user friendly. I also noticed a greater improvement when I used the 5900 as a transport in combination with my Yamaha 1800.. I was admittedly taken back. The 2930ci transport ability was rather poor.. If you want satellar video the 2930ci is the easy choice. If 2 channel analog/digital audio is what you crave the 5900 is the clear winner.. I paid nearly 200 for the 2930ci (including shipping).. The 5900 was 325. (including shipping) I am happy with my purchase.. Although I had a hand shake problem with my BC DAC 2... When I used it with my 5900, the sound I got from my GP amp was very light.. I trouble shooted, & optical worked fine with every other source when used with my 5900.. analog with my GP headphone amp was flawless.. I'm having the same problem with my BC DAC2 & PS3 now.. I think the BC DAC2 needs a check up..

 

[tcp56]

thanks for the mini review. interesting comparison -- older state of the art compared to newer lower price point. I would think as a transport the 5900 would have it all over the 2910ci. It is quite a few years older but they were quite the universal players.

 

[grawk]

Funny how often that's true. But the 2900 series really went down hill starting with the 2910. Video gets better over time, but when they spend less on the analog side of things, it matters.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Funny how often that's true. But the 2900 series really went down hill starting with the 2910. Video gets better over time, but when they spend less on the analog side of things, it matters.

Yes, it seems like Denon put 75% of their efforts on the video side on the 2930ci.. With the 5900 it's like 60/40 Audio to video.. Still haven't tried the video enhancements yet, so maybe they are better the I think they are..

 

[kool bubba ice]

I have more impressions.. ambiance is greatly improved over my 2930ci, allowing to hear with greater depth & detail that was lost.. Sound stage is a nice improvement, along with dynamics.. As stated prior, as a transport it pretty much owns the 2930ci.. I used both my Yamaha receiver & BC modded DAC 2.. The Yamaha seems to be more upfront & aggressive.. Harsher, lightly less separation & a bit less resolving. The BC DAC2 more resolving, cleaner, better separation, sound stage has more depth, better prat & dynamics.. But not enough to really make me drool.. Maybe I should focus on CDPers instead of separate DACS.. Is there any way to get 2 channel SACD on the 5900.. & I notice a very slight noise when playing CD's.. Should I be worried.. The original owner claims over 800 hrs on it. I see it more as a positive, since many denons seem to die quickly.. So I figured, if this one lasted this long, it must be one of the better ones.. Noise is very slight, I could be over reacting.