[johnmatrix]

Recently, I undertook the modding of my Denon 2900 which was purchased in March '06. I wanted to lower the noise floor and enchance its sonic capabilities. I replaced several capacitors in the PS and replaced the opamps in the output stage. Before reinstalling the PS, I double checked all the rail voltages to make sure all my mods did not throw the voltages off. After all the mods, I had CDs sounding almost as good as my SACDs. I was elated with my work and the money spent. This state of sonic bliss lasted for appox. 2 days.

Then, I noticed the music was playing but the time elapsed has stopped. So, I cycle the power and when I bring the player up, it doesn't read cds or anything else. So, I place a call to denon and wait for an 90 min. When I finally talk with someone, I find out the laser assembly went bad and the part alone is $150. The cost infuriated me. An assembly should not be going bad in one year, my roommate has a 15 yr old boombox that is still going strong. But there is not much I can do because I modified the player. I ask to speak to the manager, but instead get sent to voicemail. 24 hr later and still no call.

So I have learned my lesson, never buy anything from D and M holdings. Does anyone have any ideas on picking up a 2900 transport cheap? I was thinking about placing a wtb ad here.

I would also like opinions on SACD/CD players in the 600 and under range. If a cheaper player takes mods well, I would interested in hearing about that as well. In fact I was think of getting an Oppo 970 and adding the zap filter in an outboard box.

 

[Welly Wu]

Listen to me. You need to go to http://www.denon.com and find the country in which you live. Find your nearest authorized Denon repair center. Call them and ask them their prices on the estimate and the replacement transport. They will do it for you.

I bought a used Denon DVD 5910 from a bad eBay seller. It arrived DOA with a damaged power supply that got disconnected. I later upgraded to the ci. All in all, $42 USD for the estimate, $87 USD for the repairs, and $300 USD for a stupid firmware update so I could activate the Denon Link III and DVD0 1080p. Yet, I was lucky that they could do it since I am not the original owner and I don't have a valid warranty.

Denons do break often. But, if you decide to keep it by getting it repaired, then you should be back into business. Switching to another source component right now may not be advisable if you can save money by at least calling the repair center and getting an estimate for repairs.

Try that first before deciding something larger down the road.

 

[johnmatrix]

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, I have already called the service repair centers closest to me for estimates. Denon told me that the part was $150 and then I was told labor was $75/hr at the center. I would also pay s&h which is about $10. So the minimum for my repair is $235 and I only payed $250 for the player.

 

[skyline889]

Are you sure the malfunction wasn't a result of the modding? I know the 2900s had some problems with playing certain DVD-As, but I've never heard of anyone complain about the build on the 2900. Denons are built pretty well and are pretty bullet proof so I don't think it's a normal problem with the player.

 

[Welly Wu]

Why don't your consider looking up the ID of the transport mechanism and seeing if you can order it online?

Otherwise, I hate to say it, but I think it is now a big paperweight. I would recommend that you consider an Oppo 981.

 

[ssportclay]

The reader went out on my Denon 2900 also.I had it repaired and it is still working fine after a year,(3 years total).Denons are good machines but the Sony 9100ES reportedly has much better build quality at a much higher price so in the end you get what you pay for.

 

[Oliver :)]

Great to read about this

If the 2900 wasn't such an excellent performer I would have long kicked it out. My last Denon lasted me 10+ years and was still going strong when I sold it, and that was a basic $200 player. I am also under the impression that Denon has a tendency to give a rats rectum about customer satisfaction.

 

[DigiPete]

The 2900 has a reputation for optical reader problems.

I had bought a refurb 2900, and the reader could not read certain tracks from my DVD audios.

Sent it in to Denon NJ for repair. It worked fine afterwards when the optical reader was repaired.

I have not heard the same reputation for later Denons like the 2910, 3910, 3930CI.

 

[johnmatrix]

I will look up the transport and see if I can hopefully procure it.

As far as my mods damaging the laser assembly, I do not think that is very likely. I tested the PS before installing and all the rail voltages were fine with less ripple in the lines than before, if anything the PS mods should have helped. I also tested the rails again after having this problem and found no problems.

I know the oppo 981 produces the best looking picture of the oppos, but I always thought the 970 had the best sound and dac.

 

[Herandu]

If I were you I would open up the deck again and check that the connector block on the laser assembly leads is sitting in properly in the socket on the main PCB. I don't know your deck off hand, but I know of many occasions that when you take the main PCB to modify, the connectors are not pushed in properly at times. If you have any variable pots on the PCB as well, then your mods might have caused the tracking etc. to be out of alignment now.

HOWEVER: also check the turntable assembly after you open up the deck. Sometimes even minor amount of dirt tend to upset the tracking ability of the laser assembly. The Denon uses a 3 beam laser assembly. They are a pain in the neck to set up, work a treat, but do not always last as long as say the SONY and Philips single beam laser assembly. The fact that they are 3 beams makes them more complicated to manufacture and set up. And of course that also makes them more expensive.

 

[johnmatrix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herandu /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I were you I would open up the deck again and check that the connector block on the laser assembly leads is sitting in properly in the socket on the main PCB. I don't know your deck off hand, but I know of many occasions that when you take the main PCB to modify, the connectors are not pushed in properly at times. If you have any variable pots on the PCB as well, then your mods might have caused the tracking etc. to be out of alignment now. HOWEVER: also check the turntable assembly after you open up the deck. Sometimes even minor amount of dirt tend to upset the tracking ability of the laser assembly. The Denon uses a 3 beam laser assembly. They are a pain in the neck to set up, work a treat, but do not always last as long as say the SONY and Philips single beam laser assembly. The fact that they are 3 beams makes them more complicated to manufacture and set up. And of course that also makes them more expensive.

My player's PCBs are modular. The PS and audio boards are separate from the signal decoding and processing board, so the main board and transport never left the player at all. I checked for dirt on the laser assembly and found none. I will have to check the current output from the laser. The service manual says the output should be 30 mA for both CD and DVD. That will be the diagnostic that will tell me if the laser assembly is bad. Thanks for the suggestions though.

 

[skyline889]

Hmm, so maybe it is a common fault with the 2900? I've been trying to decide between this, the 2910, and the 3910 and thought I had settled with the 2900 but these laser problems have me worried. I don't play DVD-As so that wasn't a problem but if the transport is going to die on me, I might be better off with the 2910/3910. Any suggestions?

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline889 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm, so maybe it is a common fault with the 2900? I've been trying to decide between this, the 2910, and the 3910 and thought I had settled with the 2900 but these laser problems have me worried. I don't play DVD-As so that wasn't a problem but if the transport is going to die on me, I might be better off with the 2910/3910. Any suggestions?

If you don't play DVD-As then the Sony 9100ES is the one you want,(see Matt's description on the SACDmods site).My repaired Denon 2900 is still working fine.It could be that the replacement lazor readers have the original problem resolved.An announcement from Denon would be comforting though.

 

[DigiPete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssportclay /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you don't play DVD-As then the Sony 9100ES is the one you want,(see Matt's description on the SACDmods site).My repaired Denon 2900 is still working fine.It could be that the replacement lazor readers have the original problem resolved.An announcement from Denon would be comforting though.

Yeah, you never know if these manufacturers are making design changes,
or just slapping the same old defective parts back on to the repaired units.

The 3910 seems to be much more reliable, at least mine was.

The sony 9100es is good too, but the 3910 definitely beats it on the video side.
I haven't heard the 9100es, but my 3910 from SACDmods with the new DEXA clock and blackgates around the DAC sounded superb. It would be hard to imagine the 9100es beating it, at least not by much.

Not sure if Matt gave the 3910 any break-in time, which does make a difference with the Zapfilter,
and I am not sure he had a 3910 on hand when he listened to the 9100es, so the comparison is somewhat suspect.

 

[johnmatrix]

Another avenue for you to go skyline in with pioneer elite series. A DV-59 goes for about the same or less as the 3910 on the 'gon and the DV-79 can be bought new for $600. Right now, I am deciding between that and the oppo.