[IPodPJ]

Unbeatable! Denon DVD-758 Universal SACD player refurb $39.99

eCOST.com-Denon DVD-758 Universal Scaling DVD Audio/Video SACD Player - DVD758 - Denon DVD758 (DVD Players & Recorders) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players

Burr Brown 24/192 audio DACs - PCM1738
DCDi by Faroudja using the FLI2301 chipset, 12/216 progressive & 10/108 interlaced video D/A converters, PEG & Kodak Picture CD compatible, DiVx Utra Compatible, RS-232C serial port for 3rd party controllers, ( Denon Recertified Model)

 

[jclin4]

Good heads-up! It looks exactly like my DVD-1940CI which I got last year (a quick search on the web appears to confirm that they are the same). I paid $90 which I thought was a good deal.

Sound quality for both SACD and CD is good: detailed and vivid. If anything, slightly too forward for my ears, but I have bias towards warmth and naturalness. I have not evaluated DVD-A.

Anyone know of good mods to perform on this model?

On the video front, upscaled standard DVD to HDTV looks very good to me, but I'm not a videophile by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[soundboy]

Ooooh, that's very tempting. But I already 2 new SACD players still sealed in their boxes.

 

[.Sup]

do they ship to Europe?

 

[AuralRelations]

Gah! The shipping is 2/3 the cost of the player...Was going to buy it but can't justify it with the high shipping cost.

 

[mattkosem]

Meh, I picked one up. I've been looking for something inexpensive to replace my 15 year old Yamaha player for a while. $25 shipped for a piece of equipment that size isn't that terrible.

--Matt

 

[IPodPJ]

This isn't a bad deal either:

eCOST.com-Denon 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver w/ 2 Independent Zone - AVR788 - Denon AVR788 (Receivers) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players

 

[burgunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Sup /img/forum/go_quote.gif do they ship to Europe?

Unfortunately not, I tried to order one yesterday, as I could need a universal player for the livingroom.

 

[jclin4]

I take back what I said about the audio being too forward/edgy. I had a suspicion that it might be my speakers and not the player, so I moved the Denon player to my 2-channel system. Sounds great there and confirms reviews/comments that this player has very good sound quality.

The transport is not the quietest, but it isn't too bad either. For $65 shipped, this is still a really great deal.

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by burgunder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Unfortunately not, I tried to order one yesterday, as I could need a universal player for the livingroom.

thanks for the info

 

[mattkosem]

UPS dropped mine off today. Seems to be a proper refurb, brand new on the outside. I've been A/Bing between its analog output and SPDIF to my Passive DAC-AH, painstakingly since their output levels are drastically different, and have found the analog outs to be fairly decent but not as pleasant to my ears as the AH (not entirely unexpected considering the cost and unmodded state). Anyone know of any mods for these things? I can't find any info on modding it or the 1940CI.

Comparing its analog outs to my passive DAC-AH (Auricaps on the output, corrected circuit error, replaced polyester films with polyprops, added stick-on heatsinks to dac chips), it sounds a bit brighter and less warm. It's a bit more difficult to pick apart the instruments and seems slightly more distorted. The soundstage is definitely a bit smaller. I'll have to give it more listening time to make a better analysis.

Edit: After further analysis, I believe the lack of apparent instrument separation and distortion that I thought I perceived earlier was placebo. It's definitely less warm though and, as jclin4 reported in his earlier post, more forward sounding. As delivered, I definitely still prefer the sound of my dac to its analog outs. 96khz DVD Audio and RedBook CDs sound fantastic on it, very detailed. I don't have any SACDs at the moment, so I can't comment on its capabilities in that area. Its analog outs have a hint more graininess than my dac, but I'd imagine upgrades will clean that up. I'll crack it open in the morning to see what the story is inside. It's definitely a great transport for the price though.'

Edit2: I've had a chance to pull mine apart and get a look inside. If anyone is interested, there's a thread in the DIY area with pics of the internals and some additional details on the components: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/den...i-mods-484992/

--Matt

 

[Laramy]

These are still available from DAKmart for $69.98:
 
http://www.dakmart.com/p6561/Denon-Dvd-1940Ci-Universal-Scaling-Dvd-SACD-1-Year-Warranty/product_info.html for the DVD-1940ci
 
http://www.dakmart.com/p11217/Denon-DVD-758-Universal-Scaling-DVD-A-V-SACD-Player-DVD758/product_info.html for the DVD-758
 
only difference is the faceplate style.
 
I have owned one for 2 years now and it is the best $70 SACD player you can get.  I feed the SPD/IF to a Cambridge DAC Magic for cd and dvd playback, and the sacd from the analog outputs is decent and listenable, though not on par with more high end players like the Oppo or Marantz.
 
[edit]
 
I have since opened mine up for some simple mods,  today I just added a Canare 75ohm RCA to the SPDIF out, the better to feed my DacMagic.  This is built to typical consumer commodity standards, the boards are all flimsy phenolic, and the power supply is a joke with the smallest transformer I have ever seen in a full size piece of equipment.  I have seen bigger transformers from cracking open wall warts.  The I/V stage is right next to the crappy PS section.  I believe if I can build a decent PS and IV stage, that I might get some good sound out of the SACD.  There is plenty of room inside for an add on board, which can be moved away from the power supply and the AC input.