Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Denon Denon DVD-5900 Universal SACD/DVD-A Players by Audio Pharaoh

Model:	Denon DVD-5900
Category:	Universal SACD/DVD-A Players
Suggested Retail Price:	$2000
Description:	Dan Wright Modified Denon DVD-5900...Part I
Manufacturer URL:	Denon
Manufacturer URL:	Denon

Review by Audio Pharaoh ( D ) on January 10, 2004 at 16:49:41
IP Address: 217.139.72.18

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This was Dan's first 5900 machine to mod. Just cleared from customs today and has only about 8 hours on it so far in use as a transport to my Assemblage DAC 3.1/D2D-1 Platinum version combo and from its own analogue stereo front channel outputs.
This is my first venture into the mods world so I was quite excited and very anxious to find out.
I opened the unit to see the insides and the work done by Dan. In a word,
I was floored by the neatness of the work and frankly I wouldn't be able to know the difference had I not had any prior info.
All the system powered from the wall, no PLC's used. An Acoustic Zen Tsunami II as power cord to the Denon, a Krakatoa to the Plinius and
a Silver Reference MK2 as the interconnect between Denon and Plinius.
Epoch speaker cables from Plinius to Infinity's.
Remember this is just an initial impression NOT a review...Well, I am
HIGHLY impressed by what I heard today. The sound still thin,hazy and a bit clogged which is normal. Black gates , Bybees have been installed in critical circuits and these components take a very long time to settle in
as previously mentionned here in AA. However, tonally , the Denon is very very close to my DAC combo, at this stage, which has been my humble reference for the past 3 years. This DAC combo stood up against a stock Sony SCD-1 very well indeed. It was undoubtedly much better tonally than the stock SCD-1. But the Sony was better in dynamics and general frequency extension but even so not by a wide margin at all.
The Denon sounds though more transparent, more fluid and more 'REAL' with
excellent low level details and nuances than the Assemblage combo. Disc
tracking is SUPERB too.
From what I heard today I'm expecting nice surprises to come as the unit breaks-in....
No video impessions yet..I don't think I will go that route as I'm not an experienced 'videophile' and the Denon was purchased and modded mainly for audio aplications.
Haven't listened to any SACD's yet...waiting for a friend to bring his collection tomorrow. I will report though on SACD impressions as well.
So far it's only Redbook impressions.
AP

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Plinius 8200 mk2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Denon DVD-5900
Speakers:	Infinity Renaissance 80's
Cables/Interconnects:	Acoustic Zen
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, Vocals and Rock..
Time Period/Length of Audition:	8 hours.....
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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