I bought a Denon DVD-2200 universal player tonight!

I've been wanting a DVD-Audio player for my second stereo system for a couple years and finally broke down tonight and bought the Denon DVD-2200. It's a universal player, though I don't need SACD playback since I have two SACD changers in the same system (Sony SCD-C333ES and 'C555ES).

The decision for a DVD-Audio player came down to the Denon DVD-1200 and '2200. In the end, I went for the better build quality and nicer display offered by the '2200. Hopefully the better build quality and higher price of the '2200 translate to better sound quality, as I honestly did not compare them. All I know is that I did not like the look and feel of the '1200.

I bought the '2200 at Tweeter with 15-month same-as-cash financing. When I walked into the store tonight, I was pretty sure I was going to get a player, but when I found out about the 15-month deal, it was a no-brainer. (For those interested, the 15-month deal is available until February 2nd, so I was told.)

The catch in all of this is that I won't have the component until Wednesday. This particular Tweeter didn't have one in stock, so they are getting one from a store across town. So, I have a few days to dust off a shelf and make sure I have cables.

Does anyone here have the '2200? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. As I said, I didn't really buy it for SACD, or CD or DVD-Video for that matter, but I will compare it to the Sony SACD changers. Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised by the overall performance of the '2200. This is my first component purchase in nearly a year, so it's nice to have a new toy!

In case anyone cares, I'll be using the '2200 in a modest system: NAD C 350 integrated amp with Energy e:XL 25 speakers. Interconnects will probably be Monster of some sort for now. I believe I have a couple pairs of Monster cables lying around.

As a final note, I have a Denon DVD-3800 DVD-Audio player in my better system, and I think the '2200 will be a good fit for the second system. I've been very happy with the '3800 and hope for good results with the '2200.

 

How much was it? I'd be curious to hear comparisons between that, and say, the DV-45a and the new Marantz DV-6400 if they're all in the same price range ...

 

StyxCollector, the '2200 is $600. Tweeter sells the Pioneer Elite DV-45A for $400. They don't stock Marantz, and I don't recall the price of the '6400. I thought it was in the $500-600 range.

I do have a Marantz dealer in town, but as I said, I've been very happy with the Denon '3800 DVD-Audio player in my main system and decided to go with Denon again. For more information on the '2200, check out this link:

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/...&c=4&g=53100&I=033DVD2200&o=m&a=0&cc=01&avf=N

Here's a picture of the front panel:



For the sake of completeness, the Denon '1200 is $400. Here's a link and picture of the front panel.

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/...&c=6&g=54600&I=033DVD1200&o=m&a=0&cc=01&avf=N

 

Thanks for the info ... so the 2200 looks like a competitor to the DV-6400. It's funny - Denon and Marantz are owned by the same parent company, but make way different sounding machines. Both are well regarded. Glad to see both releasing universal player models (D 1200 for $400, D 2200 for $600, M 6400 $600) in most people's affordable range. Choice: good!

 

I like that DVD player

I have a bit of a DVD player compulsion, usually owning anywhere from 2-5 at any given time for my one HDTV.

The DVD-2200 does everything right and the price is good. I know of nothing in its price range (that's not discontinued) that comes close to its' video and audio performance IMO.

 

I have a Denon DVD3300 DVD/DVD Audio player I purchased a couple years ago on UBID. I paid 499.00 for it and I think it retailed at 1200.00 at most stores. I really like the video quality and features on this unit but I am not that impressed with the audio quality to tell you the truth. This was I believe the first DVD Audio model that Denon put on the market though so they probably have got much better at it by this time. The unit I purchased was brand new in the box and not a refurbish job so I don't think that I got a lemon . I have read some places to not buy through UBID as they sometimes distribute faulty products but I have not had any problems with the unit . I really only use it to watch DVD's as my current receiver does not have 5.1 inputs. Maybe after I get my NAD T752 I will enjoy the Denon a little more as I will be able to hear the DVD Audio in it's full glory.

 

StyxCollector,

No problem. I wonder how the Denon '2200 and Marantz '6400 compare. Hopefully I'll have the '2200 in a few days and will be able to give a report soon.


Sam,

So you have a '2200? I know that you recently sold a new-in-box '1600. Did you decide to go with the '2200 over the '1600? The '1600 was said to be an excellent machine. As I said in my first post, I've been toying with the idea of adding a DVD-Audio player to my second system for two years, and the '1600 topped my list for quite awhile.


Kurt,

I haven't used the '3300, but I am familiar with it. The '3300 was based on the Technics DVD-A10, which was one of two first-generation DVD-Audio players released by Matsushita (the other was the Panasonic DVD-A7). Denon modified the audio circuitry to improve the audio that the 'A10 provided. I had the 'A10, and it is a decent component but not absolutely stellar. Truth be told, I read mixed reviews of the '3300's audio performance in hi-fi magazines a few years ago.

 

Hi Keith,
Noticed in your equipment that you have (or had) a Sony 670d mltisc
I have the 650v mltidsc.
I don't use either of my mltidisc hires players for video and so when I bought the 650 for sacd it didn't bother me that it wasn't progscan I was wondering if the 670 was prog scan and what was it's retail.

My 650 was the Sony store's demo unit. I don't remember what the retail was but I got it for$275 cdn pls tax.

Thanks,
Peter m.

 

Well it's a long story. I got one of the very last "new" DVD-1600's that was available a few months back. It was going to used in a second room mainly for audio, but also as backup if my main Panny XP-50 crapped out. I lucked out a came across some XP-30's for really cheap, so the DVD-1600 found a good home with one of our forum members.

FWIW, I also use the RP-91K on the main TV as well for 4:3 or non-anamorphic discs.

The DVD-2200 has lots of great features. It's a worthy successor to the DVD-1600 even though it's more $$. I think it's 8MB buffer is the coolest thing! Do you have Avia? If so, will you check the Y/C chroma delay when your DVD-2200 comes in? Is there a "fix" for the chroma delay on your DVD-3800 besides running long component video cables?

 

Peter,

I have the DVP-C670D DVD changer in my home-theater system, which just happens to be in the same room as my main stereo system. The 'C670D is an older model, and I bought it in August 2000. As a three-and-a-half-year-old player, it is pretty basic -- just interlaced video and CD playback. I only use it for DVDs, as I have better CD players. Also, I don't have an HDTV, so I don't benefit from the progressive-scan capability of the Denon DVD-3800 in the same room. I only use the '3800 in the home-theater system for surround-sound DVD-Audio.


Sam,

O.K. That's quite a story!

You said:

As I said above to Peter, I have my home-theater and main stereo systems in the same room. However, my video set-up is basic -- just a 27" tube TV. So, as I said to Peter, I don't use the '3800 for movies. It's routed into the main stereo system for stereo DVD-Audio (and an occasional HDCD) and the home-theater system for surround-sound DVD-Audio. As a result, the chroma delay, if my players shows it, is not an issue for me.

The '2200 will be going in a room that currently has no TV. I only have my second stereo system in there. So, the '2200 will not be used for movies. I don't have AVIA, and I won't be looking at the Y/C chroma delay that you mentioned. I will add just a 13" TV to the system for navigating menus on DVD-Audio discs.

Sorry to be such a party pooper. As you can probably surmise, I am primarily an audio guy. My wife, who is a film buff, would like to see that change. We will get a plasma TV someday.

 

No, you are lucky to be primarily an audio guy!

I don't know which sickness I have worse! I'm just about at the end of the line for video tweaking as my TV is ISF-calibrated and looks great. New DVD players always intrigue me, but part of the ISF tweaking is that your 480p picture is adjusted to whatever DVD player you are using at the time, so there is actually some built-in motivation not to go chasing after DVD players as you might need some re-adjustments.

Let us know how the sound of the DVD2200 compares to your Sonys.

 

Sam, I realize that I am "lucky". Seriously, I have enough issues obsessing over the sound of audio components and different discs, so I don't need to worry about ISF calibration, the presence or absence of the chroma bug, and the like. Not yet, anyway.

I am eager to compare the '2200 to the Sony SACD changers. I'll post some thoughts toward the end of the week. I briefly compared CD playback on the '3800 to the 'C555ES and thought they were dead even. I have a '777ES in the same system, and it beat the '3800 with CDs. That, of course, didn't surprise me.

 

As an update, I got the '2200 on Wednesday and am putting it through its paces. When I set it up on Wednesday evening, I didn't have a TV for it (it's in a stereo system with no TV in the room), so I played some CDs and SACDs. Everything sounded very good. I have not yet compared the '2200 to the Sony SCD-C333ES and 'C555ES SACD/CD changers in the same system, but the '2200 didn't leave me wanting. Steve's Zombies SACD sounded wonderful -- very open and dynamic. (Is it possible for that disc to sound bad?) Likewise, I was very pleased with The Who Tommy SACD (disc one). The sound was very palatable. One CD I played was The Traveling Wilbury's Volume 1, and it too sounded very full with good separation. Nothing I played sounded harsh or lacking in any way.

I hooked up a basic 13" TV last night and have been playing DVD-Audio discs the past two evenings. Remember that I bought the player for stereo DVD-Audio. Again, all discs I have played sound great. I've given a couple listens to Steely Dan Everything Must Go, Donald Fagen The Nightfly, Eagles Hotel California, and The Beach Boys Pet Sounds and am very pleased with the sound.

This certainly is not a detailed review at this point, and I do need to compare the '2200 to the 'C333ES and 'C555ES, but I am very happy with the '2200 thus far. Everything sounds great right now!

 

Hi Keith,

The new Denon is no sloach as a video player either, so have you decided which player will be used as part of the Theatre portion of your setup even as you mention you haven't got your plasma yet?

I noticed your using Totem Arro's as part of the stereo system. How do you like them?

I'm also using a set of 5 Model 1's (front 3 are sigs including a sig center, back 2 are bi-amp/wireable but not sigs). I use them when playing music (mostly sacd and dvd-a) and add on some Axiom Dipoles and Monitor Bookshelfs for film. My Denon 5800/03 fortuneatly has the inputs for all these speakers as well as 2 sets of analogs.

Peter m.

 

I wonder what to make of this: it's a CD-R, apparently from Denon, that has the info to make the player multiregion capable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3075213272&category=3316

 

Hi,
It makes sense that such a disc exists as I remember a couple of years ago some manufacturers were sending out regionless players. Once you played 4 or 5 discs from your region, it locked the player to that region.

I guess it saved time and money having to program each player.

Peter m.

 

I wonder--is this a CD you use in your Denon player to set the region, or is it just a CD with instructions that you'd view on a computer?

 

Peter, I've read good things about the '2200 as a video player. As for using it for movies, let me explain my set-up a bit. It's a bit convoluted, but here is how things are set up:

* Main stereo system and home-theater system in one room.

For the home-theater system, I only have a basic 27" tube TV. I use a basic interlaced Sony DVP-C670 DVD changer from a few years ago for movies. It's only hooked into the home-theater system, so I use it for movies, music DVDs (DVD-Video discs), and DTS CDs.

I also have a Denon DVD-3800 in this room. It is routed to the main stereo system for stereo DVD-Audio (and an occasional HDCD disc) and to the home-theater system for surround-sound DVD-Audio. I don't use it for movies in the home-theater system because I figure there is no real benefit to be realized with my basic TV (assuming that the interlaced output from the '3800 bests my Sony DVD changer). When I get some sort of HDTV, I will try the '3800 in progressive-scan mode to see if I like the video output enough to use it for movies. If not, I could always get something else. However, I am not getting an HDTV for awhile.

* Second stereo system in a different room.

The Denon DVD-2200 is in this system. There is no home-theater set-up in this room. I bought the '2200 just for stereo DVD-Audio at this point. As I stated in my previous post, I added a basic 13" TV to navigate DVD-Audio menus (with a composite video cable). So I am not using the '2200 for movies.

When I get an HDTV for the home-theater system, I could certainly move the '2200 to that room to compare progressive-scan video output to the Denon '3800. By the time I get an HDTV, there could very well be better video players out there.

As for the Totem Arro speakers, I love them! They are amazing for the money. If you look at my two stereo systems, the electronics are quite similar (NAD amplification, Sony ES SACD players, Denon DVD-Audio players). However, there is quite a difference in sound quality. I am very pleased with the second system, but the main system is definitely better (soundstage, detail, etc.). While I am using better amps in the main system, the key difference has to be the Totem Arro versus the Energy e:XL 25 (no surprise). I aspire one day to replace the Arro in the main system (possibly with a higher-end Totem speaker) and then replace the Energy e:XL 25 in the second system with the Arro.

 

Hi Keith,
When you finally take the plunge to HDTV you will have some excellent dvd players to choose from.

I sort of did the reverse of yourself in that I started on the video side with a Tosh 65H80 and an SDI Modified Panny rp82 which I use with a computer based PCI card wich is called a HOLO3D video scaler. It is made by Immersive and since it is not the subject of this thread I'll just say that it scales any 480i input from outboard devices, dvd/vcr/sat/cble boxes and scales the image to any rez that your display can handle.

On the audio side of the Panny, although it plays dvd-a's I don't use it for that as I have a 7disc JVC for that. It does, however, upsample redbooks from 44.1 to 88.2 which my Denon reciever recognises.

As I mentioned my PC is part of my Media setup but it is in the office next door and I can use my 65" rptv as my pc desktop (856 x 484) or a standard monitor next door by using the Logitech rf mse and keybrd and just switch monitors.

HDCD duties are done by Microsoft Media Player 9 since its partially a Microsoft invention with Pacific Microsonics.

My dream speakers (in the Totem line) are 3 Mani-2 sigs for the front, but due to the dual wooffer in isobaric config, I would need more juice and my room is only 15 x 10-12 x 8 so it's probably overkill anyway and I adore my Model 1's.

Cheers,
Peter m.

 

Peter, you have an interesting set-up. I have not looked into integrating a PC into my home-theater set-up. When I upgrade to an HDTV, I will re-evaluate my surround-sound set-up. For now, I am happy with the Sony ES receiver (STR-V444ES from a few years ago) and the Energy e:XL speaker set-up. It's not high-end, but it certainly does the job.

It is very possible that when I get an HDTV, I will not need a new DVD player since the Denons get high marks in the video department. However, if they are surpassed by that time, it could be that a modestly priced player will do the trick. Panasonic has been turning out budget players with excellent progressive-scan video quality for a few years now.

 

Howdy Keith! I was just looking at your home page. You should set up reviews of all these thingies zat spins de disks. It's a fabulous collection! Recuredos de la Gata!

 

Rudy,
It's just a CD to put in the player. Just close the drawer, and it does the firmware adjustments all by itself. I got a disc from Denon to fix pixelation and freezing issues (none of which I encountered myself) for low serial number 2900s.

I see this eBay guy is also selling region-free discs for the 2900. There's lotsa discs still only available in Brazil I'd like to have...hmm....

Thanks for the link.

 

Rachael, thanks. I probably should do some reviews. I could probably right some things now, but I'd want to put a little more time in comparing components. We'll see.

 

You've written a bunch about players on the various forums. You'gve already done a lot of comparing! How much more will it take? Well, I know some to get current. I should make a webpage of LD players for similar reasons. Snicker, snicker, couldn't you enjoy these nice DVD players more if you got a 16 x 9 set even if it was only 30-34"? You got some seriously nice players idling... Best wishes!

 

Keith,

I'm glad you are enjoying the Totem speakers and Denon 2200. They are great speakers. I have been considering a better DVDA player myself, but can't decide. I listened to the Denon 5900 and liked it but would really like to get a Meridian player (G Series). I may need to win the lottery or wait for more used stock.

I have also heard the Denons are superb in the video category. I have seen one display fine quality on a Gen 2 Sony Cineza before. The new generation video chips are definitely an improvement if you ask me.