Does anyone own this player and could give an opinion of it? I have the Denon DCD1520 from a few years back and consider it the best CD player I’ve ever owned. So I’m hoping the 2500, which is twice the cost, is pretty great too.
Hi I am also looking for opinions about this player. Will the difference in sound quality be adequate to the difference in price of the DCD-1600NE? For me, the advantage of the new Denon family of players is that they play DVD-R's with hi-res wav, flac and 1 bit dsd
I have the 520 and the 700 (I think, the one with USB input), and they sound amazing enough to my ears so goodness knows how fantastic the even-more-expensive models are!!! EG.
As I said upthread, I have the 1520AE which cost about £800 nearly 4 years ago. It’s a beautiful player. I find it odd that the 2500NE which retails for anywhere between £1500-1700 doesn’t have the USB (useful for playing my iPad through) or the headphone socket! You’d think we get more on the high end players, not less!
I found a mint 700 with USB online for almost a third of the RRP, and figured it would be nice to plug my iPod or external HDDs in every now and then for extra versatility, not realising that it actually offers complete control via the remote. You can even STOP the iPod playback with the Denon remote EG.
Hi Fi News Highly Commended “Whatever appeals to you (or me, for that matter) about Denon’s DCD-2500NE, be it the no-nonsense minimalism or simply the wonderful sound, this machine is a triumph. Sure, I lust after an Esoteric at five or more times the price, but the Law of Diminishing Returns sorts that out for most of us. This is simply a joy to use in every way, the sonics are superb and I could even learn to live without XLRs. SACD lives!”
Yes, it looks very similar. I have the A100, which is excellent. It sounds very warm, open, and clear - no digital glare or any of that. Not overly warm or laid back though - a pretty honest presentation. Just that it has a lot of body and weight on the low end, coupled with the lack of glare, that I think gives it the feeling of warmth and a CD player that is easy to listen to. The build quality is also excellent. Heavy, built like a tank, with buttons and a disc tray that don't feel cheap. Mine was bought used and has performed without any glitches or any other nonsense. Been in my system longer than anything else, and while I'd like to eventually try a NOS DAC, I won't be "upgrading" the Denon for another player or transport, because I suspect it would cost a lot of money to get any sort of noticeable improvement. I may end up running both the Denon and attaching a NOS DAC to it, and just using whichever one I feel like at that moment. Anyways, I'd expect the 2500 to be pretty much just as good.
Yes these Denon beauties do weigh a ton! Seems to be well worth it though. Never heard anything as beautiful as my 520 and 720 units. My head may explode with joy if I had the top-end models! EG.
Well, I don’t really have the funds, but it is calling me! I’ve been looking at clips on YouTube of it all day. If I did get it, it would be the most expensive CD player I’ve ever had.
Good luck if you decide on it, she certainly looks like a beauty! Funny, every time I end up trying to budget for hardware, some long lost pressing/manufacture (12 inch/cd single etc...) seems to always pop up. I've been saving for new speakers for over a decade
I’ve not seen a black option for the 2500.. Looking at my (silver) 1520, the 2500 looks virtually the same. Just a tad larger and with a nicer remote control.
Hi Bobby, I've just joined the forum as a new member to hopefully give you some info on the Denon dcd 2500ne cd player as you were asking any current members if they owned the 2500. Well I actually own the 2500ne and the 1600ne, both are in use in my system. Im currently listening to the Alan Parsons Project on the 1600. Honestly, both are really magnificent players, they are incredibly natural sounding, but there ISN'T a massive step up in sound quality from the 1600 to the 2500. Both players sound very similar to each other on cd and sacd, but ultimately the sound of my system is determined in the final stage by a DSPeaker x4 room correction processer although the Denons use Burr brown dacs as does the x4. Where the 2500 does score higher though than the 1600 is definitely in the build quality department. The buttons on the face plate are felted and feel beautiful to the touch, the transport mechanism, feet and case work are also of higher quality. The case work uses multi plate layers and is technically according to Denon better protected against vibration. The remote is of higher quality but rather blingy in its appearance. These are the first Denons I have ever owned and I don't know why I haven't looked at their products before. I've owned many cd players in the past mostly all British, and NONE of them proved to have long term reliability. I feel different about the Denons however, they just ooze that Japanese quality and build. They are precision instruments, and nobody would be short changed by purchasing either. Best regards. Jon Carter
Thanks a lot for sharing that, Jon. It's good to know that the 2500 is not a huge step up sound wise. I own the 1600, which is currently being repaired at a service center.
Thank you! As I said above, I’ve have the 1520NE for nearly 4 years now. It’s played perfectly although again, as I said before, I’ve found a handful of CDs that it doesn’t ‘like’. Including a couple that it flat out won’t play That to one side, it’s been a brilliant player and I wouldn’t hesitate in buying another Denon product. I’ve had umpteen CD players over the last 34 years. The ones that lasted longest were 2 (expensive) Technics machines from the 80s and 90s. Indeed, they still play now, though they’re very choosy about what they will play. I also have a Marantz CD player that I’ve had for about 8 years. It still plays but now struggles to accept CD/SACD hybrids. It hates those and takes ages to find the later I want. Again, thanks for your help and I hope you enjoy being on this forum.
