Won a Denon DVD-2910 DVD/SACD player for cheap--what can I expect?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by jkauff, Apr 15, 2018.

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  1. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    I've never owned an SACD player, but I've accumulated enough hybrid discs that I decided to give it a try.

    I found a used Denon DVD-2910 on eBay and got it for a good price. It'll be arriving next week, but until I can try it out for myself I was wondering if anyone here has ever owned one.

    I'll be using it for 2-channel only, so I don't care about its multi-channel performance. I'm just hoping for some great-sounding DSD from my mostly Hoffman-mastered discs.
     
  2. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    I think you'll enjoy it in good operating order. Should give you very nice 2 channel SACD playback and make Steve's discs sound great. And should also do a nice job of CD playback as well.
     
    PhilBiker and jkauff like this.
  3. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    Well, can't speak to that particular model. Hope you enjoy though. Just thought I'd throw in some advice. Since CDs are being sold off like records were in the 80s and 90s, it might be worth your while to look for hybrid discs in used shops that were actually popular, you like what you are hearing. Most people didn't even know they were hybirds.

    Notable are ABKCO Rolling Stones catalog, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and Norah Jones' Come Away With Me. These should be easy to come across. Roxy Music's Avalon is out there, but it will probably be less common. As for stuff that you can find cheap, if you like Elton John, Amazon still has inventory of some of his SACDs for very reasonable prices.
     
    PhilBiker, SteevG and jkauff like this.
  4. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I had one of those back in the day, it was pretty solid.
     
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  5. SteevG

    SteevG Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, Illinois
    I have the same CD/SACD/HDCD/DVD player. Bought it used for $50.00 with remote. Plays great, decodes well. The only knock is the transport can be finicky (didn't happen to mine). Mine started to hiss/distort after about 3 years of regular use. I replaced it with another Denon that is newer and sounds "brighter" in my system.

    Here's the manual:

    http://usa.denon.com/DocumentMaster/US/DVD2910_ownersmanual.pdf
     
  6. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    SACD playback is just ok, CD playback is subpar.
     
  7. Tullman

    Tullman Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    And the transport will die very soon.

    Really, have fun with your new purchase.
     
  8. Diskhound

    Diskhound Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    it should sound ok. I hope you get lucky. My 2910, 2930 and 3930 all died.
     
    smctigue likes this.
  9. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    Thanks. Hope I get lucky too, but it's not going to be worked very hard. All my regular CDs have been ripped to hard drives, so it's going to be SACD only.
     
  10. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Unfortunately is the SACD playback capability the first that dies. I had the 3930, a great sounding player with all formats. But at some point it just stopped reading SACDs. That's when I exchanged it for an Oppo 105.

    But I hope you're lucky and SACDs still work on your player.
     
  11. Dr. J.

    Dr. J. Music is in my soul

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I found two of these off the auction site for $50 each and they were worth that price. Does everything, including SACD-R, and sounds decent. However, my second unit stopped recognizing cds but still played sacds fine, so if you're using it exclusively for SACD you may be fine. It's one of the best, cheapest SACD players that does native DSD playback without PCM conversion.
     
    jkauff likes this.
  12. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    I thought that my 2900 sounded pretty decent until it stopped wanting to play hybrid SACDs.
     
  13. jfbar167

    jfbar167 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW Florida
    If you are technically inclined, the laser (optical block) WILL need to be replaced. The reward will be a VERY good sounding (Analog) player with both SACD and DVD-A. I got one from a thrift a few years ago, it was very finicky with different disks (like described above). Ordered a replacement laser and installed it only to realize it would read NO disks at all. ended up getting rid of it. Years later (when researching replacing the laser in my Sony SACD player), I learned that ALL replacement laser blocks have a (soldered) "short" on the ribbon cable connecting the laser. De solder it before you install it. Wish I kept that player as it DID sound awesome with the (few) discs that actually played.
     
  14. Dr. J.

    Dr. J. Music is in my soul

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Yes, but easier said than done. I tried this on my non-cd playing 2910 and it did not work. I used a solder wick and it looked pretty clean to me. I installed and it didn't even power up. Reinstalled the old one and it worked. Maybe I got a bad replacement. It was a HOP-1200R. But it was a much easier job than the one described for the 3910.
     
  15. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
  16. heyMo

    heyMo Forum Resident

    Location:
    LKN west, NC
    Bought my 2910 new about 10 - 12 years ago. Don't use it very much, but when I do , it still sounds pretty good. (Listen to vinyl mostly.)
     
  17. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    Tops on my want list right now are the 2003 Dylan hybrids, particularly Blonde On Blonde. Haven't found one for under $25 yet.
     
  18. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    I have a 1920 that sounds fine to me. A little newer than yours but not quite as capable (no HDCD). I got mine for $10 at a Thrift + $20 for the remote on ebay.

    [​IMG]
     
    c-eling likes this.
  19. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Did you mean to post that in the Oppo thread?
     
  20. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Got a 2910 in great shape for a few bucks but needed a remote which I sourced on ebay for a few more bucks. I have a Sony ns999es which I find superior in sonics however I paid more for the Sony and it's not without its flaws either.

    If you deactivate the extraneous features the 2910 sq goes up a notch, there's a few different options including turning off the spdif out.

    I gotta get rid of other stuff to make space but I do plan to put the Denon in rotation someday as a transport to a dedicated dac.

    I dont sweat laser replacements but if they can't be found or are simply junk quality parts then it's a problem. Try to get one from a usa seller with doa return policy maybe, I have had bad luck from overseas suppliers.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2018
  21. JMCIII

    JMCIII Music lover first, audiophile second.

    I bought a 2900 and then a Pioneer DV79AVI. Compared the two. Kept the Pioneer. Sounded far better, is built like a tank, and it played any high rez discs easily. That was about 5 years ago and the Pioneer is still working fine,
     
  22. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    Postscript to the story:

    Unit arrived yesterday, professionally packaged, looks perfect. Working remote included.

    Since my receiver is still packed away for moving, I'm running it through my Asus Essence STX II soundcard. First SACD disc played was the recent MOFI Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach Painted From Memory. On this temporary setup, there's not a huge difference from the Redbook layer, but it's definitely there. Next up will be the new Todd Rundgren A Wizard, A True Star--that should give it a workout.

    All in all, I feel I got a wonderful bargain, with the bonus that it'll play my HDCD discs, which I've never heard in HDCD. I'm not going to give up my vintage Marantz CD67SE, but as a secondary player this Denon does a fine job of giving me access to more modern technologies for a very small investment.

    Thanks for all your comments.
     
  23. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    Cool! Enjoy! You should do an A/B with your Marantz. You may be surprised.
     
    jkauff likes this.
  24. JustGotPaid

    JustGotPaid Forum Resident

    My Denon 2900 is getting more picky with playing red book cd's. Once it warms up there are select titles it wont play. "NO PLAY" I need to take it out to the field and destroy it like the printer in Office Space. PC LOAD LETTER!!!
    My turntable keeps on spinning and is probably 20 years older then the Denon.
     
    PhilBiker and Mr.Sneis like this.
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