Folks,
What better tonic on a Friday (and a snowy one at that....) than to be forced to sit at home and play with my new Christmas present, the delightful Denon 2200. This review is going to be audio-based; for hi-res, cd layer and dvd playback.
First off, this unit is feeding Rotel 1066/1075 combo and Paradigm Studio 80's, v2, all around. For interconnects to the 1066, I'm using KnuKonceptz silver-plated cables for multi-channel, and Audio Research digital coax for cd's and dvd playback. I've programmed my Home Theater Master mx-500 to take over duties for the Denon-provided remote (the mx-500 handled this transition quite well!).
Anyhoo. I have not even done a calibration on the speakers with respect to audio setup, that's going to be next... but I felt the unit was very, very adequate out of the box to come and tell you all about it! Listening material used to test out the 2200:
RS 500 sampler SACD: Dylan, Pink Floyd, The Who, Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Elton John, Billy Joel, Miles Davis, Aerosmith.
Pink Floyd, DSOTM (SACD)
Sting, Sacred Love (SACD)
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (DVD-A)
Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (DVD-A)
Spyro Gyra, Original Cinema (Enhanced CD)
LOTR; TTT, (DVD) - DTS EX
First off, the 2200 gives off good presence of bass in DVD-A, SACD, CD (Spyro) and of course some good depth in the TTT opening sequence (Gandolph's scene). The sound field of the high-res, multi-channel formats through this unit brings you out into an open recording studio. This was felt for Pink Floyd, Dylan and The Who. Overall sound was very punchy for all ranges of frequency. At all times with the player (in any format played) was 'better bang for your buck' with respect to volume and clarity over cd playback through my old Sony dvd player.
Comparing the SACD layer of "Time" from DSOTM to the cd layer was night-and-day. The soundstage is wide open in SACD and fully enveloping. Comparing the cd layer of this recording to hi-res multi is like comparing a Rodin sculpture to that drawing hanging up on your refrigerator that your son brings home from kindergarten.... just more dimension as your living room/home theater becomes three-dimensional.
Now I've auditioned the Denon 2900 in a B&M listening room through better gear (Krell and Thiel), but this unit in my living room with my gear, sounds just as full. Bass is there, clarity is there, punch is there. I've listened today in my living room at moderate to aggressive sound levels, and at both levels this delivers. I could tell you that watching / listening at night, I'm going to have to lower the volume down from where I used to with the old Sony!
The 2200, for the mid-level price that was paid ($500), is worth every cent and more... considering how it measures up to the 2900. I heard both in a listening room setting, I found scarcely a difference in performance. More importantly, in my home setting where I'm used to the acoustics and performance of my gear (and the old Sony playback), this is leaps an bounds above what I'm accustomed to.
Sorry this isn't the most technical review, but what do you expect when you have a post titled as it is?!?!? Thumbs up. Anyone out there wondering if they should they spend $180, $500 or even $1,000 on a universal player, they can spend in the middle range and walk away thrilled like I am today.
The unfortunate thing is that I'll soon have to pack this baby back up since it IS a Christmas present, and the GF is adamant that I open this up on the 25th.....
What better tonic on a Friday (and a snowy one at that....) than to be forced to sit at home and play with my new Christmas present, the delightful Denon 2200. This review is going to be audio-based; for hi-res, cd layer and dvd playback.
First off, this unit is feeding Rotel 1066/1075 combo and Paradigm Studio 80's, v2, all around. For interconnects to the 1066, I'm using KnuKonceptz silver-plated cables for multi-channel, and Audio Research digital coax for cd's and dvd playback. I've programmed my Home Theater Master mx-500 to take over duties for the Denon-provided remote (the mx-500 handled this transition quite well!).
Anyhoo. I have not even done a calibration on the speakers with respect to audio setup, that's going to be next... but I felt the unit was very, very adequate out of the box to come and tell you all about it! Listening material used to test out the 2200:
RS 500 sampler SACD: Dylan, Pink Floyd, The Who, Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Elton John, Billy Joel, Miles Davis, Aerosmith.
Pink Floyd, DSOTM (SACD)
Sting, Sacred Love (SACD)
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (DVD-A)
Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (DVD-A)
Spyro Gyra, Original Cinema (Enhanced CD)
LOTR; TTT, (DVD) - DTS EX
First off, the 2200 gives off good presence of bass in DVD-A, SACD, CD (Spyro) and of course some good depth in the TTT opening sequence (Gandolph's scene). The sound field of the high-res, multi-channel formats through this unit brings you out into an open recording studio. This was felt for Pink Floyd, Dylan and The Who. Overall sound was very punchy for all ranges of frequency. At all times with the player (in any format played) was 'better bang for your buck' with respect to volume and clarity over cd playback through my old Sony dvd player.
Comparing the SACD layer of "Time" from DSOTM to the cd layer was night-and-day. The soundstage is wide open in SACD and fully enveloping. Comparing the cd layer of this recording to hi-res multi is like comparing a Rodin sculpture to that drawing hanging up on your refrigerator that your son brings home from kindergarten.... just more dimension as your living room/home theater becomes three-dimensional.
Now I've auditioned the Denon 2900 in a B&M listening room through better gear (Krell and Thiel), but this unit in my living room with my gear, sounds just as full. Bass is there, clarity is there, punch is there. I've listened today in my living room at moderate to aggressive sound levels, and at both levels this delivers. I could tell you that watching / listening at night, I'm going to have to lower the volume down from where I used to with the old Sony!
The 2200, for the mid-level price that was paid ($500), is worth every cent and more... considering how it measures up to the 2900. I heard both in a listening room setting, I found scarcely a difference in performance. More importantly, in my home setting where I'm used to the acoustics and performance of my gear (and the old Sony playback), this is leaps an bounds above what I'm accustomed to.
Sorry this isn't the most technical review, but what do you expect when you have a post titled as it is?!?!? Thumbs up. Anyone out there wondering if they should they spend $180, $500 or even $1,000 on a universal player, they can spend in the middle range and walk away thrilled like I am today.
The unfortunate thing is that I'll soon have to pack this baby back up since it IS a Christmas present, and the GF is adamant that I open this up on the 25th.....
Luke: "Hey, I'm not such a bad pilot myself, you know"
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