Rotel RDV-1050 vs. Denon 2200

[NHT]

hello all. It is upgrade season again and I've had my eye on two DVD players but I cant decide on which one. Rotel or Denon. I watch about 50/50 music/movies and my primary concern is on audio and picture quality. Does anyone here have an unbiased opionion on either one? I recently read the dvd player shootout in Perfect Vision magazine and they named the Denon 200 as their "recommended editors pick". However my local retailer told me to get Rotel because they have better audio qualities. Any other dvd players in this price range I should consider? I am leaning to the Rotel because it would be a better match in appearance to my other Rotel gear. Someone please steer me straight. Thanks in advance.

[Mark]

hi...

i'm running a rotel rsp-1066 processor and a denon 2900 player and love it. fyi, the 2900 is a step up from the 2200. the great thing about both denons is the fact that they play both sacds and dvd audio. i love having a player that can handle any multi channel high res format...

regards-mark

[aud19]

Welcome Nghia

It's a tough call. Denon makes very good quality DVD players and the ability to play both DVD-A and SACD is a bonus. Also, FYI, I read somewhere recently that the 2200 outperformed the 2900 with respect to audio in a review. However the 2900 apparently outperformed it with respect to video. As for the Rotel gear, the video and audio are supposedly top notch. The audio is apparently better than the competing Denons but it doesn't play both DVD-A and SACD and I've also heard rumours of slowish layer changes. As you stated it will also match your existing gear better.

What I might suggest is purchasing a Denon 2200 for it's good performance/dollar ratio (including DVD-A/SACD) and a dedicated Rotel CD player to get the best results from your CD's.

Jason




Need a new display? Questions about new display technologies? Visit RPTVs, plasmas, and other monitors @ HTguide

[NHT]

I too have read the review that the Denon 2200 outperformed the 2900 and made it as editors pick for the price range. The 2900 wasnt even mentioned. However, does anyone out there have experience with the Rotel rdv1050 or maybe even the RDV1040? I really want to purchase an all in one player that has good video as well as audio for cd's. Being "universal" is not as important to me. I am leaning towards the Rotel, but does anyone have experience with its video and progressive scan abilities? I will tell you one experience that I had with Rotel vs. DEnon. Two years ago I upgraded from a Denon 2801 receiver with my B&W CDM series speakers to a Rotel Rsx-1055. Let me tell you, the Rotel outperformed the Denon by a large margin, hands down. But then again, this couldnt be a fair comparison because they are both apples to oranges. Denon probably does have more seniority in the dvd market. What are your inputs? I guess now my biggest concern is the video quality of the Rotel, because I gather that you agree that the audio of the Rotel surpasses the Denon right?

[kneptune]

I currently have the Denon 2200 along with a Rotel RCD-971. I use the Denon for SACD, DVD-A, and DVD of which all three are excellent. I auditioned the 2200 against the 2900 at a local Tweeters store and could not tell any significant difference in video or multi-channel playback.

The Rotel 971 is used for regular RedBook CD as it is a little better than the Denon in that area only. For the price of the 2900, one can pick up both a new 2200 and a good used Rotel player. That's what I've done. An excellent pair of gear.

Kevin

[eelco74]

Hi,

I have had a rcd-975 Cd player and a RDV985 dvd player. Now I own a dvd-2900, to my full satisfaction. The picture is awsome, even through S-video. So mutch better than the 985, wich was pretty good at that time.

The sound of CD is acceptable, only a little less tight in the bass, compared to a dedicated player. But certainly acceptable.

The 2900 and the 2200 have the same video-engine, so there should be no difference. In terms of build, there are fewer compartments and the 2200 weigs a few kilo's less. The DACs are burr brown, but of the shelf, while the 2900 has specially designed ones.

I agree that if CD replay is important, I would go for a 2200 and a seperate CDplayer. But try to audition one at home. Only than you can find out for yourself. Perhaps the 2900 might be what you are looking for.

I posted my review here when http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/index.cfm?fuseaction=Threads.viewthread&Tid=82613& Forum=3&StartRow=1&CFB=1

[Andrew Pratt]

Actually the 2200 isn't nearly as good as the 2900 for video performance.

See here

[Atorak]

I have the 2900 as of yesterday, and I agree that it is definately a better player. It just feels much bigger, and the video section is outstanding. Honestly, at a good discount, which most A/V stores should give you, the 2900 is not terribly more expensive than the 2200.

I would like to think, that the increased internal separation, the better DACs, the better video section, etc. are all worth it. Plus, after seeing the sight that Andrew listed, its pretty hard not to take the 2900 over the 2200, especially since the video is near the top of the list.

If anyone finds a good 2900 Retail with Warranty somewhere on the web, be sure to list the site, and what price you ended up paying.

[CWD]

I bought the Denon-2200 because of it's value. I don't think it gives up much to the DVD-2900, but that's just my opinion.

Video is much better than the Toshiba SD-4800 it replaced. The audio capabilities are wonderful. Better DVD-A performance than the SD-4800. SACD is great and I've really enjoyed it. I bought the player so I could do both DVD-A and SACD, but what caught me by surprise was it's CD performance. The thing specs. close to theortical limits of CD and the imaging is really a step up from where I was, so I use the player for all audio playing with the direct input passthrough on my receiver. If you are going for a full-out system, you might want a dedicated CD player, but you may want to sit and listen to what you can do with the DVD-2200 or 2900 first via the multi-channel input of a receiver or pre/pro. The 2-channel bass enchancer (only on the 2200) works quite well.

The combination is so good it's allowed me to lower my sights on a new pre/pro from the RSP-1098 to the 1068, since all I'll really use the pre/pro for is DD/DTS movies and videos.

For about $300 less, I go for the DVD-2200.

[NHT]

Thanks for all your replies and input. You mentioned using the multichannel input of the receiver or pre/pro. What are you referring to? DVD-audio or cd playback? I dont have any experience in this type of setup. Im using Rotel RSX1055 as pre/pro. How do I go about doing this? At time, Im only using only digital optical input on my receiver from my dvd player. Has anyone else read the Todays Perfect Vision shootout on dvd players? Well the reviewers ultimately endorsed the 2200 over the 2900 in all performance aspects. They said that the 2900 was only a tad better in video compared to the 2200 but it was so minute that it was barely noticeable.

[eelco74]

The 5.1 input refers to SACD and DVD-A playback

While 5.1 Dolby or DTS and CD audio can be transmitted trough digital coax or an optical cable, this cannot be done with SACD or DVD-A.

So it you want to listen to your SACD, you need to connect the 5.1 output of your dvd-player to the 5.1 input of your reveiver. Using 3 pairs of analogue rca cables.

There are some vendor specific solutions, like Denons link. But the 2200 and the 2900 have none of these connections. And i they had, they would not work on your Rotel processor.

[NHT]

"sigh" decisions, decisions. As if it werent hard enough to make up my mind about which player to get, now Im hearing great things about the Sony 9000ES and the Philips 653A for audio and a decent picture. Somebody please put me out of my misery give me something to push me over the edge.

[kneptune]

Has anyone else read the Todays Perfect Vision shootout on dvd players? Well the reviewers ultimately endorsed the 2200 over the 2900 in all performance aspects. They said that the 2900 was only a tad better in video compared to the 2200 but it was so minute that it was barely noticeable.

Does anyone know if this review is available on-line or have a link to it?

[eelco74]

Hi,

I auditioned philips's 963SA, wich is the top of the line model. It can play cd, SACD and DVD. But no dvd-A. The 963 also upsamples cd 's to 192 khz.

I found the cd replay of the 963 nice, but not as good as the 2900. The upsampling does not always work as good. Some cd's sound better, some worse.

SACD is off the Denon as well. Videowise the Denon is mutch nicer and more smooth. Darker as well.

But then the philips costs the same as the 2200. But for performance the 2900 beats it easilly. Thw 2200 costs about the same, but has better build quality and DVD-A playback.

just go to your dealer, and try them out. Then you will know....

[spiffnme]

Why not get the Denon DVD-2900S, and that way you get the best of everything. DVD-A, SACD, great picture AND it'll match your Rotel gear pretty well. (Assuming you have the silver Rotel gear.)

It's available on Ebay all the time for about $750.




www.funnyfarmcomics.net
All Daredevil, All the Time!

[NHT]

[NHT]

what does the "s" stand for? Is there any improvement over the regular black 2900? It does look very appealing as I have always liked the look of silver electronics. Is it a UK model. I know that sometimes silver in Denon is only available in the UK.

[eelco74]

No it is just the same as the black one. Only that from 2004 Denon is also availble in silver.

The only problem with siver is that the plastic silver fronts (like the 1604) look different from the metal siver fronts (like the 2900). So do not mix them.