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Need your thoughts on Denon 3910 vs McCormack UDP1

I'm a 2 channel fan who has just expanded to 5.1 with all McCormack electronics, with which I am very pleased. I just bought the 3910 over the UDP1 because of probable better video, more connection and adjustment flexibilty, and lower price.

Early impressions of the 3910 sound quality leaves me unexcited. It just sounds generaly mid-fi, when compared even to my 6 year old Classe CDP.5 which kills it for musicality.

So my options are either trade it back within a week for a UDP, which everyone that has heard it seems to rave about, and accept the no DVI/HDMI, less controls etc. Or eventually send the 3910 in to one of the major mod places, which everyone seems to rave about, and hope it sounds as good as a UDP.

My main frustration is that it seems I have to make this crucial decision without any possible way to actually compare the sound of a UDP to a modified Denon - what would you do?
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bbeezley OP
13 posts
 
711smilin could you please report on some more specifics about the sound of the Exemplar - ie: what are its strong suits, any specific character to distinguish or describe its sound in your system?

Thanks
dbld
297 posts
 
What if you mod the UDP-1 for an SDI output (like from JVB) and run it through an iScan HD? Then you could output DVI or HDMI and have scaling too. It would add to the cost quite a bit of course.
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bbeezley OP
13 posts
 
I've gone and ordered the UDP so will have a week with both to decide which to send back. Dbld - what is JVB? Anywhere you have read about doing the type of mod you re referring to?
711smilin
513 posts
 
Bbeezly, The stong suits to me are the resolution, dynamics, extension, sounstage, imaging, PRAT, just a rightness to the music. The detail of the instruments is incredible, the airiness of strings, the sound of the piano, the tone of horns, the wack of the drums, the decay of the cymbals. On redbook, i have yet to hear a player I like better. The damn thing draws me into the music, more than the other players I have had in my system, and, seems to be better than thos I have listened to in high end stores. ie: meitner(sterile to me) dcs/elgar stack.
dbld
297 posts
 
Bbeezley - JVB Digital is a place that can mod DVD players to add an SDI output for use with an outboard de-interlacer and/or scaler.

http://www.jvb.nl/jvb.asp?cur=2&level=sdi&page=browse&searchtype=brand&searchstring=Upgrade

I have never done this myself, but I have read about it a lot in the avs forum. It could cost any where from about $450 to $800 fot the mod, then you have to get an outboard Scaler/deinterlacer to process the video, and pass it to your display.

The nice thing about the iScan is that the new model has an SDI optional input, an HDMI output, and also a digital coax input that will time sync the audio with the video. Keep in mind that it takes time for the video to get processed, so the audio might need to be delayed so you don't hear things before you see them.
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