Denon 2900: Questions, comments

Sean,

Regarding cables and racks, a few comments on what has worked in my system.

I dislike cones, bearings, elastomers and the like because of the inevitable sonic signatures, so I haven't put time into these and can't offer advice. The Denon does well on my recently acquired Grand Prix Monaco rack, which of course wasn't bought for the Denon. The GP btw is the quietest and least signature-prone rack I've had experience with. Previous to the GP, the best support was a Neuance alpha shelf, and for an affordable solution, I'd be tempted to try a newer Neuance replacement shelf with your existing rack. It doesn't need cones and should be evenhanded over a wide bandwidth, particularly if the bass is tighter and deeper than on the alpha.

On interconnects, my experience may parallel some of yours. Of the half dozen ic's I've tried, the Denon became unlistenable with cables known for forwardness or brightness, including a pair of Nordost Quattro Fil, and silver ic's with some residual silver brightness (e.g older Pure Notes). These were less problematic with my solid state cd front end cabled identically, so the Denon exacerbates the brightness. Interconnects that I've had good results with on the other hand are non-bright silvers (especially Empirical pc-holophonics) and MIT (copper,expensive) that provide neutrality, speed, detail, good staging, etc

Power cords may be system-dependent, but I've had a couple of dozen of them available during the Denon's residence and they all show the colorations they are known for. I agree with what I take to be the implied conclusions in Bill Gaw's review that numerous well-known pc's seemingly aimed at tubed systems sound variously thick and heavy, dark, slow, rolled off, fat, bright, whatever, with the Denon. Again, it responded best to neutral, quick, and detailed sound, and that correlated with low inductance, low capacitance, and generally unshielded cords. IMS, it shows a particular affinity for an MIT Oracle3 power cord; it also works with Pure Note and Empirical. It works particularly well with open airy sound (Pure Note Sigma, probably TG Audio) but the Sigma lacks bass IMS and is far from uncolored. For the record, my system is solid state and revealing, and the front end power cords plug into a Sound Application line stage plc.

A number of companies are working on mods for the 2900 - Exemplar Audio, Underwood, and Ric Schultz that I know of. Warranties are a lost cause after a year anyway, and things are evolving in the high rez business, so you may be trying something else a few years from now.

Flex: Thanks for your input.

As far as your rack goes, i wish i had that rack for this system as i'm using something that is much lower on the totem pole. Having said that, i have to wonder how one of Ken's Neuance shelves would work as a replacement to the stock shelves on the GP. Have you ever tried this or any other shelves ?

I do have one of Ken's older Neaunce shelves, so maybe i'll try throwing that under the Denon and use it as a "platform" over the stock shelf. I can't substitute the Neuance permanently due to the differences in design.

As far as power cords go, i've got quite a few variations over here along with at least one that you mentioned as working pretty well. I'll have to give that a go and see where it takes me.

As far as modifying goes, i'll probably end up doing this myself. I do want to wait a bit though as i've heard / read of problems on some of these units and want to make sure that this one is okay before "gutting" it. I haven't quite had it a month yet, so it's still relatively fresh even though it has hundreds of hours on it. I did the same thing with my Philips and i'm glad that i did. It finally "crapped out" after about 10 months of use. If i would have modified it right away, i would have voided the two year warranty, which i obviously need right now. Hopefully, the Denon will be a little more reliable : ) Sean
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Sean,
The GP shelves are supported on weight-graded dampers and cut out to fit the vertical supports, so switching to something like the Neuance shelf is not a routine thing. Also the GP has deeper and tighter bass than the older Neuance shelves did, so that replacement may be a step backwards. More importantly, there is a signficant design difference in these shelves. Ken Lyons' old shelves were intended to sit on points, definitely not dampers, and to avoid horizontal motion, while Alvin Lloyd's shelves are mounted to allow free (damped) movement in the horizontal plane. If I were to try other shelving, I think I'd be inclined to use the GP F1 carbon fiber composites ($$$). The GP is very good as is, so it's pointless worrying about the acrylic shelves unless you're just out to explore. Also, every footer or cone I've checked on the GP degrades the sound.

The older Neuance shelves need upturned cones underneath them if you're going to just throw it on top of your rack shelf, and that will always add the cone signature (equally true with the dh cones that Ken Lyon likes). His new shelf does not need cones, and I believe is built to sit directly on your shelf.

I know a couple of analog designers doing their own overhauls on the Denon too. At this price point, it's tempting. The worst that happens if you void the warranty is that you pay for repairs.

One further comment on the 2900. Playing it through high resolution amplification stages and speakers, I notice at times a quite low level continuous noise which may be transport motor noise. This would not be unexpected considering the inexpensive loaders used in this kind of mass market player, and if so, is probably characteristic of other inexpensive players.

I have a 2900, and I have 2 complaints. 1. When the drawer closes it makes a shuddering sound as though it is laboring to close. Small point, but why does this happen? 2. When I put a new disc in to be played, the first 2 - 3 seconds of music are missed! The audio comes up in the 3rd or 4th second of play. In order for me to hear the very beginning of the first track to be played, I have to let the track begin, then hit the "skip back" button so the track begins again. At that point I get the beginning of the track. Is my unit defective? Does anyone know where I can get good repair done? Thanks for any info.