DVD Players (Yamaha vs Denon )

[dmz19]

I am testing two players - Yamaha DVDS1500 and the Denon DVD1910.
Both have Faroujda and the Denon has a DCI input. Neither of these are inexpensive players and wonder if anyone has experience with either?

I am told the Denon uses quite a bit of excellent technology like Burr-Brown DAC's - which I am not sure what that means. It has dual discreet - again, I am not sure what this means to me. I have used Yamaha for a long time with no problems - upgrading - know the Yamaha plays everything including SACD and DVD Audio - which my first instinct is, if I am paying this much for a DVD player, shouldn't it play everything? The Yamaha is almost $100 more than the Denon? Is that worth paying to get the full disk enjoyment????

The Denon may have superior circuitry and chips but not sure how that relates to me and if it is worth forgetting the DVD Audio capability to get a technically "superior" DVD Player.

Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks,
Don

[topspeed]

Hi Don,

While I don't have experience with these particular models, I might be able to help you understand the tech a little better. The first thing you should understand is that you are comparing a Universal player (yammie) vs. a straight-up DVD player (denon). The difference? The
Yammie will play multi-channel hi-rez formats such as SACD and DVD-A. If this ability is important to you, read no further and just get the Yammie.

Both have Faroujda and the Denon has a DCI input.

The Faroudja chips are for video decoding/processing. Some think they are the best, others like Silicon Image. Denon uses differenct video processors depending on the model. Let your own eyes determine which is the best.

I am told the Denon uses quite a bit of excellent technology like Burr-Brown DAC's - which I am not sure what that means. It has dual discreet - again, I am not sure what this means to me.

Burr-Brown DACs (Digital to Analog Converters) are used to process the audio portion of the signal and, depending on the chip-set, can be very good. Some Denon models will also incorporate Alpha 24 processing which is way of manipulating the signal even further. The end result is a very smooth, analog-like playback. There are also other DACs available from Crystal and Wolfson to name a few. Yammie designs and engineers their own DACs in-house from what I understand. Which is better? Listen for yourself and tell us.
"Dual discrete" in the Denon's case means that both the progressive and interlaced decoding sections are separate from each other, each with their own chip-set and related hardware (no sharing or danger of cross-talk).

I have used Yamaha for a long time with no problems - upgrading - know the Yamaha plays everything including SACD and DVD Audio - which my first instinct is, if I am paying this much for a DVD player, shouldn't it play everything? The Yamaha is almost $100 more than the Denon? Is that worth paying to get the full disk enjoyment????

The least expensive Denon Universal player is the 2200 for around $450 and was rated as a giant killer in both audio and video playback by TAS. Yamaha has an enviable reputation for quality, something you can obviously attest to. If you are into music, you should really consider the Universal player if only because SACD and DVD-A simply sound better than conventional redbook CD. If you have a full multi-channel rig anyway, you might as well take advantage of it with multi-channel hi-rez music. You spent the money, you might as well enjoy it, right?

Hope this helps