Introduction The format war for high-definition discs wages on, but for now, DVD is still the reigning king of home video formats. We all have years of back catalogue DVDs in our collections, and a solid player is of paramount importance to any theater. High-resolution audio in the form of SACD and DVD-Audio are still prominent and Denon makes several levels of players capable of spinning CD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio and SACD discs, with their top of the line spinner being the DVD-5910CI priced at $3,800. The DVD-5910CI is designed to be the primary source for a high-end home theater or whole home distribution system and, as such, offers connectivity not often found on consumer level goods. The “CI” stands for Custom Integration. This is Denon’s way of identifying their products with connectivity and control features for home integration and theaters using advance control systems. This flagship DVD player in the Denon line offers a vast array ...

Introduction Believe it or not, the market for high-end CD players is alive and well. Despite the introduction of new high-end formats such as DVD-Audio, SACD and now HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the fact remains that there is more music available on CD than on all the new high-resolution formats combined. The music lovers who have a large collection of music on CD still need high-quality players in order to fully enjoy the music that they have spent so many years amassing. The CDP-202 ($6,500) is the latest and greatest of the stereo-only “CD player” options in Classé’s Delta series of products. The Delta Series is the first new product series from Classé Audio since Classé became part of the B&W group. I place CD player in quotes when describing the CDP-202, as it will actually play just about any non-high-definition disc format other than SACD. The new Delta Series CD player screamed “well-made high-end ...

Introduction When Lexicon first introduced the RT-10 Universal Disc Player in 2003, it was considered by many an ambitious project. Subsequently, the Proceed Audio brand was discontinued and the Harman Specialty Group (HSG) was formed. Harman International formed HSG on the cornerstone of three key brands: Mark Levinson, Lexicon and Revel. The RT-10 would be scrutinized by home theater industry experts and consumers alike, not only because it was HSG’s first foray into source componentry – the Mark Levinson brand did not and still does not manufacture a video source component although the No. 51 will be available soon – but also because it came on the heels of Proceed’s $6,000 PMDT universal transport, which had a litany of reliability issues until it was eventually discontinued. In addition, Lexicon would enter this high-stakes reference-quality segment of the market by designing the RT-10 as a hybrid player featuring two new technologies: Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio ...

Introduction My audio/video system has changed dramatically over past couple years. A while back, my rack consisted of a CD player, SACD player, DVD player, VHS deck, preamplifier, surround sound processor and several power amplifiers. Of course, then there were the miles of cable it took to hook the endless string of components together. Not to mention the remotes. But that was then, and this is now. Today’s modern audio/video enthusiast has options, like receivers and universal disc players, which over the years have made huge strides in quality and performance, leaving a lot of the “traditional” solutions in the dust. Enter Denon’s 3910 single-disc, DVD-A/SACD Progressive Scan Universal Disc player, a source component that literally plays everything. One player, multiple formats: what could be better? I have been on the lookout for a good universal player for several months, because I’ve just had it with maintaining multiple players. Luckily Denon, as well as other manufacturers, ...

Introduction The world of ultra-high-end audio has had to adjust their business model quite a bit over the last decade. With technology developing in new and exciting ways, equipment manufacturers clamored to produce real-world digital products that would support the new emerging software formats when, historically, high-end audio was an industry based around excellence more in analog (preamps, amps, speakers, turntables) products. While most of the high-end equipment manufacturers steered clear of machines that supported future and uncertain formats, Linn Products, a company known for taking bold and adventurous steps in the name of uncompromised sound, took new audio formats for music and movies as a challenge. Not surprising, considering that Linn produced and sold, very successfully I might add, one of the world’s best and most expensive dedicated CD player at $20,000. Linn’s solution to the ever-growing need for a universal high-end player, which can unite all aspects of optical disc playback, is the Unidisk 1.1 ...