Customer Reviews

Denon DCM-27 5-Disc CD Changer

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This player provides a poor user experience for anything other than simple, sequential play.

In random play mode it doesn't pick the next track till the current one finishes, and then it takes 15-20 seconds to choose the next track with the player making clunking and squealing noises the whole time. It's faster with just a single disk loaded, but it's a CHANGER. The manual hints at a sequential-disk random mode, but I'm not clever enough to make it work.

Setting random mode doesn't just set the mode; it stops playing the current track and starts a new one.

There is no MP3/CD-text track-info display.

Fast-forward searching seems to be limited to about 2x real time.

The buttons on the remote are hard to use -- it's hard to tell when you've pushed a button far enough for it to register and hard to hit the button you want without hitting others. I have to use my thumbnail to push the buttons.

You have to use the +10 button to select tracks higher than 9. That's a hassle on 200-track MP3 disks; why can't it allow direct track number entry on the remote?

Pros:

You can hot-swap disks while the current one continues to play.

A -> B repeat mode.

The sound quality is good.

The sound is really good but, as a previous reviewer said, it works fine only for simple, sequential disk playing.

The random mode takes endless time to start the next track or disk. In addition, not always recognizes the disks. I tried with several original ones in pristine conditions (no fingerprints or scratches) and some do not appear in the playing list.

The remote is crazy. Sometimes works, sometimes does not. It is a matter of luck. If you try to push the buttons in the player, it is worst. It is easier to get an answer through the remote control.

After a few months, it is harder that the player recognizes the disks. I load 5, and can play only 1 or 2.

As I live in South America, it is too expensive to send it back to the US asking to the seller or to Amazon to replace it. I prefer to call a local technician, that I use for repairing fine audio and video systems, to check and to repair it.

This is the first time that I have this type of quality problems with Denon.

I bought it believing in Denon and because matched perfectly with my Denon 7.1 AV receiver. I made a mistake, it looks nice but does not work properly.

Do not buy this expensive and useless CD changer. For the same, or even lower, price you can get better changers from other top manufacturers.

I purchased this as an upgrade to a similar unit bought 17 years ago. This DCM-27 has features the earlier model did not have: MP3 and WMA capability, most notably. The unit, now made in China, has the look, feel and heft one has come to expect from electronics made there. That is to say, fewer controls, lighter weight, chintzy feel. The five CD carousel works well enough but it feels cheap and I expect it will not last. In fact, I don't expect this unit to live but a couple of years, if earlier experiences with Chinese products is any indicator of durability.

The unit arrived promptly and in perfect shape with all elements included.

The best I can say for the Denon DCM-27 is that it lived long enough to get out of warranty. We've owned this CD changer - from a supposedly high-end manufacturer - for all of two years, playing it sparingly. And now it's done. Our choice is to invest another $160 to replace the laser assembly or to throw it where it belongs and start over. Denon refuses to help with the repair. They're perfectly content to sell crap, so long as it lasts one year.Denon DCM-27 5-Disc CD Changer