Customer Reviews

Denon DNC615 Pro Rack Mount CD Player with Digital Output

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

 

 

A review on Amazon of another CD player, the Teac CD-P1250, said that it was the only single-disc CD player on the market. Nope, there's two. Well, one and a half anyway.

The Denon DN-C615 isn't exactly consumer gear, but it isn't exactly pro gear, either. It's got rack ears and pitch adjustment, and it's set up for a wired remote and output cascading, but the outputs are unbalanced RCA plus SPDIF. It has auto cuing and audible manual cuing within a track, but doesn't allow you to save cue points. So I think "semi-pro" is a pretty good description.

It's aimed at DJs, community radio stations, and sound reinforcement applications, and it wouldn't be out of place in a small studio for applications like sampling. And, what matters to my family, it drops right in to a home stereo system, so long as your cabinet can manage the rack ears (which don't look like they're removable except with a hacksaw).

The sound (even before break-in) is typical Denon: clear and airy, with both good definition and satisfactory thump in the bass, free of noticeable spurious harmonics. The controls and displays are easy to use and understand and don't have any immediately obvious ergonomic problems or bugs. It plays CD-Rs fine, both audio CD-Rs and MP3 CDs, and it allegedly plays CD-RWs, but I probably won't find out because CD-RWs and my computers don't get along.

MP3 files sound as good on the DN-C615 as I've ever heard them. You don't need to burn a special MP3 CD: it'll take plain data CDs with MP3 files on them and even lets you navigate through folders. But if you do give it a disc that's been burned as an MP3 CD, it'll run the playlist in order, which is a big improvement over my DVD player which plays MP3 files in some strange order I have yet to figure out. And I have to admit, seeing the song titles change as it plays is positively decadent.

The price is a little higher than I'd have liked, and unless you want to build a wired remote or have your chair real close to the player, you'll need a special remote (another US$40). But I do like the player so far.

I am not an audiophile but merely a lowly radio show host. I have been using this cd player at wwuh 91.3fm at the University of Hartford for the past year and have nothing but good to say about it. We use three cd players in our air studio and this one has withstood the test of time. Others have come, gone pfsst, and gone bye bye while this one remains. It is easy to use and functions flawlessly. We broadcast 24/7 so the equipment gets used relentlessly and sometimes ruthlessly. If you can tolerate a single cd player this one is great. The only flaw I find is the lag time between pushing play and getting output signal but I think that relates more to its integration to our control board rather than it being an idiosyncrasy of the unit.

Kind of expensive just for a CD player, but this unit is well built, rack mountable, easy to use and, best of all, sounds great. I bought a previously well reviewed CD player from Amazon a couple of years ago and, while still being used, pales in comparison. The sound that comes out of the Denon is "warmer" but much more transparent than the older one. You hear more throughout the frequency range (perhaps, less distortion) with better spatial depth. The Denon is heavier, so I assume its heavier case and better power supply contribute to a better base for the mechanical and electronic innards. All of a sudden, the price is very reasonable.

The sound quality on this Denon upholds the company's long-standing history of crystal-clear reproduction. I'd had my first CD player--an old Denon--for approximately 30 years, and had been nursing it along until it would no longer play a CD. I did this because I'd heard other brands over the years, name brands that had muddy or anemic sound quality, and I knew that I would be disappointed to downgrade from concert-hall reproduction to anything less. I can't express how happy I am to have a unit that is, if anything, even clearer than my old Denon.

The other reason that I held off so long on this purchase was that I'd read numerous reviews of other Denon units, and those reviews were very bad. Evidently, other players in the Denon line are not high quality; I cannot say from experience, mind you, only from what other purchasers have said. But this one is not like those. It is hefty and solid, not lightweight like so many others I've tested over the years. It loads and plays CDs without a hitch (other models evidently do what my ancient model did: fail to read the CD, and then refuse to open the drawer and let it go). The sound quality, as I've already said, is everything that one expects from Denon.

There are a couple of things that a purchaser should know in advance, however. First, this is a single-CD unit, not a changer. If you want a carousel style, this isn't it. Second, it does not come with a remote control. However, the remote from my old Denon works with this one--and it's 30 years old! So there's a chance that the remote from your old unit might work on this one. (I believe there is a separate remote available.) Finally, the case itself is normal size, but it has the rack-mounting "ears" sticking out on the front at either side. They add roughly 1-1/2 to 2 inches in width; that could be a concern if your space is restricted.

The $300 price tag is admittedly a shocker--especially for a single-CD player with no remote control. But you're paying for the very solid construction and the incomparable sound quality. If that's what you're looking for, you won't regret the expenditure.

We've used Denon CD players in our Church and have never had a problem with them. This is an upgraded version of our old one, but the old one is still being used and works great. I would recommend.

This machine seems to be reliable and sturdy, and does a fine job of playing CDs with clear reproduction. The carousel design seems easier to deal with than the plastic magazine cartridges I had to cope with in the Yamaha CD player I had been using.
The only drawback is the size of the case. It's large enough to cause a problem fitting into the wooden cabinet, where the older machine fit confortably. Potential buyers should measure their available space before purchasing the Denon.

Basandome en la famosa y muy buena reputacion que tiene la marca denon en estos equipos de audio compre hace poco este cd player y me lo eh encontrado excelente!!... el aparato tiene una bandeja simple de muy buena calidad, que coje un solo disco y esta construido de manera muy robusta y resistente,,dice por detras que esta hecho en japon lo que me gusto mucho e influyo en que lo comprara ya que ahora casi todo esta hecho en china .. tambien me gusto que es super facil de usar como cualquier cd player casero ya que odio esos aparatos para djs..lo compre hace poco tiempo, tal ves como hace 2 meses, y hasta ahora no eh tenido problemas con el... antes tenia un cd player marca numark pero no me gustaban muchas cosas del y tampoco se compara con denon.
la unica queja que tengo de este denon es que no me gusta como tiene los dos botones de buscar adelante o hacia atras dentro de una cancion mientras estas en play , es un tanto incomodo en la forma como funcionan estos dos botones , luego todo lo demas esta perfectoo ojala y me de muchos años de satisfacion...
este es el quinto cd player que eh tenido en mi vida y el de mejor calidad que eh visto. lo recomendaria a cualquiera que le guste la calidad y ame la musica como yo. tengo mucha suerte de haber encontrado este cd player de verdad!!.