Customer Reviews

Denon DVD-3910 DVD Audio/Video and Super Audio CD Player

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had my Denon DVD-3910 player now for a month and it sounds superb. I have not had the noisy problem with the transport that reviewer justacoder had. I listen to mostly classical music. The sound with regular CDs is smooth but detailed and is even better than my Denon DCM-380 CD player. This improved sound on regular CDs is due to the AL24 Processing Plus which smoothes out the PCM stair-step wave form to make it more like live audio waves which is similar the up sampling used on super high end CD players. However, AL24 Processing Plus does something the up sampling players don't do. It converts the CD PCM signal to 24 bit depth reducing the noise floor. I did an A/B comparison with Bach's Cantatas on Teldec and the sound was smoother and more detailed AND easier to listen on the Denon DVD-3910 compared to the Denon DCM-380. The sound from HDCDs and SACDs is incredible! It sounds realistic, as if I was sitting in front of a live orchestra. The timbre of the instruments is particularly more realistic than what you hear on regular CDs.

I found the video picture to be superb, almost as good as HD-DVD. This Denon up-converts regular DVDs.

I use the Denon unit to up-convert older DVD's for play on a 60" SONY HDTV. It does a great job, better than the up-convert function of the SAMSUNG bluray player (which is also quite good). The picture quality is not as good as the true HD when playing a Bluray disc, but the differances are subtle and my investment in the older discs is preserved. I have been told that this unit is the "standard" and I can see why.

I bought a Denon DVD 3910 in January through Amazon. Price was $599 from an authorized Denon dealer. So far, I have been very pleased. I use the Denon to feed an Audio Research REF 1 preamp, NAD power amp, and Dynaudio Contour S5.4 speakers. I mainly listen to jazz and classical and try to buy DVD-A and SACD discs whenever possible. I have also used the Denon for movies. Both sound and visuals are excellent. My TV is an old Sony Vega CRT so I can't say a whole lot about picture quality, but I usually don't watch the glass t**t (Harlan Ellison's term) more than a few minutes a week. I have no doubt the 3910 will meet my DVD needs (I have a lot of DVDs but just don't watch movies much anymore and can't stand commercial television).

The reliability of the 3910 has been great. I have not normally found the transport to be noisy, but the transport is sensitive to disc placement. The few times that the Denon has balked at reading a disc, I have been able to correct the problem by making sure the disc is centered. I wonder if a lot of problems reported are because folks place the disc slightly off center. It doesn't take much to cause the 3910 to not be able to read a disc. Otherwise it has function flawless on SACDs, DVDs, DVD-As, and CDs. I probably have averaged 3 hours of play per day.

My other player in my main system is a Music Hall CD-25a. The Music Hall is also excellent but cost about the same as the Denon and only plays CDs.

I've collected CDs, SACDs and DVD audios for many years and have had many dedicated players. The Denon DVD 3910 has superb sound quality on CDs, SACDs and DVD audio discs. This player throws a very deep and wide sound stage, has excellent detail and a warm non-fatiguing sound. The picture quality is also excellent. Rest assured, the audio section of the Denon DVD 3910 surpasses my next generation blu ray, by a considerable margin. Highly recommended.

I think the sound from this player is really excellent. My only concern is that I bought it to replace a Sony multi-player which was often having trouble reading dvd-r movie discs, and I now find that the Denon seems to have the same trouble. There are discs that will play just fine in my laptop, but which often freeze or stutter or go backwards when playing through the tv. I've even had this problem with cds, come to think of it.

This player is outstanding. I'll do a pros/cons review

pros:
huge, heavy, well grounded.
looks good in the front and back. the 2 ch. analog are spaced so it's easier to connect if you're using cables that are tight.
The picture quality is worlds better than my other player, well worth an upgrade like this. even though I am using component video it's not nearly as fuzzy as on my other player.
I have an Organ Cd I use to test sound and this one isn't shaky sounding in quiet sections so Audio is unreal compared to what I was using. in fact it sounded like the Organ was playing in my listening room, so realistic it was ridiculous!
Three level dimmer, high, medium, low, and off. I don't know how much this effects sound or picture but it's not a distraction being off as there are a lot of display numbers and a DVD light that's on and how many channels are put out audio-wise, ch. display etc.
That smaller on/off button, what's it for? with the larger power button you turn the power off into standby, with the smaller button you can turn the standby off completely which is nice since I don't use this one as often as I did.
Good price at $599 surprisingly enough. This player was worth every penny. looks like they're out now though, that's nuts, they've sold all 3 they had in 3 weeks!
Remote has a back light for the main controls, menu navigation, play/pause stop. It doesn't have a power button, it has separate on and off buttons. only problem with the backlight? you have to see where that button is to turn it on.
Nice big feet on the button sets it about half an inch off your cabinet. good for helping with vibrations.
All connections are in groups as show in the picture. I had component video and optical audio so they were about 5 inches from each other. 5 inches is just a number, not actual measurement:)
Remote is the biggest out of the 7 I have but fits snug in my hand and is easy to use.
Movie Audio: I heard more clearly and new things that go unnoticed on my other player.
Menus are faster than I thought they'd be reading other of Denon's Blu-Ray players, all but one menu were quick reacting and that's good.
Picture: More fluid movements, vibrant colors and clearer sound.
Removable power cord for transporting.
Just a few buttons on the actual player so that's nice.

cons: (nitpicking)
Power cord is bigger than the surge protector I'm using for the TV and DVR. it is very stiff obviously so it along can unplug itself.
I didn't get a Link cable for some reason. not that I'll need it.
I was under the influence that this and other Denon player came with it's own component video cables, it doesn't. no problems here, I have several.
this player is factory set to progressive scan so if you're using an incompatible TV you'll need to set it up with the provided cable which is composite so I was confused for a second.
Too many picture adjustments in the setup menu.
semi difficult to get the HDMI/DVI lights to stop blinking. turn them off in the setup menu... somewhere.

I must say if I was to give this a 1-10 review, 10 being the best I'd give it a 9.5 not a 9 for audio and video, not a 10 for the nitpicks

Outstanding player but looks like this one is completely sold out new as far as I know.
Good luck with buying that Used one up there, the seller did not answer any of my emails.

Beautiful picture and Great sound. Plays DVDs, CDs, SACD, and DVD-Audio with amazing clarity and resolution. Denon's signature electronics make CDs sound almost like Vinyl. I Paired it with Denon's AVR-3805 and got great results! Listen at a local high-end audio store.

I've have had mine for 9 months. Already it's been in the shop three times. And two weeks it stopped operating again. My brother had the same experience but he bought an Oppo after six months and twice in the shop (he is the smart one).

Audio is good - I liked the DVD Audio quality. Picture good but not remarkable.

I don't like that this is a vampire appliance. It always consumes power even when you turn it off.

This unit does not play Blu-Ray.

This is my third Denon - 1 receiver and 2 dvd players. In the last six years the quality is just not there. And price is way too high for what you get.

I recommend you check out Oppo.


Tom Morris

You will hear the motor of the transport as it spins the disc if you sit too close to this DVD player. I sit about 3 to 4 feet from the player, which is on a rack and connected by long cables to the rear projector about 12 feet in front of me. During quiet parts of movies and music, I would hear the player grinding away.

Most of the front-loading players these days seem to have this problem unless the builders of the player pay special attention to mechanically isolate the transport sonically so the listener does not have to hear this, what I find to be, very distracting noise. (And my other DVD player needs to go on my desk about 2 feet from my ears - and this 3910 ain't gonna be it!).

That said, many audiophiles swear by the sonics of this beast - especially after a 3rd party modifies the electronics some (usually adding a tube to the output stage). All I can say is they must be sitting far, far away from it at the time.