Denon DVD-3910 vs CD-only Player


I have to replace my CD player, and I'm wondering how these options stack up. With the advent of the 3930, prices have dropped accordingly for the 3910 so it's now available at around $800. So, how would the 3910 stack up against a dedicated CD player in the kilobuck price range (Rotel, Quad, Rega, etc) on CD performance? I'm interested in opinions on the unmodded performance of the 3910 here?

Thanks,
Lou
lhf63
I should have written that I really enjoyed the stock 3910 and the video is fantastic. The mod that I did does not change the video and I only did it on a whim..

Bottom line for me is that I had a Denon 2900, and upgraded to the 3910 and it was a great decision. I bought it new in the box off of Audiogon for $750.
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Bob_reynolds:
> The first thing I played is track one from Joni Mitchell's
> "Both Sides Now," which is an HDCD disc. My initial
> impression was: "this sounds good." It's better sounding
> than the Pioneer and my Cambridge D500SE CD player
> (neither of which decode HDCD). I listened for a few
> mintues and then played the same disc in the Arcam. The
> Arcam sounds a little warmer, the 3910 a little drier,
> the Arcam a little more detailed.

Thanks for the comments, and thanks to all who have contributed here. I'm still thinking over whether to maintain my 2-channel system or whether one system *has* to do both music and movies. I've given a lot of thought to both the Rotel 1072 and the Rega Apollo. The Rotel I can audition; the Rega I can't (at least apparently -- still waiting to see if Sound Org will get back in touch with me). The Arcam FMJ is above the price range -- anyone familiar with the Arcam Diva products?

Also, HDCD and SACD are irrelevant for me -- all my stuff is redbook currently, and I don't expect to buy much in either HDCD or SACD anytime soon.

Thanks again,
Lou
Bob, the Arcam's do decode HDCD.
Lhft63, you may be surprised at how much HDCD, you already have. Don't confuse HDCD with SACD or DVD Audio. HDCD is completely compatible with red book. There are well over 6000 HDCD titles. Many of which are not even labled as such. I can tell you, I really enjoy having the full benefit of HDCD decoding.
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