Denon experts, will you help me?

Question

I am an audiophile on a budget.  Denon recently announced two consumer-level universal Blu-ray players: the BDP-1611 and the BDP-2011.  I am going to buy one of these as soon as they are on the market.  The 2011 is twice the price of the 1611.  I can afford either but would rather not spend the extra money on the 2011.

Here are my concerns:

1. Several years ago, I purchased a consumer-level Denon universal DVD player, the DVD-1920.  Unlike my other Denon components, it was made in China with a cheap chassis.  Despite that flaw, it has provided superb performance, though after three years it is getting a little wonky.  Here is the real question: will the 1611 have the same solid construction as normal Denon components, or will I have to go with the 2011 for the solid construction?

2. The player will be mated with a Denon ARV 1910.  The 2011 has the latest Anchor Bay video processing.  However, my AVR 1910 also has Anchor Bay processing, though possibly of an earlier design.  I'm watching video on an LG 27" full HD monitor.  I don't think I will experience a noticeable difference with the new Anchor Bay processing, but maybe some of you disagree.

3. The AVR 1910 has a (generic) 24/192 DAC.  The 2011 has a new Burr-Brown 32/192 DAC.  Do you think I will notice a worthwhile difference in audio quality?  Also, will I need to use the analog outputs to gain the benefits of that DAC?  I really want to do everything through the HDMI.  The AVR-1910 only has one set of surround analog inputs, and I already have a complicated switch box set up to share up to three surround sources.  I can easily add a third set of analog cables to the switch boxes, but I would much rather eliminate cabling from my system than add more to it.  The 1610 has a generic DAC (I think 24/192), and it has NO surround analog outs.

4. How will the 1611 handle SACD playback?  The DVD-1910 requires that SACD audio be passed through the analog outs.  The 1611 will be able to pass the signal through HDMI, but that means that the player will have to convert the SACD DSD signal into an HDMI signal.  Am I likely to get a noticeable reduction in sound quality?  If I go with the 2011, will I still need to use the analog outputs to get the best SACD sound?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

justsomarkie · Accepted Answer

I'm not a Denon expert, nor do I know that much, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

1. Personally, I think that even if you go for the more expensive model, they won't change how they're made. I don't really care about the chassis, as long as it's sturdy to hold things up and ventilate the innards, then I'm a happy man. I think that you won't get solid construction with either model, but you will get better internal components.

2. I wouldn't notice the difference, and I think that people who say they do, are lying to justify their purchase. You can buy into the hype, but there's a limit to what the TV can display, and what your eyes can physically see.

3. The Burr Brown DAC would be noticeably better than the generic, assuming your speaker systems are properly set up, otherwise no sound chip can make crappy speaker placement sound good. The Burr Brown would not apply if you run it through HDMI. It will want to send it out digitally, and it will just bypass the Burr Brown. If you want to use the Burr Brown, then you would have to connect it via analog. HDMI is better for your situation IMO. I'm an audiophile as well (headphones, not speakers) and I'm willing to sacrifice a little sound quality to make my setup much more cleaner and simplistic.

4. There will probably be a reduction in sound quality as converting will always degrade whatever is going in, but you probably won't hear the degradation without some really good speakers or headphones...assuming you have the ears for it.

Hope this helps.

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Denon experts, will you help me?

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