Product Description: A distinguishing feature that sets the Denon DCM-390 over the DCM-290 is the ability to decode HDCD from a CD. is an enhancement to regular audio CDs to effectively increase the dynamic range, resulting in better and more natural reproduction of music. The additional dynamic range allows more low-level details to be captured in the digital recording for more precise reproduction of musical instruments and vocals. Where this is applicable, the DCM-390 can attain superior and more accurate sound performance. With audiophile grade digital-to-analog converters, the audio from CD media comes through precise, pure, and clear of distortion for extremely pleasing sound. Denon DCM-390 uses an easy to load and highly dependable CD mechanism that lets you load up to 5 CDs at a time. The DCM-390 lets you program up to 32 tracks from the five or fewer CDs loaded in the player. In addition, you have selectable random and repeat play modes. The DCM-390 will play all commercially available CD recordings plus CDR and CDRW recordings made on a component CD recorder or computer drive. As such, it will also play MP3 and WMA files that were downloaded from websites. It will also, faithfully, play recordings encoded with HDCD as they were meant to be heard. Overall, the DCM-390 offers the sound performance you've come to enjoy from Denon along with the comforting convenience of being able to sit back and enjoy up to 5 CDs continuously. Compared to all others, there is a difference. That difference is DENON. 3 Mode random playback Coaxial Digital Output Intelligent Disc Scan 20 Track Music Calendar Display 32 Track program memory Front panel headphone jack Unit Dimensions WHD - 17.1 x 4.5 x 15.4 / Weight - 12.6 pounds Denon USA 1-Year Limited Warranty Includes Remote Control
Amazon.com Product Description: Enjoy continuous play from your CD collection as well as CD-R/RWs burned with MP3 and WMA files with the Denon DCM-390 5-disc CD changer. It also provides encoding for HDCDs, the newest audio playback format that provides pristine sound reproduction. The carousel changer's play exchange feature lets you swap up to 4 discs while a fifth is playing, and you'll only hear the music, thanks to Denon's quiet changer mechanism.
The DCM-390 features a Multilevel Noise Shaping DAC, which removes the adverse effects of jitter and, because it is built into the output amp, provides a clean analog output with suppressed high-frequency interference can be directly obtained. The 8x oversampling digital filter makes possible an extraordinary degree of attenuation and reduces frequency irregularities in the audio range to an absolute minimum.
Ensuring top-flight sound regardless of the source disc, the DCM-390 features a multilevel noise-shaping digital-to-analog converter. Multilevel modulation removes the adverse effects of jitter. And because the feature is built into the player's output amp, the player directly obtains a clean analog output with suppressed high-frequency interference.
You can customize a song sequence with 32-track programming, which lets you create a a custom music mix from the remote control. Program any combination of tracks from the 5 discs. Three-mode random playback includes full random, program random, and disc sequential random modes. The display shows total remaining time on the disc, elapsed track time, and remaining track time. Four-mode repeat play loops 1 track, 1 disc, all 5 discs, or a programmed sequence.
When this changer is connected to an amplifier or receiver that supports the Remote Control IN/OUT feature, you can operate the DCM-390 via the remote sensor on the amplifier or receiver, which is handy for controlling the player from another room. It offers the both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs, a headphone jack on the front of the unit, and RS-232C terminal.
Tech Talk The HDCD (High Density Compatible Digital) audio CD format is encoded with 20 bits of information instead of the 16 bits found on standard CDs. A player or receiver with an HDCD decoder chip is required to achieve the true sound of an HDCD disc, but it can be played on a standard CD or DVD player (minus the enhancement). Additionally, because an HDCD decoder chip includes a high-precision digital filter, HDCD-equipped players help to improve audio quality for even traditionally recorded CDs and DVDs.
What's in the Box 5-disc CD changer, remote control (with batteries), printed operating instructions
Denon DCM-390's nice sound is dependent on crap hardware ^ I've owned many cd players over the past 25 years since "Born in the USA" came out the non-vinyl format. Most have been abandoned due to upgrades, the double-edged sword of technology: the newest format/tech/software provides better sound, more convenience, whatever benefits but requires upgraded (generally, NEW) equipment. So single-disc players made way for multi-players which made way for players which could decode HDCD, then dvd-audio and SACD and of course dvd-video (which we are now being taught is vastly inferior to bluray...) (WARNING: CONSPIRACY THEORY AHEAD) And look what US companies did to Minidisc (effectively ignored and suppressed it and all of its multi-format convenience coupled with much better sound than mp3 (which is not saying much, but MD does provide great sound). However, what were "record"(cd) companies to think of a device the size of a pack of cigarettes which, with a couple of quality covert mics plugged into it, is capable of making a commercial quality digital recording! Well, instead of losing their asses to unlicensed MD recordings, they lost them to mp3s. So the consumer got lower quality but the big guys still took it in the shorts. (Minidisc recorders/players are still quite available on Ebay, Amazon and specialty sites and are still doing well abroad. Most use here is by musicians for self-recording, it seems.) We are so manipulated by the makers of tech but are so enriched by it. Anyway, I have an Oppo DV-981HD(pre bluray)player which will decode nearly any disc you put in it: HDCD, SACD, dvd-video(easily hacked to all-region/region 0), dvd-audio, mp3, WMA. It handles DivX (don't ask), Kodac picture discs, CD (w/upsampling), CD-r/-rw, dvd-r/-rw, dvd+r. It will decode Dolby & DTS if your amp won't. It has HDMI out with DCDi(Faroudja chip)deinterlacing/upsampling to 1080p. While small & light, it does NOT have a propensity to break. While its price has gone up, this player at $600 will perform quality-wise like players costing 4 times this. NOTE: Oppo now makes a bluray player, $500 at its website, which will do pretty much all my Oppo will and more, including improved dvd up-conversion so those dvds don't look so shabby next to your blurays. What the Oppos WON'T do: play more than one disc at a time. The ability to load 5 or 6 cds (not needed for dvds--I CAN get off my ass to put in a second movie) is imperative to a cd freak who plays music much of the time, while computing, tinkering in the garage, cooking, whatever. And if you are a cd freak-audiophile, it needs to sound good. Which brings me to my long-lost point: the Denon DCM-390. For $350 or so, it's not cheaply priced, it sounds damn good but it IS cheaply built: check out the general tone of the other reviews. Denon used to mean quality, cheap neither in sound OR build quality. But now they break, it's that simple. Mine just started working intermittently. It would just stop mid-tune. Getting it going would sometimes work, sometimes not, involving turning it on and off, stopping & restarting, etc. A pain. A couple of close calls (would not even re-power up, no display) warned me that it's a matter of time til it dies totally while loaded with 5 of my favorite discs, an issue I don't wish to deal with. So I'm back to my Oppo for now. Given the shift away from cds by many, a good (audio-wise) but cheap used multi-player (of the RELIABLE variety) is in my future. Thank you, Ebay!
Lousy quality ^ The thing cost 300 dollars and quit after less than a year of light use, will only play a minute of music regardless of the cd.
The "Yugo" or "Trabant" of CD Players ^ I bought a Denon DCM 390 to replace my 15-year old Sony player. We built a house 5 years ago and, while I wasn't paying close attention, we ended up with Denon gear. Except I kept my Sony, which I loved but which eventually died. And so I decided on a 390 as a replacement, which might be more compatible with my Denon amplifier (also a dog).
The good news is that the DCM 390 works, after a fashion and at least for now. Practically everything else is the bad news. Features supported by my elderly Sony, things I took for granted, either aren't available in the DCM 390 or can only be executed in the most clunky, time-consuming and counter-intuitive manner. To give two examples, I usually play all the disks on the carousel in the "repeat all" mode. The Denon will do that, but every time you turn on the gear you must remember to punch "repeat" three times, i.e., your preference is not "saved." Otherwise it will play one disk and stop. And the front panel display for repeating all disks doesn't say "Repeat All" or something logical; it says "Repeat Disk" (singular). Also, there is no efficient way to exchange non-playing disks during playback of the current disk. You have to stop playback and do your exchanges individually, then start everything again. Oh, and when you do this you've also turned off Repeat. It must (again) be set to your preference, even though the player has remained "on" throughout.
The DCM 390 has a programming function, something I didn't have with the Sony (but did have with my 1985 Teac). The problem is it only works for tracks on the disk currently being played. (This is according to the manual; I haven't tried using it yet.) If you want to program playback of all of disks 1, 3 and 4, but not disks 2 and 5 - too bad. You have to go to the unit and physically remove disks 2 and 5.
As for compatibility with the amp, there's little of that. Only a few things (basically play and stop) can be executed with the amplifier remote. For most features you must use the dedicated CD remote or try to locate the necessary (and tiny) buttons on the vision-unfriendly flat black front panel.
Then there's the noise. The prominent, distracting Kur-KLUNK as the disks change doesn't inspire confidence. It brings to mind what must have been the sound of one's great-grandfather using a hand-crank to start his Model-T on a cold morning.
Great sound but unreliable operation ^ I've had 3 of these machines over the past couple of years. The first one, bought brand new, sounded great. After a few months, it started acting up - would not read discs at all or would skip, etc. Then I began to clean it regularly using a lens cleaner. That helped, but about a week after the each cleaning the machine would once again begin to function defectively.
After about 6 months, the tray (which is all plastic and not very substantial) would simply not open at times for no apparent reason. Turning the player off and back on helped alleviate this situation for a while. But eventually the tray just would not open at all. The machine was history.
I phoned Denon at the number on its website, but the phone went unanswered. It was a regular weekday so I was pretty amazed. The phone rang and rang - no voicemail, no machine...? This is supposed to be a high tech audio company, after all. Of course I tried a few more calls over the following couple of weeks, but always got the same result - A phone that rang and rang with no answer whatsoever. Since no one answered the phone, I assumed that if I sent the unit to Denon for repair no one would open the box.
Well, because the DCM-390 sounded so good - big, three dimensional soundstage; excellent detail and timbral balance - I bought another. This one was refurbished. It too sounded great, and worked flawlessly for about 8 months or so. Then it began to skip. I cleaned the lens and the machine worked fine - for about a week. Then it began skipping again.
I found myself cleaning the lens once a week - and also spraying the back of the tray (into the machine) with compressed air. This really helped, but was too much maintenance as far as I was concerned.
One day, after about a year or so, I was listening and suddenly the sound became distorted. Cleaned the lens; it helped somewhat but the distortion remained. Long story short - the machine had given up the ghost. Distorted sound regardless of the CD. Soon the machine ceased to read any CD at all. Denon DCM-390 (number two) was history.
Denon DCM-390 (number three) - also refurbished - was defective right out of the box. It emitted a horrendous grinding noise while playing any CD. I took the machine apart in an attempt to fix it, but the grinding noise appeared to be coming from the play motor itself. I lubed the motor and did some other work on it, but it soon became clear that this machine was history as well. Number three went into the trash.
When and if any Denon DCM-390 will operate properly is apparently a very dicey proposition, based on my experience. I won't be buying another.
Simply TERRIBLE, and I've gone through TWO of them. ^ FEATURES:
Deceptive "Denon" Name. Not your father's Denon, let me assure you.
Weight. If it were any lighter it would be made of balsa wood.
Remote Control. The remote does not light up when used and does not have a power on/off button.
5-CD carousel, reads multiple formats, digital output: I have been unable to verify if these features exist because I haven't owned a Denon DCM-390 that works, and I've been through two of them.
EXPERIENCE: I bought the Denon DCM-390 because it offered a lot of decoding features (mp3, wma, wav, HDCD decoding) and, well, it's a Denon. My last Denon CD player lasted over 20 years.
The DCM-390 didn't work out of the box. It would only sporadically read CD's -- and I'm talking about REAL CD's purchased from Amazon, not discs I burned on my computer. The problem was incredibly aggravating because it was nearly impossible to get the carousel to stop spinning as it searched through all the CDs, unable to read any of them.
So I received a second CD player. This one was worse -- it would lift a CD out of the carousel and never return it. Tapping and jostling the player didn't help. In fact, it made the problem worse because the CD dropped while the carousel drawer was out. When I pushed the button to close the drawer, CRUNCH! There went my CD -- eaten. No way to get it out, no way to either close or open the carousel.
Support from Denon? NON-EXISTANT, as others have pointed out in their reviews.
CONCLUSION: Denon is not the company it once was. The DCM-390 is light-weight, poorly manufactured, and unsupported by Denon. I wouldn't recommend buying this product for any price -- I wouldn't even accept one for free, considering the damage it did to my CD's.
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