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Denon DVD-5910 Transport for a DAC???

I recently had problems ordering a dedicated CD player which left me with what I believe is a better opportunity to improve my system ad hoc, primarily improving the DAC of my CDs without buying a dedicated CD player. This would allow me to upgrade transports later on down the road (from the Denon DVD-5910 to something else).

My basic question is this, considering jitter, what component/components would I need to attach to my Denon being used as a transport to make it a top notch redbook CD player.

I do not know a great deal about DACs, but I can spend a decent amount of money. Do some DACs include buffers which re-time the digital signal to eliminate the jitter caused by transporting it from the Denon DVD-5910 to the actual DAC unit.

What do I need to know in order to set up something that would offer superior/superb sound quality (or is the Denon DVD-5910 with its dual differential top of the line Burr-Browns in CD stereo mode enough???)

I have read about the dCS timing mechanism which re-times signals. Do some units include this in their DAC box or am I stuck going with more than one unit in order to eliminate most of the jitter into higher end DACs.

Any help on this topic, even to clear up misunderstandings would be appreciated. Any advice at all on alternative methods, or on whether I should just consider a dedicated unit is also welcome. Ultimately I want my system to be as upgradeable as possible over the years.

The rest of my system components are the following:
Bryston SP1.7 PreAmp/Processor
Bryston 9B SST
Denon DVD-5910
B&W 802Ds for front left and rights

Thanks for any time people put into helping me out.
jkalman
11 responses Add your response
kichoi's avatar
kichoi
79 posts
 
I would recommend a Bel Canto DAC2 or Benchmark DAC. They both have dejitter circuit built-in. If you want a dedicated dejitter/digital preamp between your DVD-5910 and the DAC, try a Meridian 518. Send me a PM I have three.

Ki
docsavage
109 posts
 
Check out MSB Technology. Their DAC units are very good and you might be surprised at what can be done with the 5910 using the MSB network modification. If nothing else the site goes into detail with information that will answer many of your questions.
Doc
aplhifi
515 posts
 
What you really need to ask your self is how to de-jitter the 450pS jitter that comes from the actual clock in the Denon 5910. All the processors decoding CD, DVD and SACD are clocked off this clock. Super Clock (any version) will not solve this as it just replaces the crystal reference. Further more, whatever de-jitter device you might use between the DSP and DACs will also not help the above problem. The DSP clocking has to be addressed first and then clocks and data sync devices can be used between the DSP and DAC for even better results.

Actually, the Denon 3910 and 5910 have one of the World's best re-clocking device called Analog Devices 32 bit floating point DSP. This DSP is not only re-timing everything, but also manages bass, attenuation and delay for all channels, as well as HDCD decoding and Digital Filter for the top line custom Burr-Brown DACs built specially for Denon. No other company can offer you those DACs and you can’t buy them anywhere else, except from Denon. Of course, there are other DAC solutions that I would personally prefer over Burr-Brown.

As you can see, you wish has already come true in your Denon 5910, but it still does not sound the way you'd really like, right?

If you have more questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

Regards,
Alex
jkalman OP
298 posts
 
Thank you so far for the initial replies. I realize I should have stated that I am interested in A+ class DACs, in the price range of 5000-15000 USD.

I will definitely look at the MSB web site. A few devices I am considering so far are the Lavry DA2002, Nagra DAC, Esoteric D-70, Theta Digital VIII and Weiss Medea. I'm interested in being certain that whichever device I choose doesn't depend on the transport for clocking at all, basically so it reclocks all the digitial input accurately to avoid possible noise issues that might be inherent in the Denon or in passing the signal from the Denon.

Any other device suggestions as well as input on which devices are capable of this, and which perform the best overall is highly appreciated. Eventually I will have to go out and demo and I want to limit it down to only a few devices.

I am very interested in dCS, and am curious if it is possible to use their DAC without having to use their transport, and build up to other addons later...

Thanks again!
branimir
236 posts
 
I will try to help... Best solution would be to go for Theta Generation VIII/Compli combo( then, simply sell 5910 ). Esoteric D-70 and Weiss Medea are working best with their own transports. 5910 has only coaxial digital output which is limitation. Lavry DA2002 could work as well as Nagra DAC. Other thing is that all DACs that you mentioned are way better IMO than other members of your current system. Auditioning some of them in your system is a must for you. There is excellent thread 'Reference DACs' started by Teejay-check it out!
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
For top notch cd plaback your Denon will be the limiting factor. I think unless you go big-buck, DCS,all the way---then don't go there at all.(Delies and Purcell are "their" entry level.) My Audiomecca Enkainthus bettered that combo and at half the price.
readster
241 posts
 
Thank you so far for the initial replies. I realize I should have stated that I am interested in A+ class DACs, in the price range of 5000-15000 USD.


sounds like you just want to spend alot of money, you can send some my way, if you just want to get rid of it.
jkalman OP
298 posts
 
Actually Readster, I'm trying to get RBCD playback to as close to SACD sound quality as possible without going all out and buying the dCS equipment setup. Unfortunately the dCS setup seems to be the only solution offered by professional reviewers that can raise redbook CD to levels indistinguishable from higher resolution formats.

I'm starting to understand that I am going to have to compromise and either buy a one piece CD only unit (knowing it will sound great, but fall short of higher resolution format levels), or go all the way as Avguygeorge was kind enough to point out with the dCS setup. I'm going to audition the Levinson transport and DAC, as well as Levinson single unit, I'll be trying out the BAT (A class unit), and I'll be trying out the dCS separates as well as their new integrated unit.

If anyone has any more suggestions please feel free to offer them up. I'm ultimately interested in making the right decision so I receive optimum sound quality for what equipment I own.

Thanks again.
jkalman OP
298 posts
 
Two other units were recommended to me, which I will also demo are the EMM Labs pieces and the Audio Research one-piece unit.

I have been considering starting with the dCS D/A on the Denon and then saving up for the Transport. I'll eventually be buying a 2 channel amp besides the Bryston 9B SST to drive a 7.1 system and at that point my consider changing my Bryston SP1.7 to something along the lines of the Lexicon MC-12.

I don't feel my two Brystons lack quality, and the SP1.7 is known for its transparency in bypass modes, so I don't see what about my equipment (except relative price ranges) would make it inadequate for high-end digital source. The 802Ds are practical decisions based on the size of my listening room. Anything bigger would be overkill for the space. I am very concerned with receiving the highest quality redbook sound possible (and if the transport and D/A does DVD-A and SACD, even better, though I tend to agree with the popular sentiment that these will remain fringe formats and redbook will continue to dominate - at least until everything is digitally streamed through servers, and if they are still using lossy encoding at that point I swear I'll go postal...).

Branimir, are you simply saying that because of my equipment I will need to try every piece to see what works well with my eclectic setup, or are you saying I would be wasting my money buying high end source equipment because my current equipment (all of which seem to be class A rated in magazines like Stereophile and HiFi-Choice) can't bring it to life?

And thank you again everyone, this has been very helpful already!
branimir
236 posts
 
Jkalman-The best possible thing is in-home auditioning of gear that you are interested in. You need to find out for yourself what works best in your system. Honestly, I think it is a waste of money to add DAC to 5910. This is the reason that I suggested Theta combo to you.
Regarding the magazines-IMO they have small influence on final choice of equipment( at least in my case )-our ears and preferences shoud be the final judges.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
The Genesis Digital Lens does buffering twixt transport and DAC. It got raves when new around 1995. Nowadays going cheap but I suppose that lets it out of the $$$$$ mix.
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