Pioneer DV79AVi vs. Denon 3910 for audio quality?

I can't tell you anything about the Denon but I've had my DV79AVi for over a year now and am very happy with it.

My first foray into hi-rez was with a Yamaha S1500 which (when it was working) gave me slightly better sound in sacd/dvd-a than redbook. The Pioneer on the other hand fully immersed me into the superiority of hi-rez. Namely, a denser tonal quality that is heads above redbook. On redbook I'll stick with my Benchmark DAC1 with dedicated cd transport. Using the Pioneer into the DAC1 (optical) for dvd movie dialog and the occassional cd is quite good but not as good as the transport/DAC1. Oh, and by the way, the DV79AVi was terrific video quality into my standard tv.

I hope this is some help to you.

I am still on the fence between these two units in the ~$400 range, and now the Oppo 980H has reared its head as an alternative.

That's what I'm curious about as well. I could get an Oppo 980H now, but would need to put aside some time and cash to get a Denon 3910. Obviously the 3910 (and that Pioneer) are more substantially built than the Oppo, but when it comes to using it as a CD transport or as a self-contained multi-channel SACD/DVD-A player, are they worth the extra $400 for what they give back?

Any other recommendations? I am still on the fence between these two units in the ~$400 range, and now the Oppo 980H has reared its head as an alternative.

I do like that the 980H has the HDMI 1.2 output, so I send the SACD and DVD-A signals to a new-fangled reciever when I get one!

I don't think the Denon has HDMI 1.2, but doesn't the DV 79AVi?