Denon AM/FM CD Player

Year / Model Reviewed:
 1995

Summary:
I've had the CD player repaired five times in the last three years. Denon parts are notoriously hard to get too, according to the various repair shops I've used. I would never buy a Denon! This was the stereo that was in the car when I got it, and I was so excited to have a CD player, and with the expensive speakers I put in, it did sound incredible, especially bass heavy music with the "loud" on, which boosted the bass up even more. I'm a total audio amature though, so I have no idea if it is actually better than other systems, but I think after reading all the reviews here, I'm going to replace it (its broken again right now!!) with an Alpine.

Strengths:
Great sound from the CD player and FM radio

Weaknesses:
I agree with the other reviewer about the frequency of repairs!

Similar Products Used:
None

Year / Model Reviewed:
 Denon DCC-9770 and DCH-500

Summary:
If the Alpine 7909 CD Tuner is regarded as the best car CD player ever made, the Denon DCC-9770 and DCH-500 must certainly be the worst.

These are Denon’s former top-of-the-line car audio components, the DCC-9770 CD head unit with changer controls, and DCH-500 10-disc changer, some $1200 worth of gear. I have had them for 6 years, and both units have failed every 18 months or so like clockwork, and have been in Denon’s factory repair facility a total of seven times, for a total cost of over $300. Since I live close to home and have a short commute these units don’t get heavy usage, usually no more than 2 hours a week. After coming back from repairs, the number of hours of actual useage before the next failure has ranged from no more than 48 hours to as little as 6 hours! Denon has steadfastly refused to offer any concessions for the pitiful performance of these high-priced lemons in the form of discounted repairs or replacement offers.

When I returned the 9770 to Denon for its first repair it was with a list of no less than eight problems, including a reverse search button that did not work, bass and treble controls that didn’t work in the left channel, no low frequency output in the left channel, and virtually every pot—bass, treble, balance, etc.—was “dirty”, exhibiting static and/or shorting at the extremes.

When I first installed the DCC-9770 CD head unit, I immediately noticed some ergonomical deficiencies when compared to my previous head unit, a 1990 model Alpine 7904. Compared to the bottom-of-the-line 7904, the control buttons on the DCC-9770 had a decidedly cheap and vague feel. The nomenclature on virtually all the buttons is unreadable by day and unevenly lit by night, with bright spots and dim spots that make the head unit look very cheap. By comparison, my sister's Pioneer unit, which IS cheap, looks as good as a factory head unit at night, with bright evenly lit and easily readable nomenclature, as does my Alpine 7904. On CD playback, having to toggle between auto search and manual search is not nearly as convenient as Alpine's one-button system (push for auto search, push and hold for manual search). The AM radio often emits a loud 2 kHz tone on top of the program that makes talk shows virtually unlistenable. When installed in my admittedly rough-riding 1975 Trans Am, the DCC-9770 would frequently skip over bumps and railroad tracks; the 7904 never skipped. On top of all this the clock does not keep accurate time.

I give the Denon DCC-9770 and the DCH-500 a 1 star rating. I give Denon’s Service Department a 1 star rating. I give Denon’s Customer Support a big fat zero.

Strengths:
Attractive styling, real knobs for control instead of menus, functional no-nonsense display

Weaknesses:
See below "Review Summary."

Similar Products Used:
Alpine 7904 CD Tuner