Denon's answer to the universal player, the DVD-2900 is a sonic departure for this company. Denon typically makes DVD players that are a cut above its massmarket competitors in sound quality, most often toeing a line between the lively detail of the Pioneer players and the easy-on-the-ears, laid-back sound of the Sony players. The DVD-2900, however, is lean and almost skeletal with all three formats. When I first fired the 2900 up, it was obvious increase in detail going to the SACD layer, but there was practically none of DSD's characteristic warmth and body. Likewise, DVD-A sounded more resolved and dimensional than typical CDs, but shared the same whitish colorations.

This review is taken from the SACD, DVD-A and ''Universal'' Disc Players Survey! The review includes an extensive 10 page introduction on SACD and DVD-A Technologies!