Denon DCD-2500NE Premium Super Audio CD Player with AL32 Processing

Denon is one of the rare audio brands that continue to actively develop Hi-Fi components and accumulate, refine, and pass down Hi-Fi audio technologies. The 2500NE series, designed for today’s age, has been developed by both veteran engineers and talented young engineers who have inherited the Denon technologies and expertise that have been cultivated over many years and decades. The DCD-2500NE focuses on achieving the essence of a disc player: ultra-high precision in reading discs and supplying high-quality audio signals to the amp. To achieve this, the signal paths are as short as possible and the whole circuitry is minimized. The engineers also redesigned the disc drive mechanism brackets and the chassis to eliminate vibration, the great enemy of disc players, and achieve ultra-vibration-resistant performance. The information on the disc is now read with impeccable accuracy and a clean, high-grade signal is supplied to the DCD-2500NE’s Advanced AL32 Processing Plus circuitry. Besides CD and Super Audio CD playback, the DCD features playback of audio recordings up to PCM192/24 or DSD5.6 recorded on a DVD R/RW for full flexibility and extended access to high resolution audio.

Advanced S.V.H. Mechanism, Denon’s original disc drive design

The DCD-2500NE’s disc drive design contains reference-class Advanced S.V.H. (Suppress Vibration Hybrid) Mechanism. The circuitry that controls the pickup and decodes the signals read from the disc has been newly developed. Signal paths have been shortened to an absolute minimum and circuits have been miniaturized to ensure that excess current or noise will not occur. The various parts of the mechanism have been made with different materials such as a combination of stainless and copper plating for the top panel to strengthen rigidity, diecast aluminum for the disc tray, and 2mm thick steel for the mechanism brackets. Improvements in high-mass, vibration-resistant properties and the dispersal of resonation points contribute to a high level of vibration resistance. In addition, the mechanism’s low center of gravity suppresses any vibration occurring inside the mechanism due to disc rotation, and the mechanism structure also effectively suppresses external vibration. By eliminating unwanted vibration, servo-related operations are minimized, and by also minimizing unnecessary controls and current consumption, digital signals can be read from the disc with optimum accuracy under stable conditions.

DAC Master Clock Design

To accurately synchronize digital circuits, the DCD-2500NE’s DAC Master Clock Design treats the DAC as the master when clock signals are supplied. Positioning the master clock immediately adjacent to the D/A converter (DAC) suppresses jitter and ensures optimum precision in D/A conversion. In addition, the quality of the clock, which becomes the reference for semiconductor operation, is extremely important for ensuring that the digital audio circuitry performs at its maximum potential. The DCD-2500NE thus employs a clock oscillator to dramatically reduce phase noise that is the displacement of frequencies. The clock power circuit has also been vastly improved to bring out the full potential of the high-quality clock’s performance. A conductive polymer capacitor with particularly outstanding high-frequency impedance characteristics for Denon’s renowned sound quality has been placed at the base of the clock’s power source, and an ultra-compact film capacitor that is different from layered ceramic capacitors has been placed close to the clock, to achieve an improved S/N ratio and a transparent sound with superior spatial expression. The DCD-2500NE is equipped with two clock oscillators, one for each sampling frequency (44.1 kHz and 48 kHz), that can be switched between the frequencies to thoroughly suppress jitter.

Advanced AL32 Processing Plus

The DCD-2500NE is equipped with Advanced AL32 Processing Plus, the latest version of Denon’s analogue waveform reproduction technology which utilizes unique data interpolation algorithms and also supports high-resolution sound sources. These algorithms interpolate points that should exist before and after the points in large quantities of data to achieve a smooth waveform that is close to that of the original signal. By carefully restoring data that was lost during digital recording, the resulting playback sound is highly detailed, free of interference, accurately localized, richly expressive in the lower range, and beautifully faithful to the original sound.

Independent digital and analog power transformers

The power units for the digital and analog circuits, whose signals have different characteristics, have separate transformers to eliminate mutual interference and noise. An aluminum plate has also been combined to the underside of the steel transformer base to strengthen rigidity.

Dedicated power unit for analogue audio circuitry

A newly developed original Denon large-capacity (3300 µF) block capacitor is used for the power unit of the analog audio circuitry after the D/A converter. The DCD-2500NE is also endowed with custom parts, such as high-sound-quality electrolytic capacitors and polyphenylene sulfide capacitors, which have been co-developed with parts manufacturers through an extensive regimen of repeated listening tests. These parts enable a clean yet robust, stable supply of power, resulting in a sound that is delightfully balanced between a strong foundation and delicate details.

Circuitry with minimized signal paths

The “simple & straight” design philosophy has been thoroughly implemented in all of the DCD-2500NE’s circuits. Circuit patterns have been redesigned from the ground up to make signal paths as short as possible and ensure that the original sound is faithfully reproduced across the sonic spectrum. As a result, interference between circuits and between left and right channels as well as adverse influences on audio signals are minimized, producing a clean, highly transparent sound.

Direct Mechanical Ground Construction

The integrity of musical signals deteriorates when they are subject to internal vibration caused by disc rotation or the power transformer, or to airborne vibration caused by sound pressure from the speakers. To guard against such influences, Denon engineers designed a vibration suppression structure they called “Direct Mechanical Ground Construction”. In this design, the power transformers – themselves a source of vibration – have been placed close to the feet of the DCD-2500NE where unwanted vibration is funneled directly to the ground and prevented from affecting nearby circuitry. Also, by placing the drive mechanism – the part with the greatest mass – low in the center of the chassis, the low center of gravity effectively absorbs internal vibration caused by disc rotation and also protects the mechanism from external vibration. To further shut out external vibration, the 1.2mm thick main chassis has been reinforced with two 1.6mm thick steel plates to produce a highly rigid three-layer structure with sufficient vibration-resistant mass.

BMC feet

The feet that support the hefty drive mechanism, power transformers, and the heavy weight of the chassis are made of high-density, highly rigid Bulk Molding Compound (BMC). Rigidity has been strengthened with the addition of fiberglass to the BMC material. High-density felt of a variety and thickness selected from a wide range of materials that were tested has been mounted at the bottom of the feet. The overall foot design provides further protection from vibration, and careful sound quality tuning has also been implemented.

DSD data disc playback support

In addition to CD and Super Audio CD, the DCD-2500NE can play DSD (2.8 Mhz / 5.6 MHz) files and high-resolution files up to 192 kHz / 24 bits recorded on DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW discs. Music files with sampling frequencies of up to 48 kHz recorded on CD-R/RW discs can also be played.

Aluminum top remote controller that can also operate the amp

The DCD-2500NE comes with an aluminum top remote control unit that can also operate the PMA-2500NE and other Denon amps.

SPECIFICATIONS