About the Denon DCD-600NE
Excellent compact disc sound
Excellent compact disc sound
The Denon DCD-600NE is designed to do one thing well: make your compact discs sound great. It features a high-performance 32-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converter and proprietary AL32 processing that ensures smooth, detailed playback. Its metal chassis and internal construction reduce unwanted vibration.
There's a Toslink optical digital output on the back panel, plus a gold-plated analog stereo RCA output.
My hands-on experience with the DCD-600NE
There's something inherently satisfying about the sleek simplicity of the Denon DCD-600NE CD player. Its solid construction, brushed metal faceplate, and functional button layout suit my needs perfectly. I got a chance to play around with this disc player in our training room at Crutchfield HQ, where it was matched with the Denon PMA-600NE integrated amplifier and a very nice pair of KEF LS50 speakers.
I used this excellent setup to demo tracks from a very familiar album — Peter Gabriel's landmark 1986 release So. The album was released in the boom years of CD production, when I was a music-loving teen, so I wanted to revisit it with the benefit of 30-plus years of technological advancement. Familiar anthems like "Sledgehammer," "Big Time" and "Red Rain" were as big and bouncy as I remembered, but I was eager to listen to some of the disc's more quiet, restrained numbers for a true test.
When Gabriel's voice blended with that of Kate Bush on "Don't Give Up," each artist's unique vocal timbre shone through with pristine clarity. In that tune, and the slow, mournful "We Do What We're Told," the spare arrangements can reveal surface noise when I listen to my vinyl copy of this album. The noise floor on this digital recording, with the help of the DCD-600NE, was pretty much nil, which preserved the reflective quality the artist likely intended. Which is exactly what I want from a CD player.
Product highlights:
- plays CDs, CD-Rs & CD-RWs plus MP3, WMA, and AAC CDs
- high-performance 32-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converter
- advanced circuitry design for clean, transparent sound reproduction
- proprietary AL32 processing ensures smooth, detailed playback
- Pure Direct Mode bypasses processing
- vibration-resistant design
- remote control included
Performance specifications:
- signal-to-noise ratio: 112 dB
- frequency response: 2-20,000 Hz (-3dB)
- total harmonic distortion: 0.003%
- dynamic range: 101 dB
Connections:
- Toslink optical digital output
- gold-plated stereo analog RCA output
- remote control input/output (for use with compatible receivers and amps)
Dimensions and warranty:
- 17-1/8"W x 4-1/4"H x 11-15/16"D
- weight: 8.8 lbs.
- warranty: 1 year
- MFR # DCD600NEBKE3
What's in the box:
Denon DCD-600NE owner's manual
- CD player
- Remote control (RC-1234)
- Two "AAA" batteries
- 47" Stereo RCA cable
- Owner's Manual on CD-ROM
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Information
- Safety Instructions
Reviews (119)
Customer reviews for Denon DCD-600NE
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More details on the Denon DCD-600NE
Features & specs
| General | ||
|---|---|---|
| Disc Capacity | 1 | |
| CD Transport Only | No | |
| Disc Exchange | N/A | |
| Track Programming | 25 | |
| Random Play | Yes | |
| Direct Track Access | Yes | |
| Direct Disc Access | N/A | |
| Networking Features | ||
| Network Music Streaming | No | |
| Ethernet Port | No | |
| Wi-Fi | No | |
| Remote | Included | |
| Parts Warranty | 1 Year | |
| Labor Warranty | 1 Year | |
| Compatibility | ||
| CD-R Playback | Yes | |
| CD-RW Playback | Yes | |
| Stereo SACD Playback | N | |
| Specifications | ||
| CD Frequency Response | 2-20,000 Hz | |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | 112 dB | |
| SACD Frequency Response | Not Compatible | |
| SACD Dynamic Range | Not Given | |
| SACD THD | Not Given | |
| Inputs | ||
| Digital Optical Input | No | |
| Digital Coaxial Input | No | |
| USB Type-A Input | No | |
| USB Type-B Input | No | |
| Outputs | ||
| Analog RCA Output | Yes | |
| Analog XLR Output | No | |
| Digital Optical Output | Yes | |
| Digital Coaxial Output | No | |
| Headphone Output | No | |
Product Research
Features
Disc Compatibility: The Denon DCD-600NE plays music CDs and can also play data CDs, including CD-R and CD-RW discs with MP3 and WMA audio tracks (48-320kbps; 32/44.1/48kHz in ISO9660). The player can recognize up to 256 folders and 512 files. The unit does not support song/artist/album info display of these music files.
Ultra-Precision 32-Bit/192kHz DAC: The DCD-600NE utilizes a ultra-precision 32-bit/192kHz DAC (digital-to-analog converter) for high accuracy playback and high quality sound reproduction with wide dynamic range, extremely low noise, and no distortion.
AL32 Processing: The DCD-600NE is equipped with AL32 Processing, a proprietary analog waveform reproduction technology from Denon. AL32 Processing utilizes data interpolation algorithms, which add in the points that should exist before and after large quantities of data, smoothing out the waveform and restoring information that was lost during the digital recording. The resulting playback is highly detailed, free of interferences, richly expressive in the lower range and beautifully faithful to the original sound. Listen to songs as the artist intended.
Advanced Circuitry with Minimized Signal Paths: The circuit patterns in the DCD-600NE are thoughtfully engineered to make signal paths as short as possible. With layered circuit boards and shorter circuits, the interference between circuits and left and right channels is reduced, and the adverse influences on audio signals are minimized. As a result, the circuit paths in the DCD-600NE reproduce sound that’s clean, highly transparent and faithful to the original recording.
Vibration-Resistant Design: Vibration-resistant design reduces the adverse audio effects of heavy components within amplifiers so that sound quality meets Denon standards. The power transformer is fitted immediately above the insulators to prevent unwanted vibration. By placing the transformer close to the foot, the vibration surrounding the chassis is reduced, resulting in pristine sound. This design is referred to as Direct Mechanical Ground Construction. With a metal bracket connecting the CD mechanism and chassis to the high-density feet, unwanted resonance is further reduced to deliver pristine sound. The DCD-600NE also features a metal chassis to achieve high mechanical stability to suppress vibration caused by disc rotation.
Pure Direct Mode: Listen with Pure Direct Mode on the DCD-600NE. Pure Direct Mode feeds sound directly to the connected receiver or amplifier, bypassing any processing that might otherwise color the signal. What you hear is clean, detailed, accurate sound. In Pure Direct mode, the display turns off and digital audio output stops. This reduces the source of noise that can adversely affect sound quality, enabling high quality playback.
Analog & Digital Outputs: The Denon DCD-600NE is outfitted with both analog and digital audio outputs to connect to your AV receiver, stereo receiver, preamplifier, or integrated amplifier. There is one analog stereo RCA output and one optical (toslink) digital output.
Front-Panel & Remote Control: The supplied IR remote control features an ergonomically-designed layout that includes a cursor keypad, number keypad and dedicated function buttons such as random, repeat, info and program. There are also push-button controls on the front-panel of the CD player to operate Power, Eject, Play/Pause, Stop, and Previous/Next Track. The remote will also operate Source and Volume functions of Denon's Design Series integrated amplifiers (such as the PMA-600NE, sold separately).
- Program Playback: From the remote control you can program up to 25 tracks for playback.
- Direct Search: You can enter a song track or music file directly using the remote's numeric keypad.
Front-Panel Display: The front-panel display indicates the disc's total tracks and total time, as well as the track number and track time, plus icons for random mode, repeat 1 and repeat all modes, and a folder icon for data discs. The unit does not support song/artist/album info display. The dimmer function features 3 levels of display brightness, adjustable via the remote control
IR In/Out: The Denon DCD-600NE is outfitted with an IR input (3.5mm) and IR output (3.5mm) for installing an optional IR repeater system (sold separately).
Auto-Standby: If there is no input signal or operation for approximately 30 minutes, the Denon CD player will automatically go into Standby mode.
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Customer Q&A
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I'm incrementally replacing my 25 y/o stereo gear which has served me well, but it's time for a change. The DCD-600NE replaces my old 5-disk Denon CD player (which still works well). It is a solid, no-frills unit which quietly goes about doing its job. I'm very happy with it.
Bart from Valley Park, MO