How do people feel the 9600 stands against the Denon 3910, strickly for sound quality?

I owned a Denon 2900 for several years before changing to the Marantz 9600 last month.

The Denon 2900 was a good all around player and I was quite happy with it's performance sonically and visually. I was upgrading all my other gear and decided to change universal players as well. I looked and listened to the 3910 briefly, but passed on it in favor of the 5910.

Ultimately my choice was between Denon 5910 and the Marantz 9600. I chose the 9600 as it was less money and I was able to have it "modified" for what I would have paid for a new 5910 CI.

I'm about a month into the player and am really enjoying the audio side. I also recently purchased a plasma tv so I haven't really had the opportunity to see how the 9600 performs as a dvd player. Break in... But so far I am happy.

I've posted earlier in this thread a comparison of the 3910 (stock) and the 9600. The Marantz wins in my book on all accounts except for user interface and build quality. The 9600 just sounds more analog in both redbook and 2 channel SACD (DVD-A seemed a tie), and it's mch outputs are at least on par if not slightly better.

In my case, however, I recently sold my 9600 in favor of a Modwright 3910 (modded tube analog stage) and it's much better (at 2 channel...and video too, due to separate power supply and Bybees). But then it should be...more $$ and more expensive parts.

How do people feel the 9600 stands against the Denon 3910, strickly for sound quality?

I'll agree with the posts above. I had the Denon 5900 before my Marantz and the over all sound quality is better in terms of warmth and presence. I also use the Marantz for movie soundtracks. If you can, arrange to try it out in your system.

Thanks for everyones input. I have my eye on the new Denon 3930 player as well, but again audio perforance is my preference.

I have B&W Nautilus speakers and Bryston power amps. I hope to audition the Marantz with a system similar to mine. Out of six Marantz dealers I contacted up here in Ontario, Canada only one had one in stock.

Thanks again to all.

I have recently bought the dv9600 as well and will be using it with B&W nautilus speakers (HMT2, 805 and SCM1). The amplifying will be done with my pioneer ax10. The projector is Marantz vp12s3 and my TV-screen is an loewe sl32 LCD.

I have had it home for a week or so, and compared it to pioneer 989ai before purchase, both on my LCD-screen and the vp12s3.

I upgraded from an pioneer 757ai and the difference in picture quality between both the 989 and 9600, as compared to my old 757ai was quite astonishing. The progressive picture on my LCD-screen was much more 3d like, solid and punchy from both players. I think there was a slight advantage to the marantz over component, as the colors were slighty more neutral and real and there were less jaggies. On my projector the dv9600 also had a slight edge in PQ, mostly due better scaling and de-interlacing I guess. I also felt the picture were sharper on the marantz without introdcuing halos or other artifacts, but I´m not rellay sure (as I didnt compare them side by side). However the 989 was also superb and must be a real steal at its lower pricepoint with, lets say 90% of the PQ for almost half the price.

Soundwise I felt the 989 was an improvement (although small) as compared to my old 757ai. It had the same bright, somewhat thin sound-character and I did not consider it a good match to my nautilus speakers. The marantz was significantly better and had a more lush, sweet and warm signature to it with more impact and dynamics. On detail and imaging they were alsmost the same, perhaps slighty more details on the marantz, but both players were very good in that department in my book.

I settled for the marantz mostly due to sound-quality, but the difference in color-estetics, the slighty better scaling and deinterlacing and the future-proof 1080p possibilty also tipped the scale in favour to the marantz even though it was more expensive. The seamless layer change was a nice extra...

Just wanted to share my impression, and I hope it helps someone looking into buying that last good DVD-multiformat player.

My DV9600 had to go back due to a bad transport. It couldn't read or play certain discs that play on other players. It had a ton of trouble with the AVIA calibration disc. So, I packed it up and sent it to Marantz's service provider, Service Wide Technologies. They had to wait a week or so for the parts which, they thought, was atypical. They promptly replaced the mechanism and had it back to me within two and half weeks of me shipping it to them. They also told me that it was the first one they have received for repair. It came back packaged better than when I originally bought it.

I reinstalled the player last night, did a very quick calibration and enjoyed MI:III. This time it played the AVIA disc effortlessly.

My unit is a November 2005 build that I bought around Christmas last year.

Is this non-HD universal player still the best overall at or near it's price point (admittedly high) for audio as well as video?

I cannot tell you if it is the best at or near its price point, but I can tell you that I absolutely love the audio and video quality of this player. The one gripe I have is that it does not display "time remaining".

Is this non-HD universal player still the best overall at or near it's price point (admittedly high) for audio as well as video?

Another alternative is the Arcam DV139, if you're looking for the best at this price-point. While the Marantz DV9600 uses the excellent scaling technology from DVDO, the Arcam DV139 uses DVDO technology in both the deinterlacing and scaling departments. As for the sound, well, it's an Arcam. While the DV139 hasn't been released yet, it will be a good idea to demo both and use your eyes and ears to judge.

Is this non-HD universal player still the best overall at or near it's price point (admittedly high) for audio as well as video?

I am quite pleased with mine. Picture quality is excellent. The audio is great for all formats although I still prefer my Sony ES CD player for redbook CDs. The HDMI passes 480i to 1080p. All in all, it's a terrific transport with the flexibility to mesh with almost any system.

hi, last few weeks i had been enjoying the 9600 over its sound and pics. i hooked it up via hdmi to my Marantz 12s4 720p projector with the onboard Gennum video processor.
the 9600 allow 480i/720p/1080i to be passed to the projector. anyone find any difference in pic quality? should i use the 480i if the gennum suppose to have better video processing? what about 4:2:2 YcbCr or 4:4:4 or RGB normal or expand? my objective is to best explore the full processing ability of the player and projector.

Is this non-HD universal player still the best overall at or near it's price point (admittedly high) for audio as well as video?

No, the Onkyo SP1000 has significantly better build quality, GUIs and sound quality all around than the Marantz.

I had the Onkyo with buggy audio, returned it and got the Marantz, and then returned it and got a new Onkyo because it's so much better in so many ways.

hi, last few weeks i had been enjoying the 9600 over its sound and pics. i hooked it up via hdmi to my Marantz 12s4 720p projector with the onboard Gennum video processor.
the 9600 allow 480i/720p/1080i to be passed to the projector. anyone find any difference in pic quality? should i use the 480i if the gennum suppose to have better video processing? what about 4:2:2 YcbCr or 4:4:4 or RGB normal or expand? my objective is to best explore the full processing ability of the player and projector.

I'm using mine with a DVDO VP-50 which means that the scaling is somewhat redundant. I send 480i to the VP-50 at 4:2:2 YCbCr. Check out the Secrets review for plenty of detail on this unit's strength as a stand-alone player or simply a digital transport.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=127#MarantzDV9600%20Universal%20DVD%20Player

I cannot tell you if it is the best at or near its price point, but I can tell you that I absolutely love the audio and video quality of this player. The one gripe I have is that it does not display "time remaining".

Ditto on all of the above, especially the "time remaining" gripe. It's proving to be more of a nuisance than I expected. Every time we're watching something and my wife asks me how much of the movie is left, I have to remind her that the player won't tell. And then she asks me how much I paid for it.....

I can't believe they can't/won't do a firmware update for this.

How does the 9600 compare to the Denon DVD 2930? Any advantages - disadvantages? I'm trying to choose between the two as i can get the 9600 second hand at about the price of the 2930.

Thanks

I am thinking of getting a DV9600 to replace my Panasonic s77. Do you guys think this is a good idea, or is the s77's picture superior? What video benifits would i gain going from the s77 to the dv9600... if any at all.

I've been searching for a way to make this player region free. Are there any downloadable firmwares out there a la Denon players?

I've been searching for a way to make this player region free. Are there any downloadable firmwares out there a la Denon players?

i've been wondering the same thing, i have a ton of korean movies that would play in my oppo but not can't watch. i've been searching for a while and have found nothing. if i do find something i'll send you a PM.

How does the 9600 compare to the Denon DVD 2930? Any advantages - disadvantages? I'm trying to choose between the two as i can get the 9600 second hand at about the price of the 2930.

Thanks


Just recently purchased a demo Marantz DV-9600 after comparing it to the Denon 2930. The Denon sounded mid-fi and had a flat presentation compared to the Marantz. The Marantz is much more analog sounding with much greater depth and air around the instruments. If you can purchase the Marantz for the same price as the Denon, get the Marantz. Picture quality is slightly better on the Marantz with better reliability and warranty over the Denon.

Just recently purchased a demo Marantz DV-9600 after comparing it to the Denon 2930. The Denon sounded mid-fi and had a flat presentation compared to the Marantz. The Marantz is much more analog sounding with much greater depth and air around the instruments. If you can purchase the Marantz for the same price as the Denon, get the Marantz. Picture quality is slightly better on the Marantz with better reliability and warranty over the Denon.

Agreed and congratulations on the good purchase.

Has anybody used the 9600 via firewire (i-link) to a receiver like the SR9600 for SACD and DVD-Audio? Also, a curiosity,can you apply 7.1 DPL IIx surround to SACD and DVD-Audio transmitted to the receiver via i-link firewire? Just wondering, as it would be neat.

My $.02. I would NEVER apply DSP to a hirez signal path. Defeats the purpose of working so hard to get to 24/96, 24/192 or DSD in the first place.

My $.02. I would NEVER apply DSP to a hirez signal path. Defeats the purpose of working so hard to get to 24/96, 24/192 or DSD in the first place.

While I agree, again, really, I am just curious if it works. Just another thing to play and tinker with. It would be interesting to hear SACD and DVD-Audio in 7.1 and judge the audio quality of that method too.

At least using the i-link firewire connection for SACD and DVD-Audio you can use the receiver's internal crossover and speaker distance and size settings, correct?

Just bought the Marantz DV9600. Wow, It is much better compared to my SDI Moded Denon 2910. Since Marantz Provides a pure 480i signal over the HDMI, hence I am Feeding 480i over HDMI to the DVDO VP50. The Video is Marvellous. I Wouldn't go for a SDI Mod.

I had Marantz DV9600 and Denon 3930 in my Watch List. I preferred the Marantz over the Denon after reading online reviews about the sound quality which Marantz produced. Well It definetly is true, the sound quality is Just Perfect and Beats the Denon 2910 all around. No more harshness when the volume is Increased on my Lexicon Receiver, which was the case with Denon2910.

Denon seems to have put a lot into the Video section, however with lots of Video Scalers available It would seem just if the Audio section was dealt with priority, but that's only based on online reviews.

Any body with similar experience???

Has anyone heard both the DV9500 and the DV9600? Is there any audio difference between these two models on the multichannel analog outs?

I have both. Analog outs are the same. The DV9600 is better for DVD-Video Upsampling and added the i-link (firewire) for SACD and DVD-A external decoding.

I love the performance of my 9600. Even though it has great internal scaling, I send 480i to a DVDO VP50pro and the picture has kept me out of the HDDVD vs Blu-ray rat race. The 9600 is a great transport.

On the audio side, I currently have two issues. They may have been discussed in this thread but it has been awhile. First, the subwoofer channel is set too low for DVD-A and SACD with no internal mechanism to give it the 10 db boost it needs. Dropping the other five channels and increasing the sub channel in the level menu kind of works, but robs the sound of its power. Second, for some reason, the bass management for SACD is not working. I have SACD set to convert to PCM but I get no bass from the subwoofer when playing a stereo SACD. The BM works for CD and DVD-A. Is anyone else experienceing this?

Despite these problems, the sound is great.

I have the same issue with my 9500 with the sub being 10dB too low. I don't adjust in the player but in my processor. I set my sub to the correct volume when all the channels on the 9500 are set to 0dB. When I listen to any other source I have my processor sub channel set to -10dB.
If I'm remembering correctly the bass management does not function with stereo SACD, but does with multi-channel. I'll check again this weekend.

Thanks for all the posts so far. Hopefully a few more people can leave their comments.

Thanks,
James

Hello Everyone,

Does anyone know a way to hook up our Marantz DV-9600 using the Firewire connector to a home theater preamp that doesn't have one? I use an Outlaw Model 990 processor and it would be nice to use the Firewire output of the Marantz to eliminate jitter and only use the one cable. Thanks in advance for the help.

Slbenz

Hello Everyone,

Does anyone know a way to hook up our Marantz DV-9600 using the Firewire connector to a home theater preamp that doesn't have one? I use an Outlaw Model 990 processor and it would be nice to use the Firewire output of the Marantz to eliminate jitter and only use the one cable. Thanks in advance for the help.

Slbenz
For what do you want to use the firewire for? HI-Res multichannel? The DAs in the Marantz should be much higher quality than those in the outlaw. I'd use the analog out into the processor and bypass all processing in the Outlaw.
Maybe I misunderstood you questions....

For what do you want to use the firewire for? HI-Res multichannel? The DAs in the Marantz should be much higher quality than those in the outlaw. I'd use the analog out into the processor and bypass all processing in the Outlaw.
Maybe I misunderstood you questions....


Exactly. I would like to use the Firewire connector for hi-rez and Redbook to use the anti-jitter elimination built into the Marantz and would bypass the Outlaw processor. Also using the Firewire would eliminate the need for all those RCA interconnects. I currently have my Marantz connected via its analog outs bypassing the Outlaw's internal DACs. Wondering if the anti-jitter feature in the Marantz would be worth the time to try it. Trying to find out if there is a way to connect the Firewire output to a processor that doesn't have a Firewire input.

Exactly. I would like to use the Firewire connector for hi-rez and Redbook to use the anti-jitter elimination built into the Marantz and would bypass the Outlaw processor. Also using the Firewire would eliminate the need for all those RCA interconnects. I currently have my Marantz connected via its analog outs bypassing the Outlaw's internal DACs. Wondering if the anti-jitter feature in the Marantz would be worth the time to try it. Trying to find out if there is a way to connect the Firewire output to a processor that doesn't have a Firewire input.

Well, I replaced the Outlaw with a Pioneer VSX-74TXVi receiver with iLink. Sounds much better and the jitter free transfer system works very well. The Pioneer used as a preamp makes connecting very easy. No more multiple RCA interconnects.

Hi to all pround DV9600 owners,

I might have missed the answer from the previous pages.
Does anyone know the difference between the DVD-A mode and the DVD-V mode under the option Player Mode in the Set Up Menu?
Thanks in advance.

Hi to all pround DV9600 owners,

I might have missed the answer from the previous pages.
Does anyone know the difference between the DVD-A mode and the DVD-V mode under the option Player Mode in the Set Up Menu?
Thanks in advance.

DVD-A mode means the player will play the high resolution audio track on a DVD-A disc. DVD-V means that it plays the Dolby Digital track on a DVD-A. It doesn't make any difference on a DVD-V disc so just leave it on DVD-A.

Hi everybody,

Is there any update firmware for DV9600?

Thanks a lot.

Sorry, I have not heard of any.