Whether it was analogue, or digital, the 5910CI sounded phenomenal. I've always loved the sound of Denon DVD players and receivers because I've found them to do some of the best work in DAC implementation in the industry regardless of price. This experience only reaffirmed my belief that Denon knows digital audio. While at first I was a bit perplexed that I was unable to discern audible differences, I soon realized that my AVR-5805 also employs the same PCM-1792 DACs and AL24 processing. Thus the best of the best has been implemented on both ends of the audio interface between the receiver and DVD player. When we conducted similar tests using an Oppo player, the results were certainly more obvious, especially with the mediocre PCM conversion audio performance we heard on that particular player. Suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised to find Denon was a master of all domains on this machine. Rest assured whatever audio connection method you use, you are in for the best achievable audio experience within the limits of the format being played back on this machine.

For the rest of my listening tests, I took full advantage of the Denon Link 3 connection between my AVR-5805 and the DVD-5910CI. What a treat to finally have all the major formats decoded digitally at the receiver with full bass management, time delay and channel trim optimization. Somebody pinch me as I waited so long for this day to come that I am still not convinced this isn't a dream.

SACD is truly where this player flexed its proverbial muscles. So many other universal players botch this area up due to lack of proper bass management and/or time delay integration or just plain old poor implementation.

I picked up some killer Jazz SACDs from the Jazz Depot . A particular favorite of mine is from High Note records kinda JAZZY kinda FUNKY which is a compilation of soul jazz that just gets your foot tapping. Track #7 "Peach Cobbler" by Bill Heid is my favorite on the disc. The combo of Bill's B-3 organ and Joe Magnarelli's trumpets sent tingles down my spine the first time I heard it. Despite the fact that it's only a 2CH recording, the soundstage is larger than life and the trumpets sound so real that I soon found myself in an audio nirvana coma that I didn't come out of until the 7+ minute song was over. The bass was extended and clean and I enjoyed the tactile response my riser platform extended to my chairs. This player certainly had an ability to accurately squeeze out all of the low frequency detail this disc had encoded. The DVD-5910CI played this disc masterfully. The background noise was virtually non-existent and the level of detail and clarity was just about as good as it gets short of the real thing (live un-amplified musical performance). I decided to play this track back using my AVR-5805's Pro Logic IIx Music Mode and the experience was even better. It truly sounded like a multi-channel recording. Thanks to Denon Link, the audio signal was kept in the digital domain even up to the post processing of PLIIx ensuring no sonic degradation. In the past, when I ran SACDs or DVD-Audio discs with players connected via analogue through my processors decoder, I heard perceivable sonic degradation from the extra conversion process. What a delight to now have the ability to apply post processing features to any audio format with no penalty to fidelity. If this isn't just cause for you to upgrade your processor to one with enabled IEEE1394 or Denon Link 3, I don't know what is. Most of my non-critical music listening these days is done in multi-channel regardless if the disc is only a 2CH recording.

I wanted to see what this player could do with a true 5.1 multi channel SACD recording so I fired up the Jaco Pastorius Big Band Word of the Mouth Revisited SACD. Jaco fans or fretless bass fanatics, this is a must have disc. Track #11 "Wiggle Waggle" is chock full of excellent bass lines, drums and trumpets to get your soul grooving. The DVD-5910CI confidently and faithfully rendered the full potential of this recording. I wasn't sure what was more amazing, the channel to channel separation or the amazing clarity and silky smooth details I was hearing from the instruments. It was easy to discern all of the instruments in this recording and separated me from my system and threw me into the performance. Track #13 "Continuum" had a bit higher noise floor in the recording but the dynamics and lack of compression were second to none. The reverb from the bass guitar was surreal. If you want to hear a great chill song, this is the one for you. Everything ties together nicely towards the end with some much fluidity.

After my very positive SACD listening session, I was eager to find out how the DVD-5910CI delivered on multi channel DVD-Audio. Thus I called upon some of the excellent recordings from AIX Records . Although they may not carry many mainstream artists, these are some of the highest quality multi-channel recordings I've ever heard. They lack the compression so commonly found today on many of the newer recordings. Lowen & Navarro Carry On Together is a shining example of how multi-channel should be done and if more of the mainstream recording engineers followed suit, DVD-Audio would likely be a more appealing format among audiophiles. "Cold Outside" is a breath of fresh air. I absolutely loved the unadulterated sound of the drums and can't recall more than a handful of recordings where they sounded so real and dynamic. The DVD-5910CI showed off its audio mettle to deliver what I call that "better than being there" experience. The vocals were crystal clear and the piano seemed to fill the soundstage way beyond the plane of the speakers. The MLP track was simply amazing. I later switched over to the DTS 96/24 track which was shot in HD video and presented in anamorphic video. The audio quality was still equally satisfying while the video was a true delight to my eyes. It's one thing to hear great fidelity but another to hear and see it of equal measure.

Lately I've been really getting into the concert DVD experience. It's one thing to have great audio surround you, but another to experience real footage of the band performing your favorite music. Some of my particular favorite concert DVDs with respect to audio and video quality, especially musical content range from artists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel and Pat Metheny.

Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live
This is an absolute "must have" DVD for all Peter Gabriel fans and IMO represents his pinnacle live performance not just because of his world renowned theatrics but because of the awesome musical talent he surrounded himself with, and excellent song selection and performance renditions.

This DVD opens with "Come Talk to Me" from his US CD. Manu Katché brings this song to new life with his amazing drumming, perhaps some of the finest I've heard in rock these days. The DTS soundtrack came across cleanly with relatively low levels of compression. The noise floor was very low, thanks to the awesome digital front end of the DVD-5910CI mated with the AVR-5805, allowing me to hear all of the subtle instrumental details Peter Gabriel and his band love to incorporate into his unique music. The most memorable and often repeated track on this disc was the last song on the disc and a classic for Peter Gabriel "In Your Eyes". Paula Cole delivers a stunning vocal performance along side Peter Gabriel and the song just keeps delivering stunning audio performance with an enveloping surround experience you lose yourself in for the full duration of the song. Although this DVD doesn't have the most pristine video quality, the DVD-5910CI processor enhancement and noise reduction features help improve picture quality. If you aren't a Peter Gabriel fan, I can confidentially assure you that you will be after experiencing this DVD on a truly excellent reference system with the DVD-5910CI at the heart of it.

If you are after the very best in a DVD playback system with respect to audio or video performance, look no further than the DVD-5910CI. Be cautioned that it takes the very best acoustically and light controlled room, high performance loudspeakers and amplification to realize the full potential of this machine. For best results, I wholeheartedly recommend pairing this DVD player with an AVR-5805CI receiver. This will allow you to take full advantage of the very best digital connectivity path - Denon Link 3 to handle all of your audio needs. Alternatively, I would advise choosing a processor with active IEEE1394. In my opinion, there is no good enough excuse NOT to take advantage of the full digital audio connectivity path that this machine offers. The only exception I can think of is if your processor has inferior DACs and/or bass management features in comparison, but at that point, I'd say its time to get a new processor. Sure you can pair this player with a "high end" processor via six analog connections and let the player handle bass management, but it would still be a second rate option compared to letting the AVR-5805CI or equivalent IEEE 1394 enabled processor handle it. While the DVD-5910CI offers about the best bass management system I've seen in a DVD player, it is still not up to the standard of a top notch processor or receiver. The proper place for signal management is at the processor, NOT the DVD player. This is the best way of ensuring optimal signal processing, time alignment, calibration, and channel level matching between source types. If you do choose to mate this DVD player with an esoteric processor that lacks IEEE 1394, then I'd suggest choosing one that allows for independent channel trim settings for different input or signal types.

Use this player in nothing but the finest of home theater installations and it will immensely reward its user (and the installer). Place it in a mediocre setup, and the user will likely not appreciate its capabilities over lower priced DVD players. For the ultimate audio and visual experience, this player comes with my highest recommendations!

Let's face it, the Denon DVD-5910CI isn't inexpensive. At $3,800 you can buy Denon's closest competitor (ironically their own DVD-3930CI) which has nearly the same guts and performance with their mating AVR-4306 receiver and still have $300 left over to purchase an XBOX 360 gaming system. On the flip side, you could spend nearly three times the asking price of the DVD-5910CI and get a poorly designed esoteric player in a fancy chassis from a so called "high-end" company with significantly lower audio and video performance and features. Welcome to the realm of high-end.

The Denon DVD-5910CI represents the pinnacle of DVD technology. Simply put, it has pushed the envelope of performance for conventional DVD and then some. Denon should never make a better standard definition player - there's really nothing else to improve upon at this point. If your install favors the audio side of the equation and you want the very best, than there really is no substitute to the DVD-5910CI. The ability to have all of its audio and video outputs simultaneously active is a custom installer's dream come true in terms of flexibility and configurability. Its implementation of the latest audio and video processing technologies and components, combined with its unsurpassed build quality makes the Denon DVD-5910CI a lone wolf in the high-end market of DVD dream machines.

If you want a player that also comes with everything but the kitchen sink, than this is for you. All you need now is a good popcorn machine and, unfortunately, Denon hasn't yet incorporated this feature into their flagship DVD players.