CD Player Denon DCD-1600NE

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-1600NE 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 accurately synchronize digital circuits, the DCD-1600NE’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-1600NE 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-1600NE 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.

The “simple & straight” design philosophy has been thoroughly implemented in all of the DCD-1600NE’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. Moreover, the power units for the digital and analogue 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.