Pure Signal Transmission For DVD-Audio Playback

Denon Electronics is among the very few companies to address the long-standing need for a high-resolution digital audio interface, given the availability of very high-quality audio playback sources including DVD-Audio and SACD for nearly three years. The foot-dragging to make a standardized high-resolution digital audio connector a reality has come from the content providers, who have demanded a secure, stringent copy protection protocol. In the absence of a standardized high-quality connection solution, Denon has developed their proprietary Denon Link, which is currently available with the DVD-9000 DVD-Audio/Video player and the AVR-5803 home theatre receiver (or the upgraded AVR-5800). Refer to Issue 68, January 2003 for the in-depth reviews of these components.

Denon Link

The interface for the Denon Link is an RJ-45 port. With the Denon Link, DVD-Audio can be passed from playback source to receiver without conversion to analog until the final output stage. A proprietary encryption approach is used to keep the data secure between components. Another key advantage of a digital transmission for high-resolution audio is that full bass management and loudspeaker time-distance compensation can be applied, in this case from the receiver. In addition to DVD-Audio, the Denon Link can pass PCM audio from DVD-Video and CD, as well as Dolby® Digital and DTS® Digital Surround™. Furthermore, the availability of a single digital linkup replaces the current need for six analog cables.

Denon began shipping the DVD-9000 and AVR-5803 before the “4C” licensing group for DVD-Audio approved the transmission protocol. As a result, DVD-Audio with copyrighted content greater than 48 kHz/16-bit would not pass through the Denon Link. With the 4C approval, the interface is now known as the Denon Link SE (Second Edition). Denon has begun upgrading existing DVD-9000s and AVR-5803s. The update is to the firmware, and the servicing needs to be performed by Denon. For more information, visit www.usa.denon.com.

Setup

Denon provides a special RJ-45 Cat. 5 cable with the DVD-9000 player (a standard Cat. 5 patch cable will not work). The setup procedure is very simple. Connect the Denon Link cable to the DVD player and the receiver. Then, activate the Denon Link through the on-screen menus for both components. For the receiver, specify which source is to use the linkup. Finally, from the receiver, make sure that channel output levels are balanced (the levels are independently set for Denon Link/multichannel input playback). The receiver applies its global settings for bass management and loudspeaker time-distance compensation.

Using the Denon Link, I found the ability to use a fully featured bass management system in the receiver particularly useful. DVD-Audio players typically have very limited bass management capability, if at all. And there’s no guarantee either that time-distance compensation will work properly, not to mention flexibly, from a DVD player.

Performance

I compared the performance for DVD-Audio using the Denon Link and analog multichannel interfacing. Immediately, what I noticed was a subtle presence in background hiss with the analog connections, whereas with the Denon Link the hiss simply disappeared. As a result, playback through the Denon Link exhibited a slightly greater sense of dynamic clarity with soft, gentle sounds. The onset of music instruments in the midst of transient yet apparent silence seemed a little more compelling when I listened through the Denon Link.

The DVD-9000 player uses somewhat higher-quality DAC devices than those used for the AVR-5803 receiver. I therefore expected the DVD-9000 to produce a slightly more refined sonic rendition, and this turned out to be the case. I noticed that at the midrange and higher frequencies, the tonality sounded slightly more “open” and articulate. It seemed as if the music was able to “breathe” a little more. The “killer” application for the Denon Link would be a new surround processor with the same DACs as the DVD-9000.

Conclusion

Denon deserves a great deal of credit for the development of an interfacing solution for high-resolution audio, one that is much-needed in the high-end consumer electronics industry. The Denon Link exhibited a noticeable advantage in audio performance, a result of simply preserving the signal in its digital origination as much as possible, and further convincing me of the need for the timely, widespread availability of high-quality audio interfacing. Of course, this will finally allow for the seamless integration of a full complement of tried-and-true setup protocols for full audio system optimization.