Home Theater System Info – Home Theater Information and Review

Denon DCM 290 CD CD R RW 5 Disc Changer

With audiophile grade digital-to-analog converters, the audio from CD media comes through precise, pure, and clear of distortion for extremely pleasing sound. Denon DCM-290 uses an easy to load and highly dependable CD mechanism that lets you load up to 5 CDs at a time. The DCM-290 lets you program up to 32 tracks from the five or fewer CDs loaded in the player. In addition, you have selectable random and repeat play modes. The DCM-290 will play all commercially available CD recordings plus CDR and CDRW recordings made on a component CD recorder or computer drive. As such, it will also play MP3 and WMA files that were downloaded from websites. Overall, the DCM-290 offers the sound performance you’ve come to enjoy from Denon along with the comforting convenience of being able to sit back and enjoy up to 5 CDs continuously. 3 Mode random playback Coaxial Digital Output Intelligent Disc Scan 20 Track Music Calendar Display 32 Track program memory Front panel headphone jack Remote controlled volume up/down Unit Dimensions WHD – 17.1 x 4.5 x 15.4 / Weight – 12.6 pounds Denon USA 1-Year Limited Warranty Includes Remote Control

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent CD/MP3 player
I am very impressed with the quality of the system. I have tried playing CDs and MP3 disks and it works very well. The first player amazon.com shipped had a mechanical fault, but amazon.com promptly replaced it.

2 Stars Shoddy operation makes this an unattractive choice
I haven’t been happy with this changer. It’s not consistent with Denon’s past history as a maker of quality components. The ability to play MP3 CDRW discs is nice. It’s also nice to be able to change the other 4 discs while 1 disc continues to play.

However, a few points make this an annoying choice. Firstly, the unit is slow to operate. The disc changing motor is slow. And you cannot cue up multiple “next disc” commands to cycle through the discs, which again makes cycling through your discs slow as you wait for each individual disc.

But even more annoying is that the “Disc Sequential Random Play” operation (listed on page 10 of the manual) doesn’t even work! I’ve spent hours trying to convince Denon’s technical support that there’s a problem with their firmware, but to no avail. They only insist that it’s a problem with my particular unit. This being after they admit that they don’t even have a DCM-290 unit at their site to test! Last time I was at Best Buy, I tested the DCM-290 they had on display — guess what? — same problem. Basically, this unit has bug in its software, and Denon refuses to fix it. But of course, Denon cheerfully continues to sell it!

So, if you don’t mind a slow changer that won’t cue commands, and a player that only performs some of the functions listed in its manual… Well, maybe this is the product for you. But if you’re truly looking for a quality CD changer, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

5 Stars Denon DCM-290
The DCM-290 is a solid 5-disk CD changer for a home entertainment center. I have yet to run into problems and I have owned the product for seven months. The rotator tray seems a little flimsy but CDs fits snuggly and has never got caught off track. Remote programming quickly corresponds with the unit control panel for easy and dependable use.

4 Stars Denon 290 CD Player
This player makes my old Sony look like a clumsy tank. I enjoy it except for one problem. Scratched cds won’t play. But they play fine on the boom box in the kitchen! I thought that a garage sale boom box wouldn’t be able to read cds better than the Denon, but I was wrong.

1 Star denon dcm – 290
As a long time purchaser of Denon products I would not buy another Denon product. I purchased a Denon DCM – 290 Cd changer. It stopped working after 13 months. I contacted Denon, they said I could send it to one of their authorized repair places, but it would not be repaired free of charge since it was over the one year warranty period. I just received a call from the repair shop. They told me that the disk table and much of the inside had to be replaced and would cost $258 which is more than the $249 I paid for it new. Unfortunately Denon no longer makes reliable products.

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