Denon DN-951FA Professional Broadcast Quality CD Player

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Important Notes:
• This unit only has analog and digital XLR and AES/EBU type outputs, and requires a CD caddy to function.
• One Denon offical ACD-5B CD caddy is included with this listing.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Better

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Best

Kimber Kable - Digital AES/EBU (XLR Connector) Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Better

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Best

More from Denon:

"Considered the performance standard for broadcast CD players, the Denon DN-951FA and DN-961FA models combine true professional grade construction with a full complement of user features. Identical in most respects except for the tray-loading system, these two models serve as the workhorse CD players in thousands of radio stations and other professional audio installations around the world.

The DN-951FA CD is the cart version, offering top reliability when the CD media is subject to rough handling (for example, in the DJ booth, control room, and similar environments). Housed in a secure cart, the CD media is protected from inadvertent damage, especially surface scratches.

The DN-961FA is the tray-loading version, featuring quick load/unload just like a conventional CD player, and is the ideal choice when the CD media isn’t subject to abusive handling."

"Back in the the late 1980s when it was first introduced in the broadcast marketplace, the DN-951A was an excellent digital replacement for the old analog audio tape cartridge machines.

By placing the relatively fragile compact disc inside a protective cartridge housing, it allowed those discs to be used in a very busy on air control room/studio without the worry of playback errors due to scratches, dirt, and fingerprints on the CDs creating all sorts of glitches, dropouts, skipping, etc.

The DN-951A was very easy for non-technically minded air talent to do their shows without audible technical issues interrupting the flow of the show."

Please see our photos and the linked manual + service manual below for full technical details.

Denon DN-951FA CD Cart Player Manual + Service Manual

The SkyFi Testing Process for CD Players:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. When the unit is first powered on we check the drawer mechanism function.

After the visual inspection we connect the CD Player’s RCA outputs to our Sencore PA81 Power Analyzer which simulates a real world input impedance and allows us to monitor the output on an oscilloscope. We start with a test CD with precision test signals to verify proper output on both channels. If the CD player has balanced outputs these are also tested at this time. If this check passes, we move onto evaluation with actual music CDs. We listen for clicks, skips, and drops during playback. At this time we also check the transport functions including skip, ff, rw, play, pause, repeat, and programming if applicable. If the unit has a remote control, all remote control functions are verified.

If the CD player is capable of SACD playback we test its ability to read SACD layers on multiple discs including standard and hybrid SACDs. At this time we also check the unit’s digital outputs where applicable. If SACD layers are being properly read we should see the digital outputs mute during playback. On redbook CD playback we verify that each digital output maintains proper lock on our bench DAC.

After bench testing is completed, CD players are set up for testing on our long term test rig. During extended testing we make sure that unit can play through several different discs from beginning to end with no skips or lock ups.