Denon’s New Dn-D4000 Offers “World’s First” Technologies For Mp3 Playback In A Double Cd Unit
(Denon | Posted 2003-04-23)
Denon has announced the launch of its DN-D4000 Double CD Player featuring advanced CD and MP3 playback support and enhanced user control. This latest unit in Denon’s popular line of DJ products introduces several “world’s first” technologies for professional CD players, giving increased possibilities over program and real-time audio functions. Continuing its support of the latest innovations in digital and analog technologies, Denon’s new DN-D4000 offers many of the enhanced features afforded by today’s MP3- encoded CD-ROM discs. Topping the list of features is the inclusion of support for Variable Bit Rate and Constant Bit Rate (VBR and CBR) MP3 playback, as well as File/Folder search, “.M3U” Play List compatibility, and ID3-Tag display allowing Artist, Album, and Title information to be shown on both of the unit's highly-visible FL-tube displays. Similarly, the DN-D4000 is able to display CD Text imbedded within CD and CD-R/RW discs, enabling instant recognition of playback information by the user. A reliable Shock-Proof Memory of 10 seconds for CD and 100 seconds for MP3s ensures uninterrupted audio playback in unstable environments.
Denon’s DN-D4000 is able to create and store two Hot Start and two Stutter Cue Points per drive (A-1, A-2) for seamless, on-the-fly, real-time momentary audio playback and Cue Point sampling abilities for same-track remixing effects. The unit also has the ability to create two Seamless Loops per drive by jumping from one Cue Point (A-1) to another (A-2) for realtime loop playback maneuvers. Also included is Denon’s Brake Effect, which can be used in Brake mode to simulate the STOP function of a standard DJ turntable. Furthermore, each drive can store up to 300 Track Memos allowing Cue Points, Playback Pitch, Pitch Range, and Seamless Loops to be saved in memory for future recall. 10 Disc Memo points can be assigned to MP3-encoded discs for instantaneous playback of program material, as with standard compact discs, without the unit having to process the MP3 disc information.
The DN-D4000 comes complete with a host of Denon’s acclaimed disc control playback options. Along with the ability for momentary Pitch Bend adjustments (±18%) for fine tuning beats for beat mixing and an overall Pitch Control (±4%, ±10%, ±16%), a unique Jog Bend function facilitates extreme playback speeds (adjustable via the inner Jog Wheel) of -35% to +50%. The familiar and intuitive front-panel interface of the unit includes a convenient 1x/10x Rotary Track Select Knob for manual selection of tracks, a 50mm Jog/Shuttle wheel for fast, precise cueing of selected audio, and illuminated transport-style controls with tactile feedback. Program Play of up to 25 tracks per disc with storage for programmed playback for up to 3 discs per drive is also provided along with Repeat Play (Track Repeat, Disc Repeat) and Relay Play for playing tracks from drive to drive automatically. A Fader Start function provides playback control of both drives via cross fader manipulation on compatible fader start mixers, and is able to engage four different Cue points by simply moving the fader. In addition, a convenient Power On Play function can be used for unattended startup of continuous playback of two CDs when used in conjunction with an external timer.
Other user feedback features on the DN-D4000 include bright disc tray LEDs that light when disc trays are open to provide a visual warning in low-light environments, a 10-segment track time display providing at-a-glance track playback position, and an EOM end of track alert. An auto-protect Sleep function shuts down the drive mechanisms after extended periods of inactivity for CD mechanism longevity. Additionally, the unit has digital S/PDIF output for direct digital dubbing or connection to a compatible outboard processor or mixer. The DN-D4000 is also supports future firmware upgrades via CD-ROM disc.
The new DN-D4000 is currently available with a suggested retail price of $699.00.
