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The following review was originally written by Charles E. Synder III, and is being used by permission.
The DN-HD2500 by Denon DJ (part of D&M Professional) is a hard drive based digital media player. This “nerve center” readily lends itself to being the most pivotal piece of gear in your entire system. This very versatile unit will feel equally at home in a Mobile Disc Jockey’s rig, at a nightclub, or as a playback piece for band breaks or between acts on a stage. It also makes a fine source for audio playback at sporting events or various installations where continuous custom playlists or versatile music playback are necessary. It does all of this without the need for a separate CD or computer playback system.
On the other side of the coin, the HD2500 also makes integration with existing playback systems as seamless and quick as it can get! With 40GB internal storage capacity, the HD2500 can easily perform the task of backup should your external hard drives, dual CD deck, or computer performance system go on the fritz.
Denon’s design dream-team came out years ahead of the competition by actually incorporating a drive directly into the controller as well as making it fully compatible with external hard drives and as a controller for existing dual CD decks (such as the DN-D4500 and the DN-D4000 CD/MP3 players). The BU-4500 is also available for purchase as an add-on, if you don’t already own one of these CD players. Alternately, this unit can function in MIDI mode as a controller for various DJ playback software (both PC & Mac.)
The HD2500 controller was designed to mimic the the existing functionality of the DN-D6000 and DN-S1000 CD players. Those who are already familiar with either of these, will have a very short learning curve, making the transition a breeze. Users of other recent Denon players, should find it easy to learn as well.
The Denon DN-HD2500 was also awarded the CPSDJ Certified Product Seal in 2006. Additionally it is the official digital media player of the American Disc Jockey Association.
Personal Experience
While I only had a limited amount of time to play with one of these babies, I have to say that I was quite impressed with it. The unit itself is a bit chunky – thanks to the internal hard drive, the 24 bit Burr-Brown sound card and the mini display screen – but it is jam-packed full of useful functions.
The searching, cueing and mixing features offered by the unit made manipulating my .wav files a snap. The only real downside I could see was the fact that you cannot store a lot of lossless audio on the internal 40GB HDD. For lots of storage, you have resort to using .mp3 files, or switch to external hard drive use.
The “NLfx bloggerator guy” recommends using up to 4 external hard drives with an usb hub for your main music in .wav format, for the best quality. He also recommends using the internal hard drive with 320kps .mp3 files as an emergency backup, with your most essential tracks.
My continuing wish list also includes a means of identifying visually those tracks that were already played. (Perhaps in a later edition of the firmware they will address this.) I also would have much rather seen Firewire, rather than USB used as the device’s interface. (Considering the fact that the unit will likely be used as a stand alone in many cases with an external HDD, a keyboard and so on, it is understandable). Last but not least on my list of cons would be the location of the power button – located on the side of the unit, which would require removing it from the case in order to shut it off and reboot if the need ever arises.
Personal preferences aside, Denon did a helluva good job putting this thing together and from what I hear from other happy HD2500 owners, they wouldn’t trade it for the world. The quality is top-notch (which I hear is standard fair for Denon products), the device is extremely flexible/adaptable and it is also very intuitive to use – making it ridiculously easy for CD holdouts to make the transition nearly painless.
For the Denon DN-HD2500 I give 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Psst… Denon… Add a Firewire port and move the power button and you got 5 out of 5 stars!!!
Specifications and more information on the Denon DN-HD2500 are available here. It can also be purchased here.
The previous review was posted on Charles E. Snyder III’s blog in 2008. Portions of the article have been updated or re-written for use on the NLfx newsblog, with the permission of the original author.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The HD 2500 is a fantastic product. I typically work with a partner. The HD 2500 is on my side and PCDJ is on his side. I can usually find and cue up a song faster on the HD than he can on PCDJ.
And the HD is the newest of the 2 in our system.
In the market for one of these…liked the tutorial, but LOVED the live mix. Very helpful to see the features in action – plus gotta love Denon!
DJ KRIS
What can I say… I love these Denon products so much, I have the logo tatooed on me! LOL
Call me a fanboy if you want, but I really think Denon DJ has been hitting it out of the park in recent years with their CD players and now these new Digital Media players & controllers. Their innovations have helped shape my style and performance.
These have completely changed the game and bridged the gap from CD to Computer. I love the HD2500, as well as the HC4500, and the 5500. (although my precious retired dnd9000 CD player will always be close to my heart).
We have a 2500 with a bu4500 on every rig now.
These are fantastic for those moving over to hard drive based music, either as a main or as a backup. I also love how the unit has built in features and expandability so that it can act as its own backup, too. Options are great to have. Now if only Denon would make a step up that mimicked my favorite DND9000 features!
BTW, Thank you very much for the thorough review, Charles.