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View Full Version : How does the Denon DN-HS 5500 stack up today?



CC Ricers
03-21-2012, 11:22 PM
I used to have a vinyl/DVS setup, sold it due to financial troubles and I'm going back to mixing, but with CDs this time. I would like my setup to not always depend on a computer but still be able to play every track I want on a whim. Currently I'm not in the market for a HS-5500 and won't be for a while but its feature set has gotten my interest and think it would be a nice way to upgrade from what I have now (CDJ 200) or at least add it as a complement.

It seems like the firmware has taken care of the kinks by now, and I've seen some pretty nice deals on one, especially since you can mess with just one and its double track feature. I don't see why I should buy the 3700 over this other than perhaps the larger platter and waveform display. Pity that such a nice big screen on the 5500 doesn't have it but it's no biggie for me. Any particular problems I should watch out for? Also, can you store music in both a hard drive and the add-on CD drive or can you only have one or the other?

ampnation
03-22-2012, 02:41 AM
The HS5500 is discontinued and Denon doesn't seem to have a very good website when it comes to discontinued/vintage gear. I guess they figure the forum handles that function??

At any rate, PSSL has some info even though they are no longer offering the product.
http://www.pssl.com/Denon-DN-HS5500-Direct-Drive-Media-PlayerControlr

From this, it appears you can install the optional CD drive or optional hard drive in the front loading slot, but not both. It isn't completely clear.

As far as the dual layer/dual output feature, I would only use that if I were a wedding DJ vs. a club or other "performance" style DJ. Even then, I'd probably go for something else but I love Denon and I've purchased a couple of their discontinued items too and couldn't be happier. I got excellent deals and the features I wanted were no longer available on current products.

frandomeda
03-24-2012, 12:12 PM
I had one of those and sold it. It was alright.. But eh i felt it was kind of buggy even with new firmware.