Denon DCD-1800R
The Denon DCD-1800R was a top-tier CD player from the mid-1980s. It cost $949 with its RC-1800 wireless remote control, which was a lot of money for a consumer digital player then. High Fidelity (December 1985, p.37) ran a full test report on it. The unit measures 18¼ by 4 inches (front panel) and 12 inches deep, plus 2½ inches of clearance for the rear heat sink. Nippon Columbia Company, Ltd. built it in Japan, and Denon America distributed it in the U.S. with a one-year limited warranty.
The DCD-1800R had a CD cartridge system, described in Audio (October 1985, p.128). The same Audio piece noted that Denon had been working with digital recording and related technology since 1969. It also said the DCD-1800R had "all the bells and whistles of a top-drawer player."
Ads from the period ran in High Fidelity, Audio, and HiFi/Stereo throughout 1985. They said the DCD-1800 used a hand-tuned direct-digital-to-analog converter, and that Denon's was the only such converter individually adjusted for reduced distortion. The same ads boasted that Audio magazine in Germany had chosen Denon over Philips and Revox as its reference CD player. That is advertising, not independent review, but it shows how Denon wanted to position this model.
Little else is documented on the DCD-1800R beyond the test-report specs and the magazine coverage summarized here.
Known Specifications
- Price: $949 (including RC-1800 wireless remote)
- Dimensions: 18¼" × 4" (front panel), 12" deep plus 2½" rear clearance
- Warranty: One year, limited, parts and labor
- Manufacturer: Nippon Columbia Company, Ltd., Japan
- U.S. Distributor: Denon America, Inc., Fairfield, N.J.
- Remote: RC-1800 wireless remote control (included)
- Disc loading: CD cartridge system
- D/A converter: Hand-tuned Direct Digital-to-Analog (per period advertising)
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