Denon DP-500M Direct Drive Turntable?

WEEZ · « **on:** 16 Jul 2007, 05:13 pm »

Hey guys,

With all the talk lately regarding the Technics 1200 and KAB versions, etc., I have often wondered if anyone has any experience with the Denon turntable.

www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DP-500M-Turntable?sc=7&category=1110

It appears that the arm is the same (or similar) to the Technics; it appears to have some sort of damping on the underside of the platter; and it allows the use of your own cables so as to choose the capacitance. Wonder if it uses the same motor as the Technics?

It sells for a bit more than the Technics...but it looks a bit nicer..

WEEZ

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Jul 2007, 05:42 pm »

WEEZ,

It's AC Servo, not DC Servo like Matsushita's (as in Technics SL-1200 and JVC decks of yore). Denon has always had a very excellent, competing motor design to Matsushita's in the great TT wars of the late 70's and early 80's. The last time it really mattered on a grand volume scale when enormous resources were used in TT design by large makers in the game.

It's probably good, but the Denon decks DP-47 on had servo arms, that is oil or electrically damped in vertical and horizontal planes, and are likely fare better than this newest offering from Denon.

I'd rate the SL-1200 a better buy at similar cost because of the KAB upgrade path available for it without ever listening to it.

I don't think an additional rca junction is a good thing for meager cartridge voltages.....you're asking meager voltages to just over dissimilar metal, solder, crystal structures, et al at 5 mv or less. Over 40x less output than your CDP puts out. Minimal joints are the best joints for vinyl I've found

WEEZ · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Jul 2007, 07:14 pm »

Interesting, John. Thanks.

Didn't see where it said AC Servo anywhere. I'm always looking for recommendations for people who don't want to drop big bucks on lp playback, and the Denon looked like it might qualify.

WEEZ

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Jul 2007, 07:29 pm »

Yeah, I don't see that it says here and now....but the Denon's of old were AC Servo's. I don't know if that is better worse than Matsushita's, frankly....but I know a servo/Q-damp arm is better than one without, all in all. This new one does not have one, and there is no KABUSA to help improve it further

You can buy a well-cared for (as they were expsnive in their day and look classy, many of them were taken good care or in intervening years) 20-year-old model DP-47 (I think the better series starts here) and up with Servo arms and solid construction.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #4 on:** 17 Jul 2007, 03:39 pm »

WEEZ, et al,

Assuming the item works and comes in without damage from Rhode Island, someone is gonna' get a fine player in this Denon now on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Denon-DP-47F-Audiophile-turntable-full-rosewood-model_W0QQitemZ250143444929QQihZ015QQcategoryZ3283QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's Bi-directional Servo (even tighter speed accuracy) and Servo Damped tonearm will give anyone many more smiles for half as much as the newer DP-500 model from them. This is from an era when Denon cared (much of their revenue were TT's and cartridges) about TT's...now it's just about filling up the product line for full-line dealers to buy something from them to meet minimum order requirements

Compact shape is nice for space-tight living arrangements