Denon DP-62L on the way (IS HERE!)

usp1 · « **on:** 1 Feb 2013, 02:48 am »

I just bought a Denon DP-62L turntable with an S-arm and at440MLA cartridge. The seller has apparently changed the headshell and says that the arm will need a new counterweight. The current weight is in his description "the middle one". Any ideas where I can get the right counterweight or a suitable alternative? He is going to send me the old headshell as well, so I may be able to work with the single counterweight.

Also is the cartridge a good match for this table? Thanks for any help/advice.

JackD · « **Reply #1 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 04:02 am »

As that table has electronic damping you can use just about anything within reason on it and the 440ml will be fine. As to the counterweight if you look at this completed listed from Ebay over the weekend you will see the complete listing of everything that should have come with the DP-62L when knew including the three different counterweights. If he was using the table with that headshell, cartridge and counterweight you should be fine. If the other headshell is the Denon one it may or may not be close to the same weight so you won't know if it will work until you get it and weigh it against the other one. If it is lighter you can add weight and if it is slightly heavier you may still o.k. so don"t worry about things that you can't control until you get the table in your hand. The middle counterweight should be fine with most normal headshells and cartridge.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-DP62L-DP-62L-ALL-Parts-S-Wand-Original-Box-New-Grado-Gold-Cartridge-/130840025222?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEDWX%3AIT&nma=true&si=T6PB0ypJjWX4tpopjBvkC3Y2RuA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

usp1 · « **Reply #2 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 05:42 am »

Yeah. I saw that. I only have the S-shaped arm and a single weight. YOu are right I should wait to see if I need anything more. But it appears that the weights are hard to find hence the anxiety.

MaxCast · « **Reply #3 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 11:40 am »

Congrats Usp1. That is a beautiful table. Never heard a Denon but heard have the 440 on a sl1200 and that combo is great with the right system. I will be interested in hearing your thoughts. How long till you get it? What is the rest of your system?
Don't know how versed you are with analogue but these guys around here are excellent.

JackD · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 01:18 pm »

I prefer the S arms but that is just me. Being able to buy extra headshells and try out different carts is there advantage. Yes the extra weights are hard to find as they are probably in the dump, thus the expense of the remaining ones. But as I said the middle one is probably within the range of those provided with most TT's. As I said you can buy heavier headshells if you need them or add weight to the ones you have. If you need a heavier counterweight you can just attach a large washer to the back of the existing counterweight with blu tack. There is always a solution without spending a lot of money up front.

usp1 · « **Reply #5 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 02:46 pm »

Maxcast - The TT will be here in about a week. I am pretty excited about it. I know the folks on this board are very knowledgeable and helpful. This will be my second TT but I am a newcomer to vinyl. THe first one was also a fleabay find - a Dual Cs-530. Neobop on this board advised me to stuff its bottom with plasticlay and that helped a lot. So, of course, I am hoping to learn more tricks and tweaks. The rest of my system for analogue is Rogue 66 magnum (for phono pre) -> Dodd battery buffer-> choice of Odyssey Stratos monos or McCormack DNA-1 -> Magnepan 1.6QR. For digital I am using a Music Hall CDP as transport to Rega Dac to the Dodd.

JackD - The washer with blue tack sounds like a good solution if I need more weight and cannot locate the parts. I may have to invest in an accurate scale to figure out how much the washer weighs (or calculate from geometry and guessed specific density)

JackD · « **Reply #6 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 03:31 pm »

The digital scales are available on Ebay for little money and are no different than the higher price versions sold by the specialty companies. I use one of these and it works fine. Was less than half this price a year ago.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-Digital-Turntable-Stylus-Force-Scale-Gauge-Fast-Shipping-From-US-/321060269405?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac0aeed5d

This one will work fine too and has a larger weighing surface. I have one of both. I just put electrical tape down on the platform where the stylus will land.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2LB-1000G-Detail-0-1g-Digital-Pocket-Scale-With-5-Units-Selections-New-/360572711297?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f3cef181

MaxCast · « **Reply #7 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 03:53 pm »

I bought the shure balance scale and if I had it to do over again I'd buy a digital scale.

JackD · « **Reply #8 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 04:17 pm »

I've still got mine from the 70's

usp1 · « **Reply #9 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 04:40 pm »

Quote from: JackD on 1 Feb 2013, 03:31 pm

This one will work fine too and has a larger weighing surface. I have one of both. I just put electrical tape down on the platform where the stylus will land.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2LB-1000G-Detail-0-1g-Digital-Pocket-Scale-With-5-Units-Selections-New-/360572711297?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53f3cef181

For less than $8 this was a no-brainer, so I ordered one. Thanks JackD

usp1 · « **Reply #10 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 01:16 am »

The Denon DP-62L is in the house! Too impatient to wait for my stylus gauge and weight scale to arrive, so I used the denon headshell and the AT cartridge and the it is up and running! I am not sure I have the cartridge perfectly adjusted, I did it by sight and measured the distance of the stylus to the mounting ring as explained in the manual.

Boy does this sound better than my dual cs-530. The only thing I am surprised by is that it does not seem to play as loud as the dual with its grado cartridge. Both are MM so I presumed that I would not have much of a difference. But with the Dual/Grado I can run it through the phono pre and tapeout of my Rogue 66 to the Dodd buffer (which has no gain) and I have plenty of volume. With the Denon/AT combo I have to use the gain of the Rogue 66 to get sufficient volume. Is that possible or am I doing something wrong here?

Elizabeth · « **Reply #11 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 01:58 am »

My Denon Dp-59L had a similar problem with the missing parts. The counterwieght i did have i drilled a hole and tapped it. Then added a small machine screw with washers on it to increase the weight. (keeping the screw and washers facing down)
Worked very well to add weight to the one counterweight I had.

JackD · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 02:40 am »

Most AT's should have more gain than the Grado's unless the AT is outside the norm. Also they are not both MM's. The Grado is a Moving Iron cartridge, but should act the same. What AT is on the the Denon? Also why are you using the Dodd buffer? What purpose is it supposed to serve?

usp1 · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 02:44 am »

The AT cartridge is the AT440MLA. I use the Dodd buffer for input selection and attenuation and impedance matching. The Dodd buffer sounds much much better than the Rogue 66 linestage. I dont need to use the Dodd if I use the linestage of the Rogue.

neobop · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 04:57 am »

The Grado Gold 1 has 5mV out. The 440 has 4mV.

usp1 · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 05:20 am »

Thanks Neo, that explains the difference. What do you think about the Denon 108 cartridge? Worth investing $56 dollars for a stylus?

neobop · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 02:40 pm »

I have no experience with the 108. The Denons I have heard/owned (MC), all were very good value, rather neutral, with an emphasis on musicality. I would guess that $56 would be a good investment, but not for this. Output is even lower - 2.5mV.

What about the Grado? The 440 should work great on a Dual. If the Grado doesn't hum on the table, John TCG (our moderator) can tell you how to make it sing even better. There should be some old threads about that. It involves a drop of silicon on the coils, a new stylus, and an outrigger.

So, you're running a buffer sans line stage. Great if you can get away with it, but most systems need the 8 to 20dB of line stage gain. I used to use a passive with a 0.2mV cart and 67dB of gain from my phono stage. Still, I had a small listening room and efficient speakers. With that same set-up in the larger room it's in now, no way. Finding a decent line stage is a problem. They all suck, unless you spend a million dollars. If you like tubes, a Herron might be the ticket. I always like Spectral for transistors. I have a new one on the way now. It's a JC-2 clone - uses matched FETs. It doesn't have all the controls like balance, that degrade the sound. I'm trying not to get my hopes up. LOL
neo

usp1 · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 05:45 pm »

With the Dual/Grado I was able to get away with just using a tube buffer (I really like the Dodd Buffer...with a 6h30-DR supertube and Mundorf silver/oil caps). I cant reach ear-bleed levels but still loud enough for normal listening. I may try the Grado on the Denon when I have more time.

neobop · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 06:37 pm »

I forgot to mention, the orig 440ML has 5.0mV output. The MLa has 4.0. The specs on the generators are identical, except for output. I assume the magnets are stronger in the orig. [prob neo mags

]
LpGear has the orig stylus for $155.
http://www.lpgear.com/category/A3.html

Maybe the Grado will work out on the Denon and you won't need this, but I wanted to mention it.
neo

JackD · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Feb 2013, 08:12 pm »

The Grado should not hum at all in the Denon and should work fine. I am using one in my JVC version of the same table.