For those wanting in on the vinyl-spinning party, there is plenty to cause head-scratching moments. Some will persevere and rely on information from such trusted publications as StereoNET. However, there are others who merely wish to dip their toes in the water or are looking for the LP experience without the confusion. Well, if you're in the latter camp, these latest turntables from Denon may well be what you are after.
The DP-400 and DP-450USB are plug-and-play, belt-driven, semi-automatic decks. Both are pre-loaded with a moving magnet (MM) cartridge - possibly an Audio-Technica by the looks of things - into the universal headshell. Additionally, the turntables feature a built-in pre-amp.
Denon DP-400
The Denon DP-400 boasts a heavy, damped plinth to mitigate the effects of resonance. Measuring just 41cm wide the company says that this is to save space and match the visual look of the Design Series.
The belt-driven platter can be spun at 33.3, 45 and 78rpm. Denon says that the turntable’s integrated sensor deftly controls the speed to avoid fluctuations and ensure pitch accuracy.
The S-shaped tonearm is designed to reduce distortion during playback. Furthermore, when the arm gets to the end of a side, it automatically lifts and stops playback. No automatic arm return though, but that's not a deal breaker now is it?
For those that might wish to upgrade later, or already have an amplifier with a phono stage, the one built-in to the Denons can be bypassed.
Finally, the lid has a nifty second duty as, when not protecting your platter from dust, it doubles up as a display stand for those all-important 'currently spinning' Insta snaps.
Denon DP-450USB
Building upon the DP-400, it is no surprise that the DP-450UB adds a USB port and built-in ADC enabling you to rip your vinyl music to USB storage.
The analogue to digital capture doesn't even require a computer. All you have to do is plug in a USB storage device to the USB port on the front panel, select whether you want the rip in compressed MP3 or uncompressed CD-quality WAV files, and away you go. However, Denon offers its free MusiCut software for digital metadata tagging and organisation of music files.
The DP-400 retails for £449 (€499) and the DP-450USB, £529 (€599).
For more information, go to Denon.
Posted in: Hi-Fi
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