Denon DP-400 Turntable Review

These days, Denon is best known for its AV receivers and integrated amplifiers, which are favoured by home theatre and stereo fans alike. But this century-old Japanese company was making phono cartridges as far back as the nineteen sixties and turntables from the early seventies. Popular in broadcast and recording studios, they were largely high-end designs. However, the new DP-400 you see here is quite different – far more affordable, it’s aimed at vinyl beginners or returners who want a decent, easy-to-use disc spinner.

The DP-400 sits in the middle of Denon’s turntable range, positioned above the entry-level DP-300 and below the more expensive direct-drive DP-3000. This belt-drive deck sports a cast aluminium platter that features a speed sensor to ensure accurate pitch through its 33.3, 45, or 78RPM options. The company’s published wow & flutter figure of 0.08% is perfectly respectable for a deck of this price, but still inferior to pricier products like Technics’ SL-1200G (0.02%) – all the same, it will be difficult to hear any speed instability.

The lightweight S-shaped tonearm comes pre-fitted with a pre-aligned Denon DSN-85 moving magnet cartridge, but because the headshell is detachable, users can fit almost any cartridge they so wish. It’s a semi-automatic design, meaning that the arm lifts at the end of the record. There’s a built-in switchable phono preamplifier that takes the output up to line-level, so you can plug the deck directly into a standard RCA phono or 3.5mm minijack input.

Visually, the DP-400 is pleasingly minimalist, with its gloss black surfaces and rounded edges. Measuring 41cm wide, 34cm deep, and 13cm high, it’s not the biggest deck in its class – and many will regard that as a positive thing. It comes with a one-piece smoked-acrylic cover that sits over the platter and tonearm, but can also function as a record stand with the supplied metal mount – a neat trick. All the same, some people will still yearn for the old-fashioned style of hinged, plinth-sized dustcover. At 5.8kg, this deck feels substantial and is significantly heavier than its cheaper siblings.

Around the back can be found the phono preamp switch, two RCA phono sockets and a ground terminal, plus a power switch and input jack for the offboard power supply. Denon says an external power brick is used to minimise interference at the turntable. Also included in the package is a tonearm lead, including a ground loop. It’s fair to say that this isn’t the most substantial of things, and a better replacement could likely improve the sound.

Setup is fairly daunting if it’s your first time, but the instructions provided make it straightforward for beginners – and seasoned vinylistas will have no worries here. The process for balancing the tonearm gave surprisingly accurate results, as when checked with a good stylus force gauge, the reading matched what the tonearm counterweight said. For the purposes of this review, the DP-400 was paired with a Denon Home Amp and Polk Reserve R100 speakers.

THE LISTENING

Denon’s little DP-400 does a remarkably solid job of delivering an engaging listening experience, given its modest price. Across a broad range of genres, it displays a confident musicality, with consistent timing, a delicate and neutral tone, and pleasing bass performance. For example, Steely Dan’s Black Cow was a treat for my ears. The music sounded full and fast with enjoyable kick-drum and bass guitar work, a clean distortion-free midband and quiet spaces between the notes. This deck rotates at a stable speed and doesn’t suffer obviously from hum. Indeed, it sounds more expressive than its on-paper 65dB dynamic range would suggest. I enjoyed the energy of the funky guitar jumping out from the mix, and the overall sense of clarity and space. Each element of the mix was well separated from the others, occupying its own respective place in space.

Joni Mitchell’s Blue is exactly the sort of song that makes vinyl such a transcendent medium. Via the DP-400, the studio piano work didn’t lose any of its raw honesty, nor did Joni’s unique voice. From the slightly rough texture of the lowest sung notes, through to her powerful but wandering upper tones, I enjoyed the authentic sound of a great singer at her peak. Moving to some iconic jazz, and Miles Davis’ Concierto de Aranjuez sounded delightfully open and expansive. The Denon conveyed the shimmering jingles of the delicate tambourine drifts and raw, intimate-sounding horn solo with ease. Even as the various instruments faded out towards the end of the track, I still found it a compelling listen.

Proving that this turntable doesn’t just sing with more vintage recordings, I shifted musical gear to Weezer’s turn-of-the-century Island in the Sun. This modern indie-rock has a far more heavily processed and compressed sound, yet the music was still highly enjoyable. The warm and sharp bass rhythm counterpointed the clear and direct vocals very well, and the guitar chorus sounded satisfyingly full with good instrumental timbre. There was never any sense of the tonearm mistracking, even in highly modulated moments, and vocals stayed clear and accurate on dynamic crescendos.

THE VERDICT

Denon’s new DP-400 is more than just a pretty face. It gives a combination of fine sound and convenience, making the joys of vinyl more accessible to a wider audience. It’s not a high-end design by any means, but it handles the basics of what a decent turntable has to do with ease. It also offers a degree of adjustability and configurability for more tweaky vinyl geeks. As such, I think it hits a sweet spot in the affordable turntable market, and so is recommended for those looking for a good entry-level vinyl spinner.

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