Denon DP 300F Belt Driven Turntable

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So, the name of the stock cartridge in the official publication is:

High-grade MM Cartridge :)

And it seems no-one in the whole interent doesn't know for sure what exact brand and model is behind that. Anyone here meanwhile, perhaps?

EDIT:

Never mind (seems it's an AT 3600 sort of) but I bought the AT440Mla meanwhile and it's a great improvement indeed. Thanks to the OP; this topic here was the reason I finally decided to buy this very TT.
 
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Thought I'd post here since this thread was instrumental in my purchase of a Denon DP-300F. Received it yesterday from Needle Doctor; opted for the Ortofon 2M Bronze package.

I've only listened to a half-dozen LPs and the cartridge is already starting to open up. I was previously using an AT-120e on a Technics SL-1200mk2 and was pretty happy with that sound, but...woah. The Ortofon sounds AMAZING. I can only imagine what it will sound like in a few months.

Overall, I'm really happy with this turntable. Sounds great, easy setup, looks great and I forgot how nice it is to have an automatic table (I guess I've been conditioned to leap up out of my chair every 25 minutes).

Running it through a Marantz PM6004 and a pair of 35-year-old KEF 104ab's. Thinking about switching to some different speakers, but things are sounding pretty good as is!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for their feedback on this thread -- very helpful!
 
New poster, will bump this to the top of...whatever...

My venerable Hitachi HT-41S has died a silent death, insofar as the plastic which secures the headshell has cracked and loosened...I am in depression...

However, after a search of what is available now (the previous having been bought in '81), I was down to a low level Thorens, Marantz or the Denon DP300F...in my heart the Denon was the one (especially after reading this whole thread), but the two others being made by Dual had me wondering...visited a "local" audio dealer today that handles all three...none of which he had in stock, though the sexy ProJects and Regas nearly had me...after a long discussion he told me that the Dual-builds were not what I would remember from 1969, and that the Denon would be the best for me...fair enough, order that puppy!

Can someone talk me out of the Grado "Green?" While it is the plan to install my beloved ELAC STS 344-E, perhaps it is time to come out of the Paleolithic-era and get something modern?

Postscript: For those that wonder, I am running an Onkyo TX 8210 receiver (following a Sansui 3000, Phillips then Sony) with Bose 901-Series II speakers.
 
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Hello guys! Nice thread, I've read it all. Can you, any of you, consider this TT a giant killer, because all posts are very enthusiastic about this TT?
 
new person asking (i'm sure) ridiculous questions.

My gf gave me this Denon DP 300F TT for christmas this year.

i'm new to turntables so forgive me for my lack of knowledge.

Basic setup for these is:
TT>preamp>receiver>speakers

she got me a TT, but none of the other things :tears:


my budget for the other 3 items is around $300ish.


ok here come the questions.
am i correct in the setup and pieces i need to get this thing working?
should i bother buying a preamp, or just use the built in one?
can you point me in the right direction for quality budget receiver?
also quality budget bookshelf speakers?


Thankyou!!
 
Well Steve, you got MY turntable, LOL

Turns out distributor says the Denons are gone...until at least the end of January.

So, I couldn't wait that long and bit on the Rega RP-1. I guess I will have to live with fully manual operation, so far not bad as it has a very nice cueing device. And the Rega Carbon phono cartridge is quite good, so my worries about the ELAC are satiated for a short while anyway.

Steve, I am really old-school, so not the person to advise on such things..but I understand from my research that it may be possible to use a turntable with powered speakers (like a computer's?). In that case you would just need a preamp.

Back-in-the-day, every receiver of decent quality came with an internal magnetic phono cartridge preamp. That is not the case today, especially if the receiver is a "home theater" type from what I have seen. Not sure how far your budget would go, but if you are just trying to get into records...sorry "vinyl"...perhaps a good preamp and some decent powered speakers would work for you...if the Denon already has an internal preamp, then maybe all you need are speakers?

Check other threads on this, and have a great holiday!
 
Hello guys! Nice thread, I've read it all. Can you, any of you, consider this TT a giant killer, because all posts are very enthusiastic about this TT?

Maybe not "giant killer" but it's one of the only modern fully automatic turntables available.

My gf gave me this Denon DP 300F TT for christmas this year.
Basic setup for these is:
TT>preamp>receiver>speakers

DP300F has a built in preamp so that's not necessary for you.

Lots of threads here on AK about low cost systems - if you don't want vintage you could do a lot worse than

Sherwood RX-4109
http://www.amazon.com/Sherwood-RX-4109-Stereo-Receiver-Black/dp/B000MBUSD6

Pioneer SP-BS22
www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG

If you watch they will each go on sale for $100 or less.

A previous poster said powered speakers - those could work fine for you too - as long as they have a volume control built in. Something like these:

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems/A2-plus-B-Powered-Desktop-Speakers
 
Maybe not "giant killer" but it's one of the only modern fully automatic turntables available.



DP300F has a built in preamp so that's not necessary for you.

Lots of threads here on AK about low cost systems - if you don't want vintage you could do a lot worse than

Sherwood RX-4109
http://www.amazon.com/Sherwood-RX-4109-Stereo-Receiver-Black/dp/B000MBUSD6

Pioneer SP-BS22
www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-BS22-LR-Designed-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers/dp/B008NCD2LG

If you watch they will each go on sale for $100 or less.

A previous poster said powered speakers - those could work fine for you too - as long as they have a volume control built in. Something like these:

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Powered-Speaker-Systems/A2-plus-B-Powered-Desktop-Speakers


the sherwood RX has built in Phono plugs... would i get a better sound using this as my preamp than the built in + another receiver without built in phono?


if so, i'll probably order the sherwood.

Thanks for the help
 
the sherwood RX has built in Phono plugs... would i get a better sound using this as my preamp than the built in + another receiver without built in phono?

Maybe - it depends on the comparative quality of the preamp in the DP300 vs the preamp in the Sherwood receiver.

You could use any receiver or amp as long as it has a line level input (usually labelled AUX or CD or something like that) connected to the DP300 with the phono preamp in the DP300 activated.

I just threw those out as examples.
 
Hello guys! I have asked because I want to buy this TT to make a few experiments with it.
Stevepwolf, the built in phono-preamplifier is not of a high quality, given the price. I have a friend who usses a second hand Nad 3020 and it sounds very good. This NAD has a good MM preamplifier. I was mesmerized by the sound of this small NAD with Epos M12.2 loudspeakers.
About the experiments I want to do with the Denon, I will change the platter with an acrilyc one, this would be the first step.
 
the sherwood RX has built in Phono plugs... would i get a better sound using this as my preamp than the built in + another receiver without built in phono?


if so, i'll probably order the sherwood.

Thanks for the help

I have this TT and I use the built in phono stage with a line-level preamp. At your budget I doubt you will find much improvement with an external phono pre, either stand-alone or in a receiver. If the TT is the only source you will be using, either powered speakers or even passive speakers and a (used) power amp might be an option.
 
I have this TT and I use the built in phono stage with a line-level preamp. At your budget I doubt you will find much improvement with an external phono pre, either stand-alone or in a receiver. If the TT is the only source you will be using, either powered speakers or even passive speakers and a (used) power amp might be an option.

so you are saying get something like the Audioengine A5+ and be done with it?

would that give me a better sound than a Sherwood RX-4109 and Boston Acoustics Classic Series 26 II speakers? (or klipsch rb-5)
 
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so you are saying get something like the Audioengine A5+ and be done with it?

would that give me a better sound than a Sherwood RX-4109 and Boston Acoustics Classic Series 26 II speakers? (or klipsch rb-5)

I can’t comment on the specific equipment you mention as I haven’t heard it. My point is just that, in general, you get what you pay for. The Sherwood unit is a receiver – it has a tuner, a phono pre, preamp, and power amp and it retails for around $100. By all accounts it’s a decent unit and very good value for the features it offers. But if you aren’t going to use those features you can probably do better by avoiding them – why pay for a tuner if you don’t listen to the radio? If all you want to do is play the turntable, then all you need is amplification, volume control, and speakers.

Beyond that it’s hard to give advice as there are vast numbers of options – if you want to party, you could pick up a used pro power amp for cheap, but for near-field listening a little tri-path amp might be better. For plug and play simplicity you could look at something like these powered monitors:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR305

I have absolutely no idea how they compare with the Audioengine speakers you mention (or anything else, for that matter), but they do meet your budget and have good reviews.
 
i ended up going w this setup.

200w receiver w/ bluetooth ($100)
4156007_sa.jpg


4" klipsch speakers ($140 for the pair)
RB-41-AngleII_635042248711410000_medium.jpg


tc750 preamp ($45)
81rmmh%2BNcAL._SX425_.jpg


not the best equipment ever, but for the price range, i don't know if i could have done much better.


i have everything hooked up except the preamp. quality is muddled using the built in preamp on the denon TT. when playing music over bluetooth from my phone, quality is much much better.

my preamp should come in this week. i think that will help.
it sounds as if needles take time to be broken in as well?
 
insignia. it's super budget, but i didn't have the funds to buy a ridiculous setup.

i figured i'd use this, and in another 6-8 months if i want to put more money into it, i can then.
 
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