Denon DP51F Turntable

Good day, This is my first post and hope I can get a little direction.
I recently "rediscovered" my vinyl that I have been holding onto for quite some time and have the opportunity to pick up a Denon DP51F turntable for my system in my recroom. The only tables I have experienced in the past were Pioneer, Rega and SystemDek (the SystemDek I still have). Is the Denon DP51F a dependable TT and is it worth 100.00, if in very nice shape.
Any help appreciated.

 

I don't know the exact model to which you refer, but $100 sounds like you can't go wrong.

 

Even without a cartridge that's a good deal if it's in the condition you state. Add a Shure 97E and you'll be good to go.

 

Yes! I have this exact model turntable, and provided it's functioning perfectly, you'll probably be happy with it. Some audiophiles turn their noses up at Denon TTs, but they definitely hold their own. Their motors are extremely quiet, wow and flutter are never an issue, and when you've got the right cartridge hooked up to it, they truly sound great. And for $100, it's a steal. Those typically go for $200 - $250 used these days. So go and grab it now. It's a great table, which form my experience can give anything in the under-$1000 range a run for its money.

A few tips: while they appear to be fully automatic, there are some simple ways of getting around that. Yes, you still have to press the 'start' button to get the platter spinning, but you can manually hold the tonearm over the run-in groove and then hit start, and the tonearm will lower itself down to the vinyl. That way you can avoid having to wait for it to travel slowly all the way from the tonearm rest to the vinyl. Also, if you have 12" EPs that play at 45, you have to hit the 45 button after you press start, because the little red laser assumes all 12" records play at 33.

I don't know if the Denon you may be getting will come with a manual, but if not, set-up is a bit different from more traditional TTs. You only use the counter weight to "balance" the tonearm, which is said to be "balanced" once the tip of the stylus is level with the top surface of the platter. Then you dial in the actual tracking weight and the anti-skate at the same time with the same knob.

 

Oh, and one more thing: if you don't have a cartridge, the Shure M97xE is a safe choice. Also, somebody told me that Grados tend to go nicely with these Denons. And perhaps its no coincidence that I've come across a large number of these 80s Denons fitted with Grados. I have a Grado Gold on my DP51f at the moment, and it does seem to be a good match, *but* Grados tend to be really bad when it comes to sibilance, and not exactly stellar with inner groove distortion. Basically, my Grado experience in a nutshell could be described thusly: First three tracks (say on a record side with 5 songs) sound amazing; full, lush, beautiful, detailed, with the Grado exhibiting a really pleasant, lively, high-quality sound. The 4th song starts to sound a bit compromised, with hints of sibilance and slight loss in clarity, but overall still okay. 5th song can range from a bit off to unlistenable sonic muck, depending on the quality of the pressing.

The Shure, in my opinion, doesn't sound quite as nice as the Grado does on those first three tracks, but it does do a better job at minimizing sibilance and inner groove distortion across the entire side, (though it definitely does not eliminate them entirely. I think its particular sonic characteristics allow it to deal a bit better with sibilance/distortion, but it's not a cure-all for those problems).

I've got an Audio Technica AT440ML on its way to me in the mail, which if all the reviews I've read are correct, should noticeably minimize sibilance and inner groove distortion.

 

Yeah, Denon isn't really clear about that in the manual, either. The indication that the arm is balanced is when the tonearm shaft is not physically touching the casing which is around the back portion of the tonearm, if that makes sense. The arm has some sort of servo system which takes care of the tracking force once you dial it in.

 

The Grado cartridges work really well with the Denon TT's. Of course, Denon itself makes some great cartridges, but they are harder to find in the US and aren't cheap.

I've used a Grado ZF3+ on my DP-23F for 18 years, replaced the stylus once, and am due to replace it again. The ZF3+ is now called the Grado Blue and is a great cartridge for an extremely cheap price ($59.00, IIRC).

 

Systemdek made some fine turntables - one of their models was the Linn Sondek's cheif competitor in the UK at one time. Any reason why you're not using yours?

 

Hi,

The Denon DP 51 is a very nice turntable. The Grado carts work superb on them. I also love the Ortofon range on Denons and the Shure M 97Xe. If in nice shape and functioning well, worth $100 easily. Nice DP 51 examples usually fetch 250-300 in the USA. What is wrong with your Systemdek? They were nice and good Linn competition.

 

Systemdek IIX

I'll still using the SystemDek IIX on my main system in my front room. I've had it since new in 1985 and it has never let me down. I have it fitted, since forever, with a Grace F9E cartridge.
The Denon I've picked up is for another system (smaller) I have in my recroom, which is in the basement. I wanted to add TT to it to allow me the ability to listen to my albums while I'm kickin' back. The Denon still has a Denon DL-60 cartridge and plays surprisingly well. I'll have to examine the stylus to see if it needs replacing.

 

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out. I'm definitely going to buy the table. Luckily I've known the owner for sometime and I think he's doing me a favor. I don't have the owner's manual and the advice on the balancing was great. I tried balancing the Denon's arm the same way as the Profile I have on the SystemDek. I would never have known that the Denon has a different way of setting up.

 

This type of tonearm balancing isn't really unique to Denon, my old Dual worked the same way: First you adjust the counterweight until the tonearm is exactly parallel to the platter, then dial in the tracking force.

 

Tonearm Balancing

It took me 45 minutes to figure it out. My other tables were/are manual and I've never had to deal with a setup like Denon. The manual would have helped but was unavailable.

 

well yeah, the concept is the same, but rather than dial in the tracking force with the counterweight at the end of the tonearm, you dial it in on a separate knob, which also happens to dial in the anti-skate simultaneously. is that how the your old dual worked? with the actual tracking force dialed in on a seperate knob?

at any rate, it took me a while to figure it out too, until i got a hold of a copy of a manual. i was actually trying to get the tracking force dialed in at the counterweight, which is difficult with the DP51f, since it has no markings of any sort. i hadn't realized that the anti-skate dial was also the tracking force dial. of course when i discovered what was going on, i felt kind of dumb, but then it all made perfect sense of course. but before the denon, i was only really accustomed to TT's like technics 1200s or 1400s, so my inclination was to approach the denon in the same way.

 

Same here. The Denon is the first TT that I've experienced with this kind of set-up. But, once I figured that part out, and the fact that you actually have to have a LP on the platter before the table will start, the rest was smooth sailing. All I've had in the past were belt drive, fully manual TTs so the added features through me for a few minutes.

 

Come to think of it, my old Dual 1229Q--my first turntable--worked that way too! The only difference is that it had one dial to set the tracking force and another dial to set the anti-skating. On my Denon, however, there is no dial for setting the anti-skating.

 

Yep, my first turntable (Dual 506 II) worked like that. Come to think of it, the Garrard my dad bought in 1966 was a bit the same. Balance the arm, dial the tracking force in with a small dial under the arm, and set the bias with a falling weight on a rod.

I'm not sure I'd like not having control over anti-skating. I like to run that a bit lighter than most.

 

I have an old friend who recently reached out to me for a cart for his DP51F. Do you feel the AT440MLA would be the first choice followed by the Shure M97 Xe? Other options at this point in time?

 

Agree, agree!

For $100 it is a steal!! The carts suggested are good. I have a Denon DP45F TT mated with a Denon 301MKII which I purchased through Comet Supply - they don't ship to Canada but if you have a friend in the U.S. that could order it for you and mail it to you that's what I did. The Denon DL110 is also a good match and is $87 at Comet. They can have stock issues sometimes but if you are not in a hurry the prices can't be beat for Denon carts. Lots of info online as to their quality and function. I got mine in 4 weeks.

My DP45F was a 1 owner table owned by a local audiophile (retired engineer) and was flawless - functionally and cosmetically. If you have access to a good audio repair shop in Halifax you would be well served to get it looked at. They can look at the mechanics of it and clean, lube and even replace parts if necessary...also make any adjustments that may be needed. A little preventative maintenance can go a long way! Some would say leave well enough alone but I chose to have mine looked at and I was glad I did. You will make the right choice for you! It's just a suggestion.

And if you go to Vinyl Engine they have the manual for that TT in their database. It's easy to sign up (as it was hear) and there is tons of great information on tables, carts, all things vinyl.

Good luck with the table. I think you'll love it.

cat9

 

How long does it take?

 

It takes like 3.5 hours.
No, it takes about 7 seconds.
Here is a video of my DP-51F and Rage For Order by Queensrÿche ...

I removed the dust cover so you could see the movement better.

 

This video is private.

 

Well now I REALLY want to see this 7 seconds of turntable privacy.

 

Private? Let me check the settings.

EDIT: It should be UNprivate now.

 

Thank you al.mann. Now I can sleep.