Denon turntable--a toy!

[dr.partha]

Got a Denon dp 29f today as a birthday gift. ..I was very excited before getting it. I expected some good built up and sound from it. But alas! ! At first sight I thought it's a toy as it's much lighter than any vintage. Can it be called a 'turntable'?
I connected it to my 2.1 system to get some good stereo sound. It gave good sound but not at all perfect.
The cartridge is not upgradable! Even it doesn't have a counter balance..I think Denon has tried to copy AT LP 60 but failed!
THIS IS A FUNNY TOY.

 

[sandeepmohan]

I would not compare the 29F to a vintage or any turn table for that matter. This Denon is targeted at the casual listener or someone starting their vinyl journey. A lot of us can't afford better one's. A lot of us don't want to deal with setting up a turn table. I've heard this Denon connected to a NAD paired with the budget end of B&W bookshelves and it did not sound bad. Considering what you are paying for it, I much rather buy this than toy around with a half working vintage unit. For someone who is clueless about turntables or just wants to spin their old record collection, the 29F does the job.

 

[Dude111]

Ya I agree.... Its like those units that are meant to LOOK OLD but they are new....

Horrible..... No bass/treble controls.... Not very good sound!!

 

[hemantwaghe]

Ya I agree.... Its like those units that are meant to LOOK OLD but they are new....

Horrible..... No bass/treble controls.... Not very good sound!!

Which turntable has Bass Treble controls???

 

[miroflex]

Ya I agree.... Its like those units that are meant to LOOK OLD but they are new....

Horrible..... No bass/treble controls.... Not very good sound!!

Hi Dude,

Bass and treble controls are not normally found on turntables. They are more common on amplifiers.

All the best.

 

[dr.partha]

From my very small experience in this turntable world, I've seen these controls in record players, not in turntables. , may be I'm wrong.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

There have been several post by many forum members including your's truly about the new turntables from the stables of companies like Denon, Project and the like. I was just comparing the tone arm bearing systems of some of the vintage turntables like JVC, Pioneer and similar with some of the new tone arms. Let me tell you that those vintage ones are far far superior in the quality of bearings and workmanship. It is similar in many other aspects also. No wonder they sound superior. Most people who encounter problems with the old players are those who may have got players which were badly maintained previously or had been damaged while shipping without original packing to name some of the many reasons for a bad experience. But if these players are well serviced by experienced persons, they can be truly a wonderful experience of listening to vinyls. I also feel some of the new Turntables are superior in their cosmetic finish compared to some of the older ones and hardly anything more. Rega players are an exception to my above impression about new generation players.

 

[shafic]

From my very small experience in this turntable world, I've seen these controls in record players, not in turntables. , may be I'm wrong.

Confusing!!

 

[sachu888]

Confusing!!

Generally all in one(built in amp/tuner etc) type Lp players are referred as Record player, and standalone players Turntable.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[analogadikt]

Sachin has it correct.

A recordplayer is usually a portable suitcase type unit. In most cases, they did not have a radio and were mono units, although some stereo ones were also made. They had a small amp and speakers were in the lid most of the times. The bigger units. with better amp, tt and sometimes a tuner or R2R were known as consoles. The smallest of these were not much larger than a full size turntable, while the larger ones could be imposing pieces of furniture. We used to call them radiograms.

Regards,

 

[shafic]

Generally all in one(built in amp/tuner etc) type Lp players are referred as Record player, and standalone players Turntable.

Regards,
Sachin

Great!! Sachin!!:clapping:

 

[pathakajit]

Got a Denon dp 29f today as a birthday gift. ..I was very excited before getting it. I expected some good built up and sound from it. But alas! ! At first sight I thought it's a toy as it's much lighter than any vintage. Can it be called a 'turntable'?
I connected it to my 2.1 system to get some good stereo sound. It gave good sound but not at all perfect.
The cartridge is not upgradable! Even it doesn't have a counter balance..I think Denon has tried to copy AT LP 60 but failed!
THIS IS A FUNNY TOY.

While the new age entry level turntables are nothing to write home about, they sound better than the credit being given to them here.
I have a Sony PS-LX250H (almost identical to your denon) full auto turntable so have first hand experience with the modern entry level TT. Using the built in preamp and connecting to generic 2.1 speakers and yet expecting jaw dropping experience is a bit unfair in my opinion.
Try hooking the TT to an external amp and decent speakers.. Hopefully it should sound better.
Do not be put off by the factory calibrated tonearm. It is precisely and optimally tuned; saving users from trouble of setting it up. Its not necessarily a bad thing.
Although cart is non replaceable, decent aftermarket styli for factory calibrated tone arms are available from brands like audio technica.
Again, its an entry level device and you gwt what is paid for.. However, it may turn out to be good enough for now if set up right.

 

[dr.partha]

There have been several post by many forum members including your's truly about the new turntables from the stables of companies like Denon, Project and the like. I was just comparing the tone arm bearing systems of some of the vintage turntables like JVC, Pioneer and similar with some of the new tone arms. Let me tell you that those vintage ones are far far superior in the quality of bearings and workmanship. It is similar in many other aspects also. No wonder they sound superior. Most people who encounter problems with the old players are those who may have got players which were badly maintained previously or had been damaged while shipping without original packing to name some of the many reasons for a bad experience. But if these players are well serviced by experienced persons, they can be truly a wonderful experience of listening to vinyls. I also feel some of the new Turntables are superior in their cosmetic finish compared to some of the older ones and hardly anything more. Rega players are an exception to my above impression about new generation players.

Sir, I've a quarry in this aspect. Why these companies are not making turntables like old days. Though turntable market has been ruined by digital system, yet there are a large number of record lovers all over the world.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

Sir, I've a quarry in this aspect. Why these companies are not making turntables like old days. Though turntable market has been ruined by digital system, yet there are a large number of record lovers all over the world.

The Turntable market now is not what it used to be in the 70's and 80's. The demand for Turntables now is a fraction of what it was then. Secondly, the cost of production has also gone up. To make a Solid Direct Drive of the quality of say a Technics SL. D-3 would be roughly Rs.30000 or more. Those days these were made in large quantity and the cost was brought down and hence affordable. So the new companies have to compromise on quality to offer some products affordable. Hence the poor quality. So when you are buying a good vintage player, it is like owning a TT worth around Rs.35000 for around Rs 12000 to Rs.15000/-. I hope I could clarify your doubt.

 

[dr.partha]

Thanks Sir. Regards.

 

[reubensm]

yes, these modern plastic turntables are no match for vintage master pieces. Having said that, even these will play buy one cannot expect fantastic results with them. They are good for casual listening. Also they don't last too long and once they start giving trouble, they have to be thrown away.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

yes, these modern plastic turntables are no match for vintage master pieces. Having said that, even these will play buy one cannot expect fantastic results with them. They are good for casual listening. Also they don't last too long and once they start giving trouble, they have to be thrown away.

While it may not be possible to repair some of the newer ones, it is still possible to repair some of the older ones. Right now I am in Bangalore and listening to a Philips Direct control P 7213 brought for a forum member in Bangalore. It sounds as good as any good vintage TT of that era and has the warm vintage sound rarely reproduced by new plastic ones.