Great looking, Easy, Great Sound - Best Value
Please keep in mind, as you read this review, that I have only barely managed to hang on to the frayed edge of the lunatic fringe of audio. I bought the Denon DP300f to replace a (terrific) Clearaudio Emotion turntable with a Benz Micro ACE low-output moving coil cartridge. The Denon still earns 5 stars.
I bought the turntable in a package with the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge pre-mounted. I have not heard (nor do I have) the stock cartridge. I run the table with the built-in pre-amp turned off. It is plugged into a Nova Phenomena II phono stage, which is connected to the amplifier via Transparent Audio cable.
The Denon has a DC motor, which means you can use a transformer when overseas and it will turn at the correct speed. The more common A/C synchronous motors can't do that.
The Denon has a dust cover. That means its cat proof! It also presents an unobtrusive, retro appearance that looks nice in the house.
The Denon is nicely made...
looks good, sounds good, and doesn't cost much
My unit was very well packed, easy to set up, and everything works as expected. I had purchased a new M97xE cartridge and thought about mounting it up, but the stock cartridge is working so well, even with the records I keep around to test warp-handling issues, that I feel no need to make a change. I'm getting clear, extended, dynamic response with pleasing tonal balance and excellent tracking at the recommended 2 gram tracking force. The DP-300F also has a clean, symmetrical look that I find very satisfying.
The turntable is not overly sensitive to being touched, and I can use the cueing lever, the stop button, and open and close the dustcover without upsetting tracking and without any thumps or other sounds coming through the speakers. I have had no issues with feedback or footfalls (no need to tiptoe about while this thing is playing), and it has been completely free of hum, whether using the built-in phono stage or turning that off and going through the phono stage...
Not satisfied with the audio quality
I did quite a bit of research into turntables before buying this model. This unit seemed relatively solidly constructed, and had a handsome appearance. I was a bit put off at the prospect of spending $500-$1000 on a new turntable and wasn't sure if all that fuss was really necessary.
The turntable only takes a few minutes to set up, and comes with a mediocre pre-mounted moving magnet cartridge.
After set up, I switched on the built in phono amp and connected the unit directly to my receiver. The sound was not bad, but was also not exactly what I had expected. Surface noise was relatively high, bass and low mids were muddy and broke up a bit, and highs sounded a bit rolled off. I then hooked the turntable up to my backup 20-year old Onkyo receiver in my office with a built in phono preamp, and I noticed an improvement in sound quality. However, I was still not happy with the overall sound of the unit, it was lacking in overall detail. I thought that the...
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