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Comparison Denon DP-450USB vs Denon VL12 Prime

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Denon DP-450USB
Denon VL12 Prime
Denon DP-450USBDenon VL12 Prime
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Main
Fully automatic turntable: start at the touch of a button and stop at the end of the record
Pickup
Non-removable
ModelDSN-85
TypeMMMM
Needle shapeelliptical
Output level2.5 mV
Downforce0 – 4 g
Pickup weight5 g
Tonearm
Typeradialradial
ShapeS-shapedS-shaped
Materialaluminiumaluminium
Tonearm effective length220 mm238 mm
Design
Drive unitbeltstraight
Speed controlelectronic (automatic)electronic (automatic)
Cover
Phono stage++
Features
Features
adjustable counterweight
anti-skating
auto-stop
autoplay
speed 78 rpm
media record
adjustable counterweight
anti-skating
 
 
 
 
Tempo adjustment± 8, ± 16, ± 50 %
Specs
Frequency range20 – 20000 Hz20 – 20000 Hz
Signal to noise ratio62 dB
Knock ratio0.08 %0.05 %
General
Power consumption10 W65 W
Base materialplasticplastic
Platter materialplastic
aluminium /aluminium/
Platter size332 mm
Platter thickness2 mm
Adjustable feet
Dimensions (WxDxH)414x342x132 mm451x355x150 mm
Turntable weight5.8 kg12.4 kg
Color
Added to E-Catalogdecember 2018november 2017

Non-removable

The presence of a non-removable pickup in the design of the player.

The pickup (cartridge) is a key part for any turntable; failure of this part renders the entire device unusable. Therefore, non-removable (that is, unsuitable for replacement without disassembly in a workshop) pickups are made mainly in low-cost players, where the manufacturer tries to simplify and, accordingly, reduce the cost of construction. However, even in such models, usually, it is possible to replace the most delicate part of the pickup — the needle.

Model

Model of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the player. The pickup is one of the most important parts of any vinyl player, the quality of the received sound largely depends on its quality. Knowing the name of the model, you can find detailed data on it and determine how satisfied you are with this particular cartridge.

Needle shape

The shape of the needle in the pickup (cartridge) that the player is equipped with.

Conical. It may also be called spherical. The simplest type of needles for vinyl players. Such needles are inexpensive, but the sound quality when using them is relatively low — due to the fact that the shape of the needle rather weakly matches the shape of the groove on the record.

Elliptical. Elliptical needles have a narrower shape than conical (spherical) needles, which improves contact and allows, in particular, more accurate reproduction of high frequencies, and also reduces record wear. Due to the good value for money, this option is very popular.

Linear. The most advanced variety: sharply sharpened needles of complex shape, following the contours of the grooves on the plate as accurately as possible and having the largest contact area among all types. The downside of this is the complexity in production and, accordingly, the high cost.

Output level

The signal level at the output of the pickup supplied with the player is, in fact, the power of the signal coming from the pickup to the phono stage. This parameter is necessary, first of all, in cases where the player is planned to be connected to an external phono stage: such equipment must be designed for the corresponding power of the signal coming from the pickup.

Downforce

The force of pressing the needle on the plate, which the complete pickup (cartridge) is designed for.

This force depends on the rigidity (compliance) of the needle: the greater the clamping force, the harder the cartridge, respectively, the less pliable it is. It is also believed that less pressing force wears out the record less, but it cannot be said that "light" cartridges are definitely better — there are many other nuances. So in fact, information about the pressing force of a complete pickup is needed mainly in case of its replacement. Usually, the pressing force provided by the arm of the turntable is regulated within these limits, so the new cartridge must also be rated for the same values of downforce — otherwise there is a chance that the turntable will not be able to correctly align.

Pickup weight

The weight of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the turntable.

The weight of the cartridge determines the characteristics of balancing the tonearm to set the optimal tracking force. However, pickups in set are usually optimally compatible with the corresponding tonearms, so there are no problems with adjusting the turntable. But when buying a replacement cartridge, you should pay attention to this parameter: it is advisable that the new cartridge does not differ too much in weight from the old one, otherwise the tonearm adjustment range may not be enough for the correct balance.

Tonearm effective length

The effective length of a tonearm in set is the distance from the attachment point (axis of rotation) to the stylus.

This indicator is important primarily for rotary tonearms: the longer the length, the lower the angular error, the smaller the discrepancy between the direction of movement of the track and the longitudinal axis of the pickup (for more details, see “Type”) and the lower the level of corresponding distortion. In addition, a longer length reduces the resonant frequency and reduces the likelihood of distortion. On the other hand, a longer tonearm turns out to be heavier, which requires certain technical tricks and can also negatively affect the purity of the sound. Therefore, a large length is not always a guarantee of high quality – you should also pay attention to weight (see below).

Drive unit

A method of transmitting rotation from an electric motor to a record player rim.

Belt. Also known as "belt". As the name suggests, this type of drive uses a belt transmission. Its main advantages are uniform rotation combined with undemanding quality of electric motors, which allows achieving good sound purity even with relatively simple and inexpensive motors. True, belt players pick up speed more slowly and are unsuitable for special techniques like scratching; however, these points are critical only for DJs, and do not have much significance for ordinary music listening. But among the clear disadvantages, one can only note the need for periodic (usually once every few years) replacement of the belt.

Direct. In players with this type of drive, the disc is mounted directly on the electric motor shaft. This allows it to accelerate and brake very quickly, as well as use various special techniques, due to which a direct drive is almost mandatory for a DJ turntable. However, such a design puts forward special requirements for the quality of electric motors, since any unevenness and vibrations significantly affect the sound quality. Therefore, in "audiophile" models, a direct drive is rarely used - in the absence of obvious advantages over a belt drive, the design turns out to be noticeably more expensive.

Cover

The presence in the design of the player or a dust cover, or devices for its installation (the cover itself is not included in the kit).

Both vinyl records and the equipment for playing them require protection from dust: settling on the tracks, dust leads to extraneous noise and increased wear of the records and needle. Thus, for normal listening to music, it is highly recommended to have a turntable with a lid — otherwise you will have to regularly clean up. But for a DJ "turntable", the lid, on the contrary, is an excess.
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