I'm going to downsize! My first non-Denon record player.

Posted by mr.bear (A) on November 29, 2015 at 12:58:43

I can't handle my behemoth VPI/DP-75 in my living room any more. It's too damn big, too fussy to deal with every day, and the DL-301 (NOS Mk.-nothin', original) requires records be scrupulously clean to play at all. The Denon cart also needs my Forte pre at maximum gain and it still needs a few more dB. It's too much for an old Bear to ...uh, ...bear.

So I'm gonna' downscale my vinyl rig. I once figured I'd be buried with that big Denon but forever, isn't.

I did some traveling down Memory Lane and a lot of internet "research" (cat videos, Audio Asylum, etc.). It had to be a DD on a quiet plinth and I decided to go the way of the Sony PS-X automatic family. I shied away from the biotracers (although I had a Denon with a servo arm and it was nice). Prices on the big Denon semiautos (DP-62L, -72L) have gone nuts.

Running an MM cart is another new frontier- I've had MC's since 1982-ish. It seemed the best of vintage MM carts at realistic prices was the ADC XLM Mkii. I did buy a replacement stylus from Ed Saunders before he retired actually; wow- that was a trip, ending up with an NOS XT-ii needle. Hmmmm. The original Mkii stylus now sounds great, even though it has some hours on it from the previous owner.

The price/performance sweet spot for such a high-compliance cart seemed to be the Sony PS-X55 with its low mass arm and the good motor from the older PS-X70/X50. The arm is a little short, adding more net tracking error but it's nearly as light as the Black Widow and it comes FREE with the PS-X55, making it a bargain. The automation is pretty obnoxious at first but I'll get used to it. It seems to have plenty of torque. Setup was a breeze, although without one of the add-on weights I had to wrap solder around the counterweight to make it balance. No big deal.

I like the sound. Initial reaction is "RELAXED;" the midrange is a little "lush" (but that's after years of a lean MC), the top and bottom ends are balanced, and the sound seems detailed and clean. Playing some Beethoven on old Concert Hall Society microgroove mono's now. Just enjoying the music without thinking "HI-FI" every minute feels good.

Should I sell the Denon DP-75, VPI base, Denon DA-401 arm, and DL-103? I'll sit on it for a while and decide after the first of the year. Shipping it will be the sh*ts; sucker weighs like 60 lb. just the base. I'd be terrified it would destroy itself in the hands of the gorillas of the shipping industry no matter how well I pack it!

The results are excellent- lively and dynamic, non-fatiguing, sweet, maybe a bit bright but it plays well to my *bit dull hearing.* I'd almost forgotten how fun it is to throw on an LP, push the button, and just kick back n' sing along: "I got a rocket in my pocket! No way for me to stop it..." (Waiting For Columbus)

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Topic - I'm going to downsize! My first non-Denon record player. - mr.bear 12:58:43 11/29/15 (1)

RE: I'm going to downsize! My first non-Denon record player. - realistico 17:50:23 11/29/15 (0)

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