Denon DP-57L soon arriving...

[Dimal]

Hi Guys....

Managed to locate (and purchase) one of these in very good condition, so now excitedly awaiting its arrival.

Do any current owners, or other knowledgeable VE-ers, have any advice re: anything in particular that I should be especially aware of with these beauties. I'll be going over it with a fine toothed comb once it arrives of course but according to the seller, it has recently returned from being fully serviced and is fully operational.

Can't wait for it to be packed up and shipped....

Mal.

[BeEvil]

That's a beauty. Is it coming with the original arm? I believe it was the DA-402 that came with that table. Is it coming with the literature as well?

BeEvil

[Dimal]

That's a beauty. Is it coming with the original arm? I believe it was the DA-402 that came with that table. Is it coming with the literature as well?

BeEvil

G'day "BeEvil"...

Yes mate, comes with original Tonearm and full literature but even if it didn't, everything is available here on VE. Going to be difficult waiting out the shipping time, with all fingers and toes crossed that nothing happens to it....

Mal.

[Dimal]

Ahhh...

I have just received some majorly disappointing news.

It seems that there has been a mixup with the DP-57L. Apparently it was already promised to someone else. All is not lost though, as the chap also has a pristine DP-60M that has been recently, professionally serviced and cleaned. I've now given the go-ahead on this one so will end up with a decent TT one way or another....

I guess the thread will need to be re-titled in order to reflect the switch in TT.

Mal.

[EdAInWestOC]

The DP-57L is the same TT that Denon sold here in the USA as the DP-62L. I have owned a 62L for over 30 years now and I'll try to be as impartial as possible. I also know a few people who own the DP-60L and I'll chime in with any helpful things I can recall on these.

Since I still own the table you can correctly assume that I like the table. The table does have issues and since its getting old you will need to do a few things if you intend to keep the table for any length of time.

Both the D-57L and DP-60L have very similar DD servo mechanisms based on the same custom Denon microprocessor. This chip requires the reading of the magnetic pulses that are recorded under the inside edge of the platter. If there is anything wrong with those recorded pulses or anything wrong with the electronics of the table you won't have something reliable.

The good news is that the table is very repairable and you should consider a few things to keep it working. Denon used very good parts in its turntables and the fact that many of them are still running is a testament to that fact. The problem is that no turntable is designed to run forever and something is required to keep them operating.

The most important things to do to your Denon turntable is to have all the electrolytic capacitors replaced and to solder all the wire wrap terminals to eliminate corrosion and impedance buildup at those points of failure. Following those two things the turntable will need to have its servos readjusted and that requires a dual trace oscilloscope.

If you are handy with a soldering iron the replacement parts for the recapping job costs less than $40 USD. The job can be done in less than two days and the part density on the Denon PCB is not too bad allowing for fairly easy work. The readjustment of the servos can be done by trial and error but its much better performed by an oscilloscope.

My DP-62L was very well cared for and never exposed to anything that could remotely considered abuse. All that did not make any difference and I was obliged to recap tha table and solder the wirewrap terminals. It is now operating fine and I am very happy with my decision to keep the table.

I also disassembled the motor assembly cleaned and relubed the bearing while I was restoring the table. That is one other thing that could be considered a desirable item. The performance of the main bearing has sonic effects that are not easily picked up. Relubing that bearing does improve things and eliminates the main source of mechanical failure.

The differences between the D-60L and the DP-57L is mostly the addition of a electronic servo controlled tonearm to the D-57L. Its not a bad design but please note that Denon did not gain its reputation by designing and producing world class tonearms. The electronic servo control of the tonearm on the DP-57L can cause some interesting resonance issues so the DP-60L could be considered the more desirable of the two turntables.

I have never listened extensively to the DP-60L's stock tonearm so I can't comment on its performance here. Others have told me that its a competent performer and I'll leave it at that.

If you ever consider upgrading your Denon turntable I can recommend a laundry list of items that improve on its sound. My DP-62L is not stock and I've been through a lot of trial and error lessons making it the turntable it is today.

The above recommendations on restoring the turntable is enough for now.

Ed

[Dimal]

Very much appreciate all that information Ed...

Thanks very much mate. I will definitely follow your advice and carry out the suggested maintenance tasks.

No doubt, I will probably get back to you for some additional words of wisdom once I've got the TT in front of me.

All the best Ed, and thanks again....

Mal.

[bubba45]

I've seen posts on other forums where these older Denons are viewed as being a bit 'delicate' or 'temperamental' but I think they are quite robust TT's.

My DP60L had a bookshelf fall on it that smashed the lid, snapped off the arm rest, bent the rod that lifts the arm up & down, put a few dents in the top veneer, a crack in the glass panel for viewing the strobe and a few small scratches on the metal 'UFO' facia.
It was sold as spares or repair but after straightening the bent rod it works absolutely perfectly. I have a few other TT's that would be dead after a bookshelf collapsing on them.

I have yet to recap mine but will hopefully get it serviced in the next couple of months just for longevity.

The arms are not the greatest sounding arms ever made but they are still pretty damn good. The bearings are rock solid, internal wiring seems excellent and in regards to the arm my best advice would be to replace the external cable. If you can solder it shouldn't give you too much of a challenge.

I tried a few different mats including the ever excellent FF Achromat but in the end went back to the original Denon rubber mat. From a post on here somewhere seems that Denon did quite a bit of research about mat materials and damping the platter and seems they got it right for my tastes anyway.

The isolation feet can be improved on and as they are M6 threaded bolts quite a few of the aftermarket feet like Isonoe's and Origin Live coned feet will screw straight in.

If the DP57L/62L is as good as the DP60L/M I can see why Ed has kept his for 30 years. I am a fully fledged TT magpie swapping, chopping and changing the ones I have numerous times over the last few years but I'll keep my DP60L because it's
quality.
If it's working you'll be very pleased with your new TT and I imagine will have no desire to swap it.
What cart are you gonna use on it?
Wouldn't mind hearing your list of mods though Ed?

[Dimal]

G'day Bubba....

Actually mate, from all the threads I could find on the more reputable Vinyl Forums such as our very own VE, AudioKarma, et al - The overall impressions have been very positive and is the reason I went in search of a good'n. Of course, there are other beauties out there to be had too, if you can find 'em but some of them, such as the Micro Seiki's, can command a very high asking price for a good unit and they are generally outside the reach of my budget.

Good JVC's and Denon's though, are within my reach and are very well engineered and constructed too, so will be very happy to have the 60M sitting in pride of place. I have an excellent V15 Type-III that I intend to try on the Straight Pipe tonearm so should be a lot of fun....

Mal.

[Smoke Screen]

Like the DP60 more than the DP57/62 cause the older one is more solid
build. Straigh arm pipe is especially good with the higher up Denon MCs
like DL304 or something like Dynavectors DV23/DV17s.
A V15/III is ok,but you can do far better with a DP60 using a MC.

[bubba45]

Hi Mal
There aren't many but I did find a few critics of the older Denon's - warnings imbedded in threads about delicacy of the magnetic imprint on the platter and the proprietary micro processor failing.
These were the 2 main criticisms I came across with a few people bemoaning the fact that the magnetic imprint could come off easily and the TT therefore would not work unless you could source a replacement platter. Also if the micro processor went there was no way to replace it.
Like I say though based on mine they are pretty damned robust.
I had a JVC QL71 for a couple of months which is now being enjoyed by another VE member. Another beautifully engineered DD. They really don't make 'em like they used to.

[Dimal]

Like the DP60 more than the DP57/62 cause the older one is more solid
build. Straigh arm pipe is especially good with the higher up Denon MCs
like DL304 or something like Dynavectors DV23/DV17s.
A V15/III is ok,but you can do far better with a DP60 using a MC.

Yes mate, appreciate what you're saying....

When I've got the pennies together, the next acquisition will be at least a DL-304 and possibly better. Really depends on how long it takes me to save up and what's available at the time....

Mal.

[Dimal]

Hi Mal
There aren't many but I did find a few critics of the older Denon's - warnings imbedded in threads about delicacy of the magnetic imprint on the platter and the proprietary micro processor failing.

Yes, I found a couple of references to these issues as well, but compared to all the positive comments, these were in the minority.

The seller assures me that the platter (and magnetic strip) is in perfect condition and the fact that the TT is in overall excellent working condition, the electronics seem to be OK too (for now). Once it arrives here, it will be running off a power conditioner with inbuilt AVR so hopefully, that will help in prolonging the life of all the proprietary components. One can only try....

Mal.

[sjam]

Hi,
One of the best things about my DP57L is its ability to play warped records. I have some very warped records that I can't play on any other table that I have, except this Denon. It's ability to do this, seems only limited by the sharpness off the warp and its height. When the record hits the armtube or when the record hits the cartridge in the area behind the cantilever, the needle comes out the groove, nothing will prevent that.
As other members have said, the servo arm is maybe not the best around, but with MC's like Denon DL 300, 301, and especially with the 304 the quality of performance ranks above average. But tracking is amazing and second to none. Sam

[Dimal]

The most important things to do to your Denon turntable is to have all the electrolytic capacitors replaced and to solder all the wire wrap terminals to eliminate corrosion and impedance buildup at those points of failure. Following those two things the turntable will need to have its servos readjusted and that requires a dual trace oscilloscope.

G'day again Ed...

Just wondering mate... What sort of frequencies are we talking about with respect to using a CRO to adjust and verify the platter speeds? Mine is a fairly old clunker, maximum rating is just 1.0MHz...

Mal.