Grand Prix Monaco review in new Stereophile- OUCH

Here's the Japanese Web page for the DP-1300MKII:

http://denon.jp/company/release/dp1300mk2.html

I ran it through Babelfish and it still doesn't make it clear what the differences are from the DP-500M. In fact, the picture is clearly identical, as are most of the specs. Could it be it's the same turntable, just with a different model number? Maybe Denon is taking the true audiophile path and differentiating the turntable on price alone.

:-)

David

Maybe Denon is taking the true audiophile path and differentiating the turntable on price alone.
:-)

I know from your smiley face that you're kidding, but there may be some substantial differences for the 1300 to weigh 10 lbs more than the 500.

In English, here are the specs for the DP 500M at Needledoctor: http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DP-500M-Turntable?sc=2&category=348

And here are the specs for the DP-1300mkII at AudioCubes II: http://www.audiocubes2.com/category/Turntables/product/Denon_DP-1300MKII_Analog_Turntable.html

As you can see, the 1300's arm is 14mm (.6") longer and the turntable's overall weight is 4.5KG (9.9 lbs) heavier. I'm hoping that the arm is a newer design to accommodate today's cartridges. It definitely uses a different counterweight. The extra length should reduce tracking angle a bit. If you look closely at the pictures of the two, the arm base on the 1300 is further away from the platter.

It also appears that the 1300 has a nicer wood veneer finish with a more prominent grain and chamfered edges and corners.

Johnnyb53,

See my links in the posts just before yours...all is revealed by Denon...lots of differences, actually...

David

I don't want to be a spoil sport, but this thread is not about a low to mid-price Denon tt; it is about sturm and drang over a review and the reviewer of megabuck (almost hypothetical due to cost) tt's in a magazine. Carry on.

My loss for never trying a Denon, turntable that is, and here is a quote from a Japanese website from a well known (?) equipment reviewer who gave it a:

☆DR.IGARASHI　今日のBeer指数　90％ !!☆

I like the beer reference here, and 90% is not bad for a dd tt that claims the same speed accuracy as the GPA Monaco: 0.002%!!! I wonder where the Monaco or the Continuum ranks in their world ...

Lewn, a low-mid priced tt is currently defined as in the $1-2000 range? What are we squandering our hard earned money on...

Keep smiling :-) when you spin those records!