Vintage Denon Direct Drive Turntable

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I have owned my DP80/dk300 for 6 weeks now along with a Koetsu SA1100 special edition tonearm. I am running a re-tipped and nuded Denon 103, this rig is my last stand at analogue nirvana and I'm deeply impressed so far.

I am looking at developing a new plinth, for reasons that are discussed above, also as the footers on the dk300 are nothing more than threaded alu blocks encased in plastic with felt attached to the bottom. I'm really interested in a substantial slate plinth, but as kcc123 says, it's cost prohibitive. I'm off to some reclamation yards this weekend to try and source some slabs.

My second option is to go for a massive layered plywood jobbie, with maybe a sheet of SDS isophonon as the top layer, although I feel the slightly textured finish of the sheet may be a concern for coupling to the underside of the chassis. My previous deck was a KAB modified SL1210 and for that I built a solid wood plinth surround (box) that contained an inch of silver sand and granite slab for the deck to sit on, this is also an option, but I really want to go all out for the slate solution, however, getting 4 inches depth along with cutouts, coupling holes and finishing is no mean feat.

I have also sourced some butyl rubber speaker damping compound to apply under the 'skirt' of the chassis.

Look forward to any theories you guys may have for suitable solid or cld plinths.

You can buy a slab of two-inch thick PA slate from any of several sources and have it shipped to you anywhere in the US for a total cost of less than $500, maybe much less than $500 if you don't have to pay shipping. After that you need to find someone local to you with a CNC milling machine that can cut the hole for the Denon to fit. Since the Denon requires a not-too-complex hole that consists of a series of concentric circles, you don't really need the services of a water-jetter to get it done. I am assuming the milling would cost ~$200 additional. I own a proper size slate slab, and I am going to visit a guy who can cut it during the coming week. You can come up with a pattern for the needed cut by tracing the hole in your DK300 plinth, which is what I have done.

Thanks for the reply Lewm. I am based in the UK (Wales) where the world's finest slate comes from (apparently) but it's still very expensive here. Hopefully I can source a decent fireplace plinth or something of similar size. I have a local stone mason who specilises in headstones, so he can help with finishing, just need to find someone to cut the holes.

I have inverted the plinth onto an A2 sheet of paper and traced the cut-outs for the motor unit and tonearm. How are you intending on securing your chassis and tonearm to the slate exactly? I was thinking of perhaps some bore holes with an m5 cabinet insert secured/glued inside.

Please post some images of your slate plinth when you are ready.

Treehugga, I don't know what the "world's finest slate" is. I did see many months ago a long drawn out argument between Jonathan Weiss of OMA and the Slate Deck guy in the UK, over whose slate was "finer". OMA use Pennsylvania slate; I am told by Vermont slate guys that VT slate is actually "harder" and more dense than PA slate, but I selected PA slate, because others have had great success with it. After all, the real question is what slate is best for a plinth. IMO, the best slate is NOT likely to be the hardest, densest, type. I will leave it at that.

I am/was planning to fasten the DP80 into the slate using the same three screw-holes provided for fastening it to the DK300. How to do this is very crucial to the outcome, because good coupling between the chassis and plinth is essential. If I work up the courage, I may drill additional holes in the DP80 chassis to allow use of more than 3 fasteners. The other potential problem is that those holes are perilously close to the edge of the cut-out needed for the chassis to fit. I fear that the slate will crumble or crack during drilling. I am going to try to get a consultation on that problem from an experienced slate worker, before doing any hole-drilling.

My 'finest slate' line was written in jest, it's just a marketing gimmick in my opinion, and I can no-way afford Slatedeck's prices anyway. Yes I agree that the fastening holes are very close to the inner edge of the cutout, and this is a concern, it's certainly a job for a pro.

The person who sold me the DP80 is a dealer in all things japanese dd and he told me that the 80 has a sapphire bearing which is superior to that employed on the SP10mk2. I have the original manual and what looks like a press pack type thing, but it still gives little away in terms of detailed spec for this deck, it really is a somewhat closed book, and that has probably kept the interest in this fine deck to a minimium compared to the SP10.

I was interested in the torque measurements between the DP80 and sp10mk2, but I cannot find anything, what I do know is it is a great deal higher than the SL1210, it takes a fair bit of finger pressure on the platter rim to register on the strobe.