Denon DP-450USB Semi-Automatic Analog Turntable, USB Output for Recording, Speed Auto Sensor, Specially Designed Curved Tonearm, 33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM (Vintage) Speeds, Superior Audio, White

Very classy & stylish

I had been looking at getting a new turntable for a while, and was debating used vs. new when I happened upon a description of the DP-400 and DP450USB. They both checked all the boxes for me, in that they have (1) 3 speeds (33 1/3, 45, and 78), which cover all the records in my collection (I have a few vintage 78s), (2) a standard headshell, making the mounting of a new cartridge, or replacement of broken cartridge leads, very easy (it's especially nice for me since the 78s need a special mono cartridge), (3) a speed sensor that regulates the platter's rotation, holding it to the exact speed selected, (4) a sensor that lifts the arm at the end of a record side and turns off the platter motor automatically (nice for those of us older folk who sometimes doze off while listening), and (5) a low-profile dust cover that allows the turntable (which is relatively small and light) to fit nicely in the shelf space I have for a turntable.Both turntables have a switchable built-in phono preamp for high-output phono cartridges, although I have no need for that (I have a separate phono preamp -- I also use mostly moving coil low-output cartridges, for which the built-in preamp is not compatible and must be switched out). Both tables also come with a mounted Denon high-output moving magnet cartridge (more on that later).The only difference between the two turntables seems to be the addition in the 450USB of a port for insertion of a USB drive and the ability to convert a vinyl record into a digital file (either MP3 or WAV) for inclusion in a digital music collection (after editing the file using either the free Denon software or another program, like Audacity). I have done some conversions in the past, and the Denon set up is far easier to use than others, virtually all of which require the turntable to be connected directly to a computer. So I decided to purchase the 450USB, just to have the versatility. I haven't tried the USB conversion process yet.The table comes in gloss black or gloss white. I chose white, both because it looked good on line and I figured it would show fingerprints far less. I was right -- it looks great, and unlike gloss black (I have had a gloss black table before, and regretted it), fingerprints and dust do not stand out. The dust cover is a love-it-or-hate-it affair -- the cover has a stand it sits in when not on the turntable, and is not hinged, and it does not cover the entire table -- just the platter and arm. But it it low-profile when sitting on the turntable, and does keep dust off the platter and arm when the turntable is not in use -- which is the primary purpose of a dust cover. Personally, I love it. It is far less likely to end up scratched and cloudy, which happens to most hinged dustcovers, although I do worry I will drop it and it will crack (if Denon sold extras, I'd buy a couple just to have on hand).Set up was straightforward -- the guide in the box is well-written and I had no trouble assembling the turntable (although I may not be the best judge -- I have a lot of experience with turntable set up). The cartridge is pre-mounted in the headshell and is easily installed in the tonearm. I followed the directions to set the tonearm weight at two grams, using the "eyeball" process Denon describes in the guide, and then checked it against an electronic wieght scale -- just using the eyeball method, I was able to set the weight at 1.95 grams, which is well within acceptable tolerances. Using the scale, I was easily able to set the final weight at exactly two grams, even though it wasn't really necessary to do so. Setting the anti-skate at two grams was accomplished just with the twist of a knob, and seemed to work flawlessly.Using a strobe measurement wheel and strobe light, I confirmed that the speed control worked perfectly -- both 33 and 1/3 and 45 speeds were rock solid, dead accurate with absolutely NO drift. Wow. This is not that common, and the single most important attribute of a turntable -- if the turntable does not deliver accurate and consistent rotation speed, nothing else matters. The Denon produces absolutely zero "rumble" through the cartridge -- and if the turntable itself produces any meaningful noise when turning the platter, I can't hear it.The end-of-side shut off and arm lift also work perfectly, although it often takes six or seven rotations of the record after the end of the music for the arm to lift. This isn't really any kind of problem, and the fact that the arm lift is based on a sensor, instead of a mechanical switch or gear, means there is no mechanical interference with the arm's movement while playing, and no plastic gear to break (both of which are problems with a lot of semi-automatic turntables).Although the turntable is not a heavyweight, which is often helpful in preventing vibration from transmitting through the record to the cartridge and causing noise, I detected no vibration issues when walking across the floor or playing music at high volumes -- the turntable seems well-damped. And a lighter turntable is easier to place and move. The plinth is also a little more compact than a lot of turntables, although the platter is full-size. This also assists with placement.The only downside is the included cartridge. It is inexpensive, and sounds it -- not bad, just not great. Like stereo speakers, phono cartridges are a component where you really do, within limits, get what you pay for. I recommend upgrading the cartridge at the first opportunity, perhaps to a Denon DL-103 or equivalent (assuming you have a phono preamp that will handle low-output moving coil cartridges).Even after upgrading, for roughly $1000 all in, you can have a turntable and cartridge of superb quality, versatility, convenience and performance that rivals other turntable/cartridge combinations that cost two to three times as much. Skip the USB option, and you can have the same performance for about $800.00 with the DP-400. Either way, this is a great turntable.

This is a nice turntable and the recording feature is a good thing to have. I first bought a black one used that turned out to have a defect so I then swapped it for a new white one. I'm therefore basing my review on both 450USB turntables, the black and the white.I'll start with the cover. I can see that some people like it but to me that cover is enough of a nuisance to deduct a star. Here is why:1, The cover does not protect from dust as it is open all around, so as a cover it's really not doing it's job.2, The cover must be completely removed and put somewhere else to play a record. I don't care at all about it's "display" feature. To me it's just something that is laying around unnecessarily when I play a record.3, You can't just leave the record on the turntable when it's finished and have a closed cover over it. The cover rests on the platter, so you must take the record off the turntable before putting the cover on.4, On the black turntable the cover is dark. Dark enough to not be able to see the tonearm. I can imagine that this may lead to repeated hitting of the tonearm and to eventual damage. The white Turntable has a frosted clear cover enabling the user to see the tonearm when putting the cover on which is better.This brings me to the other unique feature of this turntable. The 450USB enables you to record CD quality wav files directly to a USB stick. That's nice! I never tried the mp3 function and never will, there is no point for that IMO. I take the files into Audacity, which is free, and edit and label them to my liking.The even better option would be to record the turntable signal to an external solid state recorder. That's a better option because it would be possible to record a higher quality file, but that would also require an amplifier with an audio out port in addition to the recorder. Unfortunately receiver manufacturers, in the past 15 years, have completely done away with that feature, so one either needs a vintage amplifier or buy a new audiophile one. In the end the Denon is the cheaper option. After all a CD quality recording isn't bad and if one does want to have a better quality option this is still something that can be added in the future.Note that not all USB thumb drives work. I though I did get a fancy USB 3 drive with a very high transfer rate capability it turned out not to work. I called Denon about a list of approved drives but they don't have anything, so it's trial and error I guess. A cheaper/older drive from the local Office Depot seems to work fine.When a USB drive is inserted and recording is on there are some very bright LED's operating in the front and honestly those could do with a bit less brightness. I also don't like that the one light can be seen though the plastic of the white turntable. It makes it look thin and cheap. This wasn't an issue on the black unit.Still, when it comes to the finish the white one IMO is preferable as the black turntable shows every speck of dust and fingerprint.So overall this turntable isn't perfect but it's a very nice turntable with a unique wav recording function that made the difference to me when it came my purchase decision.I am using an Ortofon stylus and headshell on it and it sounds nice. I don't think I have enough of an audiophile system or hearing to go into all the intricacies as to why this turntable sounds better than another, all I can say that I enjoy listening to records on it and love the ability to record my records for the road.

I purchased this primarily to record my vinyl collection of 500+ older albums. I also wanted a decent quality turntable. The sound quality is pretty good. I am not an audiophile but could appreciate the warmer tone of the vinyl and don't mind the clicks. I connected to my audio receiver and did not need the built in preamp (e.g. for going directly to speakers). Setup was easy. The supplied cartridge is not that bad, but I upgraded to an Ortofon 2M red mounted on a red headshell (much easier to install, plus the red headshell adds a nice pop of color to the white turntable base). If you do upgrade, be very careful with the needle, it is easy to break. I purchased a Neoteck Digital Turntable Stylus Force Scale fo check the weight and instructions that come with the Denon. Denon was pretty accurate! The Ortofon is supposed to last longer than the Denon cartridge. When I have the time, I really enjoy listening to an album and not having the music just as background. I can often hear more in the music than with digital recordings. But you have to have the time and patience for one side at a time. On one occasion the turntable did not turn off at the end even with the off switch. Unplugging and plugging in again, solved the problem without recurrence.As for recording, the attractive part about the Denon is that it (only) takes a flash drive not a cable. So if your computer is far from your turntable and stereo system and you don't want messy wires showing, this is an elegant solution. I had a lot of difficulty with it not recording a full side at times. I read on a forum somewhere to try a better flash drive. I upgraded to a SanDisk 256GB Extreme PRO USB 3.2 Solid State and that made all the difference. This was probably overkill but you need a faster flash drive for the recording to work properly. If you can have the wires hidden and go directly to your computer the Denon may not be for you.I tried using the free Audacity software to process the recordings (to split the album side into its tracks and reduce pops and clicks) but it was too difficult to figure out. I purchased Vinyl Studio, initially the basic version but then the premium which allows you to process both sides of an album at the same time. At first it was able to download album art from Discogs, but currently there is an incompatibility so you have to take a photo or capture a web photo for album art. A bigger problem was getting the volume right. You can't adjust it when recording to the flash drive. After splitting the tracks, next in the Cleanup Audio tab, you can adjust the "preamp" volume so it will be closer to whatever your digital music recordings are (trial and error), otherwise the sound is noticeably and irritatingly softer. I transfer the flash drive recorded sides to a separate hard drive and then use Vinyl Studio to process and then add mp3 or WAV files to my iTunes playlists. This preserves the originally recorded album sound on the hard drive (without any processing) and will allow me to sell or give away the albums in boxes taking up too much room.

I don't know what the people who gave the DP-450USB 1-star are talking about. I suspect they don't either. One person thought the auto lift didn't work. At first, I didn't think so either, but it did - there was just a longer than expected delay. Another person complained about the sound. They probably had the built-in phono preamp switched on and plugged it into the phono input on their receiver, which would cause a situation of tremendous over-gain and lots of distortion (BAD sound). Clueless people will always get bad results - even with this EXCELLENT turntable. Poo-lease!

I would have to say I love the sound quality first and foremost. If I had to pick something I didn’t like about it that would be the dust cover. While it works well when not in use I would have much preferred a sensible one that could be used while spinning the albums. But that’s not enough for me not to say go get yourself one you won’t be sorry I promise you that.