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Getting a Denon DL-160 - what to expect?

P

powervinyl

Member
I placed an order yesterday for a Denon DL-160 from Internet Security Systems Inc. What sort of quirks should I expect from this cartridge? I am mating it to a Pioneer PL-600 and I will be using the phono pre-amp built into my Kenwood 1070VR receiver. My current cartridge is an Audio Technica AT92 in a universal mount adapter.

Is this a difficult cartridge to get set up properly?

Thanks! :)

-- Boris
 
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Tough the output voltage is a bit low, I haven't noticed any difference with mine. Easy to set up. Just use the suggested weight. I think it likes medium mass tonearms, so if it is a non-straight Pioneer Tonearm it should work perfectly. Sonicly you should expect gorgeous clear, not bloomy mids. The highs are a little rolled off compared to a Shure V-15III. Very clear and musical cartridge.
 
Expect wonderful sound from one of the best "bang for the buck" cartridges out there. If your table has adjustable VTA, dragging the tail will increase the bass.
Regards,
Jim
 
OTOH, if your phono section is a bit marginal, because of the lower voltage signal, as you increase the volume to compensate, you may get more background noise. You'll have to run it and decide?
 
I think the Kenwood phono stage's sensitivity is spec'd at 2.5 mV. The DL-160 isn't all that far off of that. You might not have to turn it up all that much.
 
My Kenwood's phono input is spec'd at 2.5 mV / 47 kOhm and the Denon DL-160 claims to be 1.6 mV. I am thinking of getting an external phono pre-amp from phonopreamps.com to compensate for the lower levels. Specifically, I was thinking of getting the TCC-760LC.

http://www.phonopreamps.com/TC-760LCpp.html

This might be a purchase for next month.

I do wonder how Denon got a moving coil system to match the output levels and specifications of a moving magnet system. All the moving coil systems I have seen have much lower levels. I wonder what kind of design compromises (if any) were made.

-- Boris
 
powervinyl said:
My Kenwood's phono input is spec'd at 2.5 mV / 47 kOhm and the Denon DL-160 claims to be 1.6 mV. I am thinking of getting an external phono pre-amp from phonopreamps.com to compensate for the lower levels. Specifically, I was thinking of getting the TCC-760LC.

http://www.phonopreamps.com/TC-760LCpp.html

This might be a purchase for next month.

I do wonder how Denon got a moving coil system to match the output levels and specifications of a moving magnet system. All the moving coil systems I have seen have much lower levels. I wonder what kind of design compromises (if any) were made.

-- Boris
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Listen for a while and then come back and tell us what compromises you think were made. If you are already convinced it will suck, I'll take it off your hands for 75 bucks. For under 200 bucks, it's the best cart you can buy. Some would disagree, but they are wrong.
 
What makes you think I am already convinced that "it will suck"? If I was already convinced then I wouldn't have ordered it. :)

-- Boris
 
powervinyl said:
What sort of quirks should I expect from this cartridge?
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No quirks here. just follow your T/T manufacturers instructions for mounting a cartridge and get the overhang right.

powervinyl said:
I am mating it to a Pioneer PL-600 and I will be using the phono pre-amp built into my Kenwood 1070VR receiver.
Click to expand...

Is this an "S" shaped tonearm. If so you will have no problems. Just make sure to follow the instructions on overhang.

powervinyl said:
My current cartridge is an Audio Technica AT92 in a universal mount adapter.
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I am not sure what you mean by "a universal mount adapter". :headscrat

powervinyl said:
Is this a difficult cartridge to get set up properly?
Click to expand...

No different than any other cart in it's price range. Just take your time and be careful of the stylus. I don't like not being able to remove it while I mount the body.

This cart has replaced/matched the sound of a Shure V15VMRLE that I have used for the last 20+ years. I simply love it. Give it a little time to break in and then enjoy.
 
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rushfan said:
Opinions are just that - opinions. They cannot be right or wrong. You can have the facts wrong, but we're not dealing with facts here.
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Your wrong! Don't see much 'opinion' here. OP asked for info on his inbound 160, he got it. Except for my opinion re the 160, pretty much everything posted here is a fact regarding the 160.
 
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Tromatic said:
Your wrong! Don't see much 'opinion' here. OP asked for info on his inbound 160, he got it. Except for my opinion re the 160, pretty much everything posted here is a fact regarding the 160.
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I tried to be brief to avoid hijacking this thread but I see that I left the door open to some interpretation.

I wasn't disputing any of the "facts" presented in this thread. When I said that we weren't dealing with facts, I was strictly talking about your opinion.

When you say "some would disagree, but they are wrong" what you are in fact saying is "some would disagree with me, but they are wrong". Do you see how arrogant that sounds?

I'm not a moderator but that kind of talk seems really out of place here.
 
G'day all, an interesting thread. I have no personal experience with the Denon DL160, but interestingly enough although the DL160 is by all accounts a very fine cartridge I am aware that several people in recent times who were formerly very happy owners of the DL160 have actually gone back to other cartridges, such as older Shures with the superb Jico SAS styli installed and in one case that I know of, a standard Shure M97xE.

The reason given was that the sound of the M97xE is more 'solid' than the DL160. I was also told that the standard M97xE does not quite have the recovered detail of the DL160, but the 'sound' of the M97xE is preferred overall. A couple of interesting opinions. Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
The Denon DL-160 has an output of over 2mv so don't pay too much attention to it being too low for MM phono preamps.

"To sum it up, not bright or etched like many cheap cartridges (actually very pleasant hi frequency), deep bass, tracks great, and plays deep in the groove. Has a decent out put of about 2.mV although it is listed as 1.6 mV, it plays closer in volume to the Shure s 3.5 mV."

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=494958&review=1
 
Catman and HypnoToad,

Thank you for bringing this thread back to my original question. From what you said, I would interpret what you said to mean that the frequencies from the mid/upper bass to the midrange is strong. That is usually what I define as "solid". Bright or lively sound to me means exaggerated mids to highs (8kHz). My AT92E sounds rather bright and the bass feels weak. Something "solid" may be what I am looking after.

I was also wondering if the DL-160 is more sensitive to one sort of misalignment instead of another. Is it more sensitive to being cocked at an angle in the headshell vs. not being parallel to the record?

-- Boris
 
My Denon DL-160 sits straight in the headshell on the tonearm of a Pioneer PL-550 turntable.
The alignment is easily done with an overhang of 49 mm, very simple for my listening requirement.:music:
 
Balifly said:
My Denon DL-160 sits straight in the headshell on the tonearm of a Pioneer PL-550 turntable.
The alignment is easily done with an overhang of 49 mm, very simple for my listening requirement.:music:
Click to expand...

jbrainey said:
Exact same setup here with excellent results.
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As these gents have stated, you'll have little very trouble installing the cartridge straight. I'm using a DL-110 in my PL-600 and it was a cinch to install using the included overhang gauge.

While these HOMC Denon's are great cartridges, their output is definitely lower than typical MM cartridges. I had a specific need that required me to use a separate preamp with my Denon in order to generate more gain but for casual listening, it was great out of the box.
 
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