Seeking Denon DP-1200 set-up advice

[fiddlefye]

While I'm hunting for a more suitable arm for my Thorens TD-125 I figure I might as well be using my best cart (Benz Micro Gold) on the Denon DP-1200 that's in the system right now. I'm wondering if I can get some suggestions as to what type of headshell I should be using for the job. I have four of them at the moment ranging from an ultra-light through a standard Denon and then two heavier ones, a Sumiko and an Audioquest (pictured on the arm in the attachment).

The DP-1200 seems to be an auto-shutoff variant of the 1100 and 1250, though I can't find much information on it. I was told that the arm is an off-shoot of the one used on the early Rega tables (R200), though I'm not sure I see it entirely.

So I guess the first question is whether anyone knows what the stats are for this arm, effective mass and such?

Which headshell would suit the arm and cart the best?

Is there any VTA adjustment for the arm? I don't see that in the usual sort of places and my experience in setting up the Benz on the Linn arm seemed to indicate that it is rather sensitive to such changes. Maybe there is an adjustment but in some place less obvious?

Finally, does anyone happen to have an owner's manual that might sort some of this out for me? The DP-1200 is completely missing in the listings at Vinyl Engine.

 

[rjoseph]

At last somebody else who has this TT and arm. I have a DP-1200 and also have the same arm as shown by you in the pic. I am not familiar if the arm was associated with Rega or not.

Yes, Vinylengine does not have a manual for the DP-1200 and so I downloaded the one that was the closest to it (the DP-1100 I think). The arm pictured in the instructions manual will be different than what we have.

I have mounted a DL-160 set at 1.6 tracking. I have used the standard headshell it came with (a black one). In my quest I was told to look for a cart around the 6gm ballpark and HOMC.

 

[fiddlefye]

At last somebody else who has this TT and arm. I have a DP-1200 and also have the same arm as shown by you in the pic. I am not familiar if the arm was associated with Rega or not.

Yes, Vinylengine does not have a manual for the DP-1200 and so I downloaded the one that was the closest to it (the DP-1100 I think). The arm pictured in the instructions manual will be different than what we have.

I have mounted a DL-160 set at 1.6 tracking. I have used the standard headshell it came with (a black one). In my quest I was told to look for a cart around the 6gm ballpark and HOMC.

I don't know how common the DP-1200 was when new, but there sure don't seem to be many around. Yours is the only other one I'm aware of at this point.

You're right that the arm is different from the one on the 1100, but similar in most resepcts as far as I can tell. Our tables have that "unusual" remote lever for the cuing rather than one on the arm mounting itself. The arm seems to do quite a decent job of tracking from what I can tell. Maybe someone else on AK actually has the manual for the 1200 and some more specific instructions for set-up? We can hope.....

 

[Chrisssssssss]

Me three...

Looking for a manual for my DP-1200. I use it as a daily driver and it has served me well. I also have the same arm as yours. I don't think that there is any fancy settings that have to be set for this as I seem to have good results just setting the weight and anti skating. Also the arm height can be adjusted separately too. Have mine set up with V15III

 

[fiddlefye]

Me three...

Looking for a manual for my DP-1200. I use it as a daily driver and it has served me well. I also have the same arm as yours. I don't think that there is any fancy settings that have to be set for this as I seem to have good results just setting the weight and anti skating. Also the arm height can be adjusted separately too. Have mine set up with V15III

It really is a very nice table and very convenient to work work with, if a bit unusual in the logistics. I'm wondering if you can tell me where the arm height adjustment is? I know how to set the cue height, that was straightforward, but I haven't seen any way to change the height of the arm as a whole. Any chance you could point that out to me?

 

[Chrisssssssss]

sure, let me go look at mine and i will get back to you on that... give me a day or two...

 

[WmAx]

Man, nice table. If I was you, I would go on eBay and buy one of the high performance Denon arms for that sweet table. Not only should you gain performance, the higher model Denon arms have beautiful intricate detail machined metal work, thus enhancing that already attractive table.

Here is an example (bid man, bid!):
http://cgi.ebay.com/DENON-TONEARM-T...ptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item19ba4d407d

-Chris

 

[fiddlefye]

Man, nice table. If I was you, I would go on eBay and buy one of the high performance Denon arms for that sweet table. Not only should you gain performance, the higher model Denon arms have beautiful intricate detail machined metal work, thus enhancing that already attractive table.

Here is an example (bid man, bid!):
http://cgi.ebay.com/DENON-TONEARM-T...ptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item19ba4d407d

-Chris

That looks really nice. I was actually looking at another Denon arm with thoughts for my TD-125, but I suspect it isn't the right sort of thing for that. The only problem with trying to change the arm on the DP-1200 is the "unusual" way the cuing and autoshut-off are designed. The cue is operated by a lever out toward the front of the base rather than being part of the arm. If you change anything it becomes a manual table with redundant switch and mechanism. Better to try to find a DP-1100 (same basic table but manual) and put a really nice arm like that on it. I figure it would be a shame to waste the rather cool semi-auto set-up and the original arm isn't all that bad as far as I can tell anyway. I wish it could be otherwise....

 

[rjoseph]

The height of the arm can be adjusted by a screw just below the counterweight. Its indented into the body of the metal base and may be a little hard to find.

I'm surprised you are able to cue. I manually cue onto the platter since I was under the impression there is no cuing mechanism with this arm (yes, its the same arm). Can you please point me to the cue lever?

 

[fiddlefye]

The height of the arm can be adjusted by a screw just below the counterweight. Its indented into the body of the metal base and may be a little hard to find.

I'm surprised you are able to cue. I manually cue onto the platter since I was under the impression there is no cuing mechanism with this arm (yes, its the same arm). Can you please point me to the cue lever?

Sure thing! If you go back to the photo of the arm on my DP-1200 in the original post you'll see the round dial-like lever immediately to the right of the arm head, set out in the right front quadrant of the plinth. When pulled forward this turns the motor on and lowers the arm, when pushed back it lifts it shut things off.

Just to the right of the main column of the arm you can see the adjustment screw for the post of the cue. The lift column and arm are directly in front of that column. The cue operates via an oil-damped mechanism under the arm. I'm presuming that your arm etc. is identical to mine. I had to top up the oil reservoir on mine to get it working properly and yours may be the same.

Once working and adjusted properly it is a pretty good system. The oddity to using it is that the only way I've found is to bring the arm out over the track I want to play (usually the beginning, but ya never know), pull the lever forward a bit to get the platter spinning and once up to speed pull forward the rest of the way to lower the needle into the groove.

Maybe you could take a pic of your DP-1200 and post it to the thread and I can see what you've got going on?

So, the adjustment is on the back of the collar?

 

[rjoseph]

I had not clue about this operation. I was under the impression it was a manual arm. Where is the oil reservoir located at? Do I need to turn the TT upside down to access it? Its the same arm but mine does not move the arm to over the first track. When you turn the 'On' dial does the arm move as well?

 

[fiddlefye]

I had not clue about this operation. I was under the impression it was a manual arm. Where is the oil reservoir located at? Do I need to turn the TT upside down to access it? Its the same arm but mine does not move the arm to over the first track. When you turn the 'On' dial does the arm move as well?

No, turning it on doesn't move the arm at all, that's DIY as it's strictly an auto-off type design. What I do is move the arm (supported by the arm lift) so the needle is over the place I want to start on the record, pull the lever forward so the platter starts and then pull it the rest of the way so the needle drops into the groove. I think I added a bit of oil from the top where the shaft of the lift goes through, but that was awhile back and it's a bit of a fog. You might take the bottom cover off and see if there's access to something there. You'll also see how the mechanism works as well.

 

[rjoseph]

As for me when I move the arm to the place I want it to play, I need to place the needle down on the LP. If I leave my hand it will fall onto the LP. Not sure how yours stays up till you cue it down. Maybe I need to go back and reconfigure stuff.

 

[fiddlefye]

As for me when I move the arm to the place I want it to play, I need to place the needle down on the LP. If I leave my hand it will fall onto the LP. Not sure how yours stays up till you cue it down. Maybe I need to go back and reconfigure stuff.

Take a look at the lift you see right in front of the column where the arm pivot is. That should go up and down as you move the lever at the front. If it doesn't then either the mechanism between the lever and the cue isn't working or (more likely) the oil reservoir is empty or very low. Yes, there is cuing!

 

[rjoseph]

You are right. It does work the cue just fine. I have never just tried it before. This is cool! I'm loving the table even more.

 

[fiddlefye]

You are right. It does work the cue just fine. I have never just tried it before. This is cool! I'm loving the table even more.

Yay! You can adjust the height of both the arm rest and lift quite easily. If the cuing is a bit unreliable you'll need to add some fluid to the reservoir.

 

[rjoseph]

I actually adjusted the arm rest and lift earlier so as to get the clear the styli off the platter at the end of play. Is the reservoir the small hole on the arm plate just below the counterweight? Thanks to you I am learning more about this arm.

 

[fiddlefye]

I actually adjusted the arm rest and lift earlier so as to get the clear the styli off the platter at the end of play. Is the reservoir the small hole on the arm plate just below the counterweight? Thanks to you I am learning more about this arm.

I wish I could remember what I did when I topped things up. I'll have to take look when I have a minute to recollect. A question for you as well. Did I understand correctly that the VTA adjustment is via a set screw in the collar, sort of facing toward the right rear corner of the table? That looks like the logical spot. It actually never occurred to me that a table with cuing of this sort would have that adjustment. If I put my Benz Micro Gold on that will be a plus as it really sounds best with the head slightly higher.

 

[rjoseph]

I was not sure of the term (VTA), but yes the height can be adjusted via the screw at the back. I'm not sure about the Micro Gold though. While looking for a new cart I was advised to stay more towards HOMC because of compatibility with the arm mass.

 

[fiddlefye]

I was not sure of the term (VTA), but yes the height can be adjusted via the screw at the back. I'm not sure about the Micro Gold though. While looking for a new cart I was advised to stay more towards HOMC because of compatibility with the arm mass.

The specs on the Gold are a bit more like a MM cart as far as mass and compliance go, nothing like a DL-103 or similar. I've been running it on a Linn Basik LVX (lighter than the Denon arm) on my TD-125 and it's been fine. In fact I've had a DL-103 on the Denon (with a heftier Sumiko shell) and it tracked quite well. I haven't seen any specs on the arm we have, but it must be somewhere in the "medium mass" range.