United Kingdom
Catalog   /   Sound & Hi-Fi   /   Hi-Fi & Hi-End Components   /   Turntables

Comparison Denon DP-450USB vs Pro-Ject Essential III

Add to comparison
Denon DP-450USB
Pro-Ject Essential III
Denon DP-450USBPro-Ject Essential III
Compare prices 10
from £369.00 
Outdated Product
TOP sellers
Main
Fully automatic turntable: start at the touch of a button and stop at the end of the record
Pickup
ModelDSN-85Ortofon OM10
TypeMMMM
Needle shapeellipticalelliptical
Output level2.5 mV4 mV
Downforce0 – 4 g1.25 –1.75 g
Pickup weight5 g5 g
Tonearm
ModelPro-Ject 8.6 D
Typeradialradial
ShapeS-shapedstraight
Materialaluminium
aluminium /aluminium/
Tonearm effective length220 mm219 mm
Tonearm weight8 g
Design
Drive unitbeltbelt
Speed controlelectronic (automatic)mechanical (manual)
Cover
Phono stage+is absent
Features
Features
adjustable counterweight
anti-skating
auto-stop
autoplay
speed 78 rpm
media record
adjustable counterweight
anti-skating
 
 
 
 
Specs
Frequency range20 – 20000 Hz
20 – 20000 Hz /± 2 дБ/
Signal to noise ratio62 dB66 dB
Knock ratio0.08 %
0.6 % /45 rpm, 0.7% — 33 rpm/
Speed deviation
0.19 % /45 rpm, 0.21% — 33 rpm/
General
Power consumption10 W5 W
Base materialplasticMDF/Fibreboard
Platter materialplasticMDF
Platter size300 mm
Adjustable feet
Dimensions (WxDxH)414x342x132 mm420x330x112 mm
Turntable weight5.8 kg5 kg
Color
Added to E-Catalogdecember 2018august 2017

Model

Model of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the player. The pickup is one of the most important parts of any vinyl player, the quality of the received sound largely depends on its quality. Knowing the name of the model, you can find detailed data on it and determine how satisfied you are with this particular cartridge.

Output level

The signal level at the output of the pickup supplied with the player is, in fact, the power of the signal coming from the pickup to the phono stage. This parameter is necessary, first of all, in cases where the player is planned to be connected to an external phono stage: such equipment must be designed for the corresponding power of the signal coming from the pickup.

Downforce

The force of pressing the needle on the plate, which the complete pickup (cartridge) is designed for.

This force depends on the rigidity (compliance) of the needle: the greater the clamping force, the harder the cartridge, respectively, the less pliable it is. It is also believed that less pressing force wears out the record less, but it cannot be said that "light" cartridges are definitely better — there are many other nuances. So in fact, information about the pressing force of a complete pickup is needed mainly in case of its replacement. Usually, the pressing force provided by the arm of the turntable is regulated within these limits, so the new cartridge must also be rated for the same values of downforce — otherwise there is a chance that the turntable will not be able to correctly align.

Model

Model of the tonearm — the movable lever on which the pickup is attached — supplied with the turntable. The tone arm is responsible for the correct position of the needle and the accuracy of its movement along the grooves, which is critical for sound quality. Therefore, many music lovers try to clarify not only the general data on the tonearm, but also its specific features in each particular “turntable”; in order to be able to find this information, the name of the tonearm is given in the characteristics.

Shape

The shape of the complete tonearm (viewed from on top). Modern players may have both straight and S-shaped or J-shaped tonearms. It is impossible to say for sure which of them is better: the advantage of the first option is its light weight, the second and third ones are its greater length and low resonant frequency, which reduces the likelihood of interference. Therefore, in practice, the choice depends on the specific situation and personal preferences.

Tonearm effective length

The effective length of a tonearm in set is the distance from the attachment point (axis of rotation) to the stylus.

This indicator is important primarily for rotary tonearms: the longer the length, the lower the angular error, the smaller the discrepancy between the direction of movement of the track and the longitudinal axis of the pickup (for more details, see “Type”) and the lower the level of corresponding distortion. In addition, a longer length reduces the resonant frequency and reduces the likelihood of distortion. On the other hand, a longer tonearm turns out to be heavier, which requires certain technical tricks and can also negatively affect the purity of the sound. Therefore, a large length is not always a guarantee of high quality – you should also pay attention to weight (see below).

Tonearm weight

Operating weight of the complete tonearm. It is believed that this indicator should be as low as possible — in order not to create excessive pressure and to minimize the wear of the needle and records. On the other hand, a rigid pickup on a light arm can bounce on uneven records, and in general, such a discrepancy does not improve the sound quality. However, complete tonearms are usually optimally compatible with complete pickups; therefore, you should only be interested in compatibility when buying a cartridge of a different model.

Speed control

A method for switching the disc rotation speed provided in the player.

Manual. This option is only found on belt driven models (see above). It provides the transfer of the belt to another pulley, due to which the gear ratio and, accordingly, the rotation speed change. This method is not as fast and convenient as automatic, however, it allows you to do without unnecessary electronic circuits (many audiophiles appreciate this feature, because additional electronics can interfere and degrade sound quality).

Electronic. Speed switching, carried out by changing the parameters of the electric motor — usually, the user just needs to press a button or move the regulator. This method is much faster and more convenient than mechanical, and for direct drive models (see above) is generally the only possible option. However, the electronics responsible for switching the speed affect the cost of the player and can become a source of additional interference; however, the latter can be compensated by installing control circuits in an external power supply (see below).

Phono stage

A phono corrector is a specially designed preamplifier used when working with vinyl record pickups. Initially, the sound on such records is recorded with distortion of the amplitude-frequency characteristic, namely with an increase in volume from low to high frequencies; this is due to the technical features of the recording process. Accordingly, the phono corrector not only amplifies the signal to a level sufficient for feeding to the power amplifier, but also corrects the amplitude-frequency characteristic, “pulling out” the bass and reducing the volume of the HF. And the built-in phono corrector allows you to connect the player to the power amplifier directly, without using intermediate equipment. True, in terms of characteristics, built-in preamplifiers-correctors are inferior to external ones. Therefore, some models with this function may provide a “bypass” mode, allowing you to pass the signal bypassing the built-in phono corrector to an external, more advanced one. And there are also vinyl players without a phono corrector at all.
Denon DP-450USB often compared
Pro-Ject Essential III often compared