Review on 🎵 Denon DP-400 White Semi-Automatic Analog Turntable: Curved Tonearm, Speed Auto Sensor, & Vintage RPM Support for Superior Audio Experience by Kimberly Sanders

First of all, this is not a "full automatic" player. I know it's not listed as such on Revain, but I've seen it say so elsewhere. The tonearm has a selectable auto-lift feature, but placement of the stylus on the platter is still manual, as is the case with most other TTs. I've been listening for about 40 hours in the past few weeks. It was mostly classic jazz mixed with a variety of rock. So far it's holding up well. It took about 10-12 hours to loosen the cartridge but everything sounded great after that. If I come across any issues in the future I will update this review. Perhaps what I like best is the fully removable, low-profile dust cover that doubles as the album cover. That's an ingenious concept. It is 1.) durable and 2.) allows me to cram the turntable onto a shelf as shown in the attached photo. That means I don't have to worry about needing enough space to fold down the included dust cover. My first impression is that Denon designed this to smooth out wrinkles in the DP-300f, which was a really decent TT to start with. There were rumors of the 300f's speed/motor shortcomings, and the permanently attached power and signal cables and lack of a ground point made it unfeasible for fussier consumers. With the DP-400, the power and signal connections are open and can therefore be retrofitted, and there is also a ground point. The cruise control works very well. The lines on the strobe dial I use to test speed are completely static. They don't move an iota. The buttons are on a different level compared to the cheaper Denon counterparts, which have buttons instead of buttons anyway. They are large, fleshy and firm to the touch. The on/off button, which is also a speed switch, seems very reliable. The same goes for the anti-slip dial. The counterweight is also a very heavy and solid counterweight upgrade for the 300f. There is no comparison. When I wanted to set the downforce to 2.0 grams, I managed to set the gauge to 2.01 grams. With this combination of counterweight and arm, an absolutely fine fine adjustment is possible. One complaint from 300f owners was the so-called tonearm clamp, which was actually a screw connection. This time Denon has incorporated a fully functional clamp into the armrest. So this is another item that has been removed from the list. Many thanks to Denon for that. Also, it is an S-shaped tonearm that looks stylish. Claimed signal-to-noise ratio is slightly better than 300f, possibly due to the external power supply. It went from 60 to 62, the latter being like the highest-end tape recorder of the past. I couldn't detect any audible noise when playing 180g vinyl through the high quality speakers powered by Denon's flagship AVR. Note that this S/N rating takes the standard cartridge and "EQ" into account in the equation. Both have a low voltage output. The manual, which is much more detailed by the way, says that the total output voltage with EQ and Cart is 150mV. Compare that to the 500mV that an $80 preamp like the Pro Ject Phono Box produces. Here's my only real complaint: the cartridge. This is the same DSN-85 needle/cartridge combination found in the 300f. I'm confused. The 200f has a DSN-84. So if 300f has 85, shouldn't 400 have 86 or something? Couldn't Denon have just tweaked the 85 a bit to give us consumers a little reassurance? I think they figured if it ain't broke don't fix it. But the regular Marantz TT42, 251 S cartridge is also better. Marantz and Denon belong to the same owner. Couldn't Denon just use the 251 S for this player? Likewise, enthusiast turntables are expected not to include a cartridge. The idea is that the money the manufacturer could have invested in the cartridge went to the TT instead. This apparently also applies to the DP-400: Denon included a free quality cartridge so that a better product could be produced overall. A used cartridge for as little as $40 would be a noticeable improvement as the DSN-85 is a cartridge with a low 2.5mV output. Consider that the $40 AT95e has an output voltage of 3.5mV, which is still low. The $100 Ortofon Red has an output voltage of 5.5mV, more than double the DSN-85. Spend just $100 on the Pro-Ject Phono Box, which Denon recommends on their website, and you'll get another upgrade. It was then that the true potential of this player was revealed. The $59 Phono Box E is fine too. At $500, we expect the TT to outperform tables like the Orbit Special and Debut Carbon, which now dominate the sub-$500 market. Yamaha's new line of turntables has just hit virtual store shelves. With the Orbit Special hardwood base, Ortofon pickup and acrylic disc, it's hard to say that for the money this DP-400 can hold its own against the competition. Again, the Orbit has a straight tonearm and no on-the-fly speed selector. It also has no mass point. But how important it really is is really debatable. It all depends. Also, neither the Orbit nor the Debut Carbon have a built-in EQ under $500 should you need one. We can say that this Denon leads its price range in terms of wow and flutter by 0.10%. It is difficult to find even a figure below 0.2%. Please note that a W&F of 0.3% is generally not acceptable. That kind of influenced my decision. For the Debut Carbon to come close to those specs, a $100 Speed Box accessory is required. I think the pros and cons are endless. The innovative dust cover is a key selling point for me, and if the tachometer works flawlessly for many years, then I'm very satisfied. In the end I gave it 5 stars because it's clearly better than the 300f in many ways and my favorite records to date sound fantastic. In order for this console to sound its best, the carriage and preamp will need to be upgraded. But the same is true for most TTs in this price range. Even if none of this were included, it would be worth it just for the build quality. Thanks also to World Wide Stereo for the A+cust service.