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The Denon DP-80 was one of the most advanced direct-drive motor units developed by the Japanese manufacturer Denon and was launched in Japan in 1981, at the height of what is now recognised as the golden age of Japanese audiophile equipment. In those years, the major Japanese manufacturers were investing enormous resources in the research and development of increasingly sophisticated engineering solutions for controlling the rotation of turntables, and the Denon DP-80 fitted perfectly into this cutting-edge technological landscape.
This fantastic machine did not sell very well outside Japan, probably partly because it was available exclusively with a 100 V AC power supply (the mains voltage in Japan). If one wished to use it outside the Japanese market, a specific transformer could be supplied, but this had to be purchased separately. The fact remains that amongst audiophiles in Japan, the DP-80 enjoyed a phenomenal reputation, both for its high-quality playback performance and the almost instantaneous stabilisation of rotation speed, as well as for its unique design. As was often the case with these ‘built to last’ devices, its fame gradually spread across the globe in the decades that followed, turning it into a highly sought-after benchmark amongst vintage hi-fi enthusiasts and collectors of high-end analogue turntables.
The Denon DP-80 utilised a dual-platter design based on a new concept. This was not the classic platter found on virtually all turntables, but a double platter made of die-cast aluminium, assembled and damped against one another by a spring and a damper. The lower section consisted of a high-pass filter and rested on the drive shaft. This minimised external feedback, such as the influence of sound pressure from the loudspeaker, allowing even the subtlest musical nuances to be rendered vividly.
The drive mechanism used was a three-phase AC servomotor, which guaranteed exceptional performance as well as virtually infinite durability – a technical solution that highlighted the extremely rigorous approach taken by Denon’s engineers in designing their direct-drive systems.
From an electronic standpoint, Denon’s engineers continued the already excellent work carried out on turntables from previous series, such as the DP 7000, the reference model that this DP 80 was set to replace in the range. A crystal was used in the reference oscillation circuit of the servo system to control the rotation speed, and a bidirectional phase-locked servo system was employed, capable of handling not only speed increases but also deceleration. For speed detection, 1,000 pulses were magnetically recorded with high precision on the inner circumference of the original DENON turntable platter, and the frequency was detected using a magnetic pickup, comparing the reference frequency and phase. Consequently, the deviation in rotation speed was extremely low, less than ±0.002%, and the rotation speed did not change due to variations in load or supply voltage. Furthermore, as the detection frequency underlying the servo circuit was high (555 Hz), the servo could be stabilised and its gain set to a high value, so that overshoot and wow & flutter were extremely low.
The result was extremely precise control of the rotational speed, enabling the set speed to be reached almost instantly, both at start-up and during speed changes from 33 to 45 rpm and from 45 to 33 rpm. The platter also came to a stop immediately.
It was therefore an extremely robust, precise motor unit, built to last, a true guarantee of quality weighing in at a substantial 10 kg, which perfectly embodied the design philosophy of the great Denon motors of the era.
This unit has been fully refurbished and is in excellent condition.
