Denon DP-37F Turntable?

[SoundGoon]

So after a little searching I can't really tell where this tt sits in the overall scheme of things. It's a Denon direct drive with the servo tacking tonearm which sounds good, but is anyone familiar with this particular piece? Is it a good entry level turntable, a mid level, or a starting-to-be-something-a-little-fancy turntable? I have a possible line on one for around $200 and was wondering if it was worth it or not.

 

[Wiljen]

If it is in good shape, $200 is a good price.   I've had a DP-37f since new and it is a very good turntable if what you are after is drop a record on and press go.   It has a good soundstage and often gets overlooked while people hunt for the 47f.   It tracks well even with warped records due to the electronic damping.    It doesn't have adjustments as everything is electronically controlled so if you are wanting something where you can tinker with tone arm adjustments, look at a Technics or a Rega instead.  

 

[SoundGoon]

Thanks Wiljen, I appreciate the great info. What was the big thing about this particular tonearms - just that they tracked well? How would you say they stack up to the Sony biotracers from that period?

 

[Wiljen]

The Sony PS-B80 was the first turntable with Biotracer tech that I remember and it was a lot more expensive than the 37F.   The Sony X600 model was the plastic biotracer and compares pretty evenly with the 37F function wise.   Both are automatic and both automatically monitor and adjust the tone arm.   Since the system automatically adjusts the tracking weight and side thrust it leaves nothing to be done manually.  This is why I said they were a "Set it and Forget it" or "Just push play" kind of table.   Both are good, both were very advanced for their day and are still advanced in some regards today.   The drawback, like all fully automated solutions, is when it encounters a situation for which it has no programming, you have no way to manually override or adjust it.   I'm not saying this will happen often and quite possibly not at all, but it could, and for some they would rather manually adjust and know the values of those adjustments as to trust a black box to do it for them.