Denon DP-500BT Brings Bluetooth To A Proper Turntable
Denon has announced the European arrival of the DP-500BT, a belt-drive turntable designed to make a first vinyl system easier to build. It can connect to a normal amplifier with cables, but it can also send the sound of a record to compatible Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
That flexibility is useful if you want to start simple and add more traditional HiFi equipment later. The deck also includes a phono stage and semi-automatic operation, so it removes two of the most common hurdles for new record collectors.
Quick Reference
Product: Denon DP-500BT semi-automatic belt-drive turntable
Key features: Bluetooth transmission, switchable phono stage, S-shaped tonearm and automatic arm lift
European price: €849
European availability: November
A Turntable That Can Grow With Your System
The DP-500BT can feed a conventional HiFi amplifier through its analogue outputs. If the amplifier has no special turntable input, the Denon’s built-in phono stage can raise the very small signal from the cartridge to a normal line level. If you later buy a separate phono stage, the internal one can be switched out of the signal path.
Bluetooth provides a second route. It lets the deck send audio wirelessly to compatible headphones or a powered speaker. A wired connection is still the route to choose when sound quality matters most, but Bluetooth can make late-night listening or a first compact setup much easier.
Built For Stable Vinyl Playback
Denon uses a belt-drive motor and a die-cast aluminium platter. The belt keeps the motor slightly separated from the platter, while the heavier metal platter is intended to rotate smoothly and consistently. Stable speed matters because even a small variation can make music change pitch.
The statically balanced S-shaped tonearm is designed to track the groove accurately. Its shape also makes the removable headshell easy to reach, which should help when a cartridge or stylus eventually needs changing.
Semi-Automatic Means Less To Worry About
You still place the stylus on the record yourself, so the basic ritual of playing vinyl remains. At the end of the side, however, the arm lifts and the platter stops. That reduces stylus wear if you forget to get up immediately when the music finishes.
This sits between a fully manual deck and a fully automatic model. It keeps the mechanism fairly straightforward while adding one genuinely useful safety net for beginners.
Who Is It For
The DP-500BT is not the cheapest starter turntable, but it combines several parts that would otherwise have to be bought or understood separately. It makes most sense for someone who wants a well-finished deck now, values wireless listening, and expects to build a more traditional separates system later.
Remember that the turntable still needs something to play through. That could be Bluetooth headphones, a Bluetooth speaker, powered speakers with an analogue input, or an amplifier and passive speakers.
What The Terms Mean
Belt drive: A motor turns the platter through a rubber belt, helping to isolate motor vibration.
Phono stage: A circuit that boosts and equalises the tiny signal produced by a turntable cartridge.
Headshell: The removable part at the end of the tonearm that holds the cartridge.
Semi-automatic: You start playback manually, but the turntable performs part of the end-of-record process for you.
For more from Starting Out click here
