It's no secret that we like the Densen Beat integrated amplifier. Reviewed by PC in Issue 1 it has become something of a benchmark, one of those products that you reach for when you want nice, safe, fuss-free performance. Which is one of the reasons that it crops up with regularity in our group listening sessions. In fact, there's only one cloud on the horizon. It's a line only amplifier, and unfortunately up to now, the matching stand alone phono stage has been, how can I put this?... a disappointment.

Built into a narrower version of the Beat's elegant extruded aluminium casework, and powered by a plug-top transformer, the DP Drive certainly looks the part. And adopting the novel approach of using photo-electric cells to pass the tiny signal from a phono cartridge with minimum noise, it has the flash circuitry (literally) to impress the techno crowd. And indeed, it could sound really good.... some of the time. And yet in another set-up it would sound positively awful. Dealers and customers alike were left wringing their hands in frustration. The problem was that nobody could rationalise the situation and arrive at a sensible diagnosis.

But that was then, and this is now Densen have discovered that the original plug-in boards used to configure the DP Drive for moving-magnet or moving-coil sensitivity were suffering from overload. In a spooky inversion of normal events, they'd concentrated so hard on making a phono-stage that was compatible with really low out-put cartridges, that anything that produced a signal stronger than Carling Black Label simply over-drove the input, with a variety of unusual, interesting but universally un-listenable results.

I now have a DP Drive complete with new boards, redesigned to offer massive amounts of headroom as well as the ghostly quiet background noise of the earlier version. What a relief for everyone! I can attest to the noise performance because the new unit arrived at the same time as the ClearAudio Victory with its ruinously low 0.2 mV output. No problem at all. Loads of gain, and plenty of substance, with no intrusive noise to mess things up. Of course, the Densen could always do that, so I also used my resident Accurate, whose 0.6 mV output represents a pint of Old Thumper compared to the Victory's ginger beer, and thus exactly the kind of thing that would have given the original DP the DT's. No problems at all. The new cards made the Densen a model of good behaviour, taking even the most explosive dynamics in its stride. Fortunately the good manners don't extend as far as emasculating the music.

Sonically the market for reasonably priced stand alone phono stages is dominated by the Michell Iso, the original, and arguably still the best. The Densen is appreciably cheaper, and a lot less fussy especially when it comes to placement. It's also bomb-proof, which the Iso definitely isn't, as a history of broken phono sockets and the odd fried chipset reveals. In normal use, as opposed to shop demonstrator / review hack mode, the Iso should be fine, but there's no ignoring the DP'S reassuring solidity About the same size and shape as a house brick, it feels about as fragile.

And the products' relative characters extend the contrast. The Iso is all about speed, transparency and resolution. It is capable of breathtaking delicacy and a level of detail that put most high-end pre-amps to shame when it was originally launched, ten years ago. This is territory on which the DP simply can't compete. However, it's not without strengths of its own, and they are in exactly the areas that most worry people about the Iso. Top of the list is sonic substance. Where the Iso's resolution can leave it wanting a sense of solidity the DP has presence to burn. The music it makes is big bold and solid, underpinned by deep, powerful bass which has both weight and agility. The undulating bottom end of 'Fall At Your Feet' (Crowded House Woodface EMI 064-793559) treads unerringly on precisely defined stepping stones, each of a different pitch. The pace and direction of the bass notes is never in a moments doubt. Nor is the way they propel the songs suggestive, ebb and flow rhythm. And if Neil Finn's vocal is a tad recessed and enclosed by the mix, at least its welded to the structure of the song.

At the opposite end of the spectrum Valerie Carter's sublime voice (Just a Stone's Throw Away CBS RC34 155) loses some of its ethereal delicacy. The plucked acoustic instruments that open 'Face of Appalachia' lose a little attack, and the plectrum played chords tend to run together, smudging the leading edge of each individual note. There's also a subtle tang of colouration, which can make some voices slightly more nasal, and which gives guitars a little extra twang. So the DP Drive isn't perfect. But then what is at this price? Let's bear in mind that we're talking in absolute terms here, about a product that doesn't even pretend to be high-end. Back in the real world, the Densen has a lot going for it.

What really makes the DP Drive worth considering is it's ability to handle the structural elements in the music, a clearly essential task that seems to get forgotten as designers scramble after the last piece of window dressing. It doesn't matter how pretty the store looks if you can't get in because the door frame's warped. Whilst it might not be the last word in resolution, it makes damned sure that the information it provides is properly arranged, and arrives in the right order. That keeps music recognisable and engaging, letting you hear the patterns that stop it being "just noise". That may not seem particularly exciting, but then wait until you hear what it means to an album like John Cougar Mellencamp's Lonesome Jubilee (MFSL 1-222). The opening track 'Paper In Fire' is a high energy roller-coaster laced with rapid fiddle runs and frantic percussion. It can easily become an unholy mess, especially with the slightly hashy recording quality. Not with the Densen. It fairly rollicks along, the phono stage keeping all that energy intact and under just enough control. This is exciting music. The DP Drive keeps it that way.

It is this essential musical honesty that makes both the phono stage and its big brother the Beat, so appealing. They are largely unobstructive (particularly in the context of the systems in which they tend to find themselves), and pin their musical hearts firmly to their sleeves. The DP Drive in its latest guise is just as versatile and fuss-free as its more popular brethren, a fact which should recommend it to more than just Densen amplifier buyers. If your taste in music tends to the modern or large-scale, and on the whole you probably wouldn't notice if chamber music went the way of the chamber pot, then the DP Drive could be your cup of tea. I suggest you investigate - a good time will be had by all.

Owners of the original boards can have them replaced for the cost of postage only. Contact either of the numbers below for details. It's nice to see a company that supports its products, and looks after its customers. A rare commodity.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Gain; Separate boards for MM or MC. MC can be factory adjusted for sensitivity.
Loading; Self-adjusting to match cartridge.
Dimensions (W x H x D); 120 x 72 x 330 mm

Price; £300 for MM, £350 for MC (MM can be changed to MC for difference in price.)

Manufacturer
Densen Audio Technologies.
Randersvej 28,
6700 Esbjerg,
Denmark.
Tel. (45)(0) 751-81214
Fax. (45)(0) 754-53938
Net. www.densen.dk

UK Contact Russell Kauffman
(44)(0) 1582-561227

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