Denon VS-450 (c. 1971)

The Denon VS-450 is a compact 2-way bookshelf speaker from around 1971, originally priced at ¥35,000 per unit. It was built as a small monitor for broadcast use. A special amplifier was attached to the system, and it served as a compact Columbia monitor speaker at broadcasting stations around Japan. The design uses technology developed for those broadcast jobs.

The drivers are the interesting part. The low band uses a 10 cm cone woofer with a "symmetric support system" - a push-pull arrangement where the edge and damper are integrated into a single unit to reduce non-linear distortion at large amplitudes. The edge itself is a special woven fabric impregnated with a polymer material. The cone uses Denon's original collagen diaphragm: collagen fiber extracted from animal skin through chemical treatment, fused to cone paper. The intent was to give the cone the right internal resistance, suppressing resonance peaks and dips. The high range is handled by a 5 cm cone tweeter, and the enclosure is bass reflex with ports. The baffle plate is an iron plate with damping material on the back, and the crossover network uses air-core coils.

audio-database.com documents the full specification set: frequency response of 50 Hz to 18,000 Hz ± 5 dB, maximum allowable input of 60W (program source), recommended input of 45W, impedance of 8 Ω, and output sound pressure level of 82 dB. Crossover is at 2,000 Hz with a 12 dB/octave slope. The cabinet measures 203 × 289 × 236 mm (W×H×D) and weighs 6.5 kg.

Surviving documentation on the VS-450 is thin. There are no production years beyond the circa-1971 price reference, no current market pricing, no common-problems information, and no period reviews have surfaced. A handful of YouTube videos show the VS-450 playing music, so at least some examples are still in use.

- 2-way, 2-speaker, bass reflex, bookshelf type

- 10 cm cone woofer + 5 cm cone tweeter

- 50 Hz - 18,000 Hz ± 5 dB

- 8 Ω impedance, 82 dB sensitivity

- 60W max input (program source)

- ¥35,000 per unit (c. 1971)

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