I think the effective length of the arm plays a pretty big role in the performance of the cartridge and how carefully it is set up.
The DL-103 in a proper wood or metal body is pretty decent, in the stock plastic body I was shocked at how mediocre it sounded. You can do a lot worse, but the spherical stylus definitely is not a winning feature IMO.. I have a vintage DL-103D which has higher compliance and an elliptical stylus, it does not have the HF performance issues of the DL-103, but my old one does not capture the dynamics either. (Arms - various SME 3009 Series II, SME 3012 Series II, Ersatz 3012 clone cross between Series II and R, and the Schick..)
The DL-103 in a proper wood or metal body is pretty decent, in the stock plastic body I was shocked at how mediocre it sounded. You can do a lot worse, but the spherical stylus definitely is not a winning feature IMO.. I have a vintage DL-103D which has higher compliance and an elliptical stylus, it does not have the HF performance issues of the DL-103, but my old one does not capture the dynamics either. (Arms - various SME 3009 Series II, SME 3012 Series II, Ersatz 3012 clone cross between Series II and R, and the Schick..)
They will retain most of the 103 scale and body,and will improve "air" , resolution,linearity and tracking.
Both extremes will improve too.
The Denon DL-304 are fantastic, for a very reasonable price.
But it's a completely different animal. Need another different arm and a more sensitive preamplifier.
Denon DL-304 Phono Cartridge
But it's a completely different animal. Need another different arm and a more sensitive preamplifier.
Denon DL-304 Phono Cartridge
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I went from a standard DL-103 to an Aluminium bodied Soundsmith retipped (ruby cantilever, the $250 option) and it still has the Denon signature but with more Dynamics and detail. A bargain at the price. I would recommend the path I took to anyone.
P.S. Arm is a modified RB250, mods are Cardas rewire and OL stub with custom AO counterweight as the body is quite heavy.
P.S. Arm is a modified RB250, mods are Cardas rewire and OL stub with custom AO counterweight as the body is quite heavy.
Completely wrong.
One example (of hundreds):http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/195646-spu-cartridges-transformers-thread.html
The DL103 is the most overrated piece of Hifi ever sold besides Bose Wave.
Any EMT or SPU will blow it away, and THEY DO better by a huge margin
what the Denon is claimed to do well.
My first LOMC was a ZU Denon DL-103, and I thought it was great, my first SPU a GM E II was so much better I was flabbergasted. Today I own three different SPUs and couldn't be happier with my choice, but the DL-103 in a proper body (wood or metal) is a good starting place on the road to great sound. You could do a lot worse for the money..
HMM. I think about this stuff occasionally.
The SPU's present a problem for someone such as hisself who has a VPI tonearm. SPU's just don't do that. Afiak, there is no exact match without the shell head, and it's optimized for it's shell head as well.
Kevinkr, Sometime I should loan you my SoundSmith modded 103 with ruby tip and wood body. I like it. At the time it's all I could afford. Well right now, keeping it around is all I can afford.
I have a Dynavector 20x and a Grado Sonata Mono cart. The Denon I like the best. The dynavector is probably more resolving, but also sounds more 'high fi' to me than musical.
I have to be honest too, I don't think I could trust myself with a 2k cart if I could afford one. I've ripped off two needles of the carts in the last couple of years. Darn turntables are made for right handed people.
The SPU's present a problem for someone such as hisself who has a VPI tonearm. SPU's just don't do that. Afiak, there is no exact match without the shell head, and it's optimized for it's shell head as well.
Kevinkr, Sometime I should loan you my SoundSmith modded 103 with ruby tip and wood body. I like it. At the time it's all I could afford. Well right now, keeping it around is all I can afford
.I have a Dynavector 20x and a Grado Sonata Mono cart. The Denon I like the best. The dynavector is probably more resolving, but also sounds more 'high fi' to me than musical.
I have to be honest too, I don't think I could trust myself with a 2k cart if I could afford one. I've ripped off two needles of the carts in the last couple of years. Darn turntables are made for right handed people.
I once heard a DL-103 at the height of the "better than the Koetsu Black" craze and wondered what all the fuss was about?
Tried a DV 10x5, then Benz Ace, then 47 Labs McBee, Denon DL-103R, Clearaudio Aurum Beta "S" and now ZYX R50 Bloom. All were good sounding in arms from SME 3009s, RB-250, SME III, 9" Cherry, AT-1005 and now VPI JMW9T.
The DL-103R, BTW, is everything the plain 103 isn't, strikingly better from top to bottom. The Aurum has been Soundsmith re-tipped and, until the ZYX came along, my favorite.
The R50 Bloom is from another planet. Incredible stereo image and tonality of instruments and voices. MY friend Steve, a die-hard Grado Sonata user for over 10 years, tried one and switched.
I note the OP acquired a Benz Wood L; that was on my short list a few years ago and would love to know how it worked out.
Tried a DV 10x5, then Benz Ace, then 47 Labs McBee, Denon DL-103R, Clearaudio Aurum Beta "S" and now ZYX R50 Bloom. All were good sounding in arms from SME 3009s, RB-250, SME III, 9" Cherry, AT-1005 and now VPI JMW9T.
The DL-103R, BTW, is everything the plain 103 isn't, strikingly better from top to bottom. The Aurum has been Soundsmith re-tipped and, until the ZYX came along, my favorite.
The R50 Bloom is from another planet. Incredible stereo image and tonality of instruments and voices. MY friend Steve, a die-hard Grado Sonata user for over 10 years, tried one and switched.
I note the OP acquired a Benz Wood L; that was on my short list a few years ago and would love to know how it worked out.
I am extraordinarily careful, and because I am a klutz I take nothing for granted. I can imagine being a lefty with righty turntables could be a recipe for disaster. I learned long ago that loose fitting shirts or sweaters, not to mention dusters of any sort are bad news..
There are three SPU cartridges that are available sans the shell, the N, NE, and Royal N.. These can be installed on a good headshell like the AT Technihard or in an SPU head shell. I suspect the technihard might be the better choice as it is extremely rigid. I have a GM E II, Meister Silver (both standard SPUs) and a Royal N which is mounted on an 18gm AT Technihard shell. These cartridges are best with high mass arms with tight bearings like the Schick due to their low compliance, and high mass. (SME 3012, and at least 4 Ortofon arms)
There are three SPU cartridges that are available sans the shell, the N, NE, and Royal N.. These can be installed on a good headshell like the AT Technihard or in an SPU head shell. I suspect the technihard might be the better choice as it is extremely rigid. I have a GM E II, Meister Silver (both standard SPUs) and a Royal N which is mounted on an 18gm AT Technihard shell. These cartridges are best with high mass arms with tight bearings like the Schick due to their low compliance, and high mass. (SME 3012, and at least 4 Ortofon arms)
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