Denon | 110th Anniversary | Silver-Graphite Headshell and DL103

Lustre GST-801 or Fidelity-Research 64fx @billwojo 

I own a DL103D that got de-cantilevered in one of my very rare audiophile accidents, many decades ago.  I kept the body for reasons I can no longer remember, because back then there were no re-tippers and/or there was no internet for them to advertise their existence.  I guess I thought I would send it back to Denon but never did.  As to the headshell, doesn't it appear to be suited only to the DL103 body or to any cartridges that are narrower than the DL103?  Because of those side panels that extend down from the top surface.  A Clearaudio, Miyajima, or some other brands of wide-bodied cartridges might not fit. As I recall, the DL103D was a nice cartridge but maybe not as good as my Grado TLZ that I must have bought after the Denon disaster.

I think the new shell is nice for all Denon cartridges, but since the overhang is adjustable it can be used for all cartridges (if a cartridge body is not wider than 103). 

But even this Denon DL-103D is not easy to find nowadays!

I remember some old posts on audiogon about US Denon and their old stock of 103D, but it’s all gone.

It was introduced in 1977 and discontinued about 20 years later. The main feature is flat frequency response up to 65kHz.

Its special elliptical needle made of 0.1 mm square fine solid diamond is even lighter than DL-103S.

The cantilever has a tapered double structure and the damper is softer than classic 103 or 103R, so the compliance is higher (12cu at 100Hz).

*Output voltage is 0.25mV.
*Channel separation is more than 28 dB.
*Impedance is 33Ω.
*Recommended tracking firce is 1.5g (± 0.2g).
*Frequency response is 20-65,000Hz...

Made in Japan by Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd

Denon DL103D

It was introduced in 1977 and discontinued about 20 years later. The main feature is flat frequency response up to 65kHz. 

No its not, not even close.
I got offered a stash of NOS 103D's in the early 2000's - went through each box and checked the response curves supplied with each cartridge - each one was different. I selected the best of the batch for my own use. There was a wide variation in the responses as tested by Denon, particularly in the upper frequencies.