Denon DL 103 modifications and re-body questions thread

My 2 cents...

I purchased a 103 from Soundsmith - with the Optimized contour line contact stylus + ruby cantilever and I am extremely happy with it - details galore and very quiet.

However - the setup is CRITICAL and you really require a mirror style protractor like the Mint Best Protractor in order achieve the precision required for this type of stylus - AND great eyesight!

I might try the elliptical stylus next time - my understanding is that you do not have to be so precise with the setup.

I did epoxy the cartridge onto a brass shim, which improved it's match to the arm and improved cartridge performance - along the lines of the aluminum headshell - cost me only $12 :-) 

see: http://image99.net/blog/files/23c020f75290d3392577113371f4dc94-38.html

I used regular clear epoxy from the hardware store and it hasn't shaken loose yet.

The 103 is one of the most tweaked cartridges out there, so I figure there must be something about them that makes people - like a guy in Italy that completely rebuilds them - to keep applying what seems like insane upgrades.

Good luck with your tweaking - Steve

Denon DL-103 series is a great opportunity for many small companies and DIYers to capitalize on so called "upgrade" of the most popular product. Some Denon owners simply go crazy with this "upgrade" and ready to spend $700+ to change their Denon 103 a bit. New cantilevers, new stylus tip, new cartridge body and so on. 

Let me ask you why do you need Denon if everything made by Denon must be replaced, refurbished by some DIYer on the bench in garage?  

Actually any cartridge can be retipped and recantilevered. Some strange dudes offering DIY wood body even for Grace cartridges.

$1k is enough to buy absolutely amazing MM or MC cartridges with the most advanced stylus/cantilever combo factory made by the best japanese cartridge manufacturers. A cartridge with much better specs, much better sound, much longer life etc. Some of them are low compliance if you need something like denon to match some heavy tonearms. 

Personally i would never buy any refurbished or retipped cartridge.
The best original cartridge is what i am looking for. 

Those tricks with cheap Denon 103 looks like someone trying to rebuild manually Ford Focus to a Porsche Carrera for the cost of Carrera.  

  

Hi guys

@chakster 
I have posed the question to consider options insofar as I have:
1. I have other cartridges: AT OC7; Shelter 501; Transfiguration Temper V; Pickering XSV 4000
2. I have a few arms: Moerch DP6; Fidelity Research FR64; Helius Omega; EMT 929; Sony PUA9; Jelco 250ST
3. I have a few turntables: Amazon Model One; SONY TTS8000; JVC TT101; Townshend Elite Rock

Part of this thread is for direct advice for myself, but also with a view to assisting other's that have the DL103 and are considering mods.

As an adopted 'Essex boy' (those in the UK would understand the joke) I like the idea of adding go faster lines, a turbo, and a big wing to my Ford - I don't expect it to become a Porsche - which I thankfully have ;) (in terms of cartridges that is)

What is interesting about the Denon is that that close up - the actual motor unit is very well constructed with good channel balance - it may well explain why people like to 'soup it up'. I am not sure if people buy them and immediately change the stylus - it might be something to consider when the old stylus needs replacing - at which point it is probably not a waste of money.

Some of us are new to vinyl, or returned after many years away from it. Myself, I was lured into the D-103R after reading Art Dudley's review of the Zu Denon. Then, I found out about the ESCCO mods here on A'gon.

Sometimes when your experience is limited, and the choices are many, we just do the best we can. My Zu-ESCCO 103R is a great cartridge for me, I am very happy with it. It out performs my Dynavector XX2MKII, which is quite a nice-sounding cartridge too.

I guess I should just ask questions instead of answer them, though I have learned a great deal, with the help of many fine, knowledgeable members of A'gon, and for that, I am thankful. I will state though, my largely DIY system would put many sky-is-the-limit systems to shame.

Flame on, my brothers!

Dan 

I ran modified Denon 103R's for close to five years and moved on to other cartridges about 3-4 years ago. 

The Denon generator is indeed very good. The weak spots in the cartridge are the body and cantilever/stylus.

I ended up running 103R's in both aluminum and ebony bodies; I had Peter L at Soundsmith epoxy both of them into the bodies-there should be information online about safely doing so, although one has to be careful doing this.

Alternatively, one can use a very small amount of acetone to secure the top of the cartridge after the body has been removed into any of the friction fit bodies without actually "potting" the cartridge with epoxy into the body.

I ran an aluminum body with Soundsmith's standard ruby cantilever and line contact stylus and an ebony body with Peter's OCL stylus (also on ruby).

Retipping costs have unfortunately risen with cartridge prices in the past 5-6 years. I remember the first retip I did with Soundsmith was $250. Now you're looking at $350-$400 for those options and $450 for boron. The $300 sapphire option appears to be Peter's high value option at this time I would say.

Aluminum bodies are cheap-you can often pick them up on Ebay for $50-$60 and they make the most sense (and sound very good) as compared to the usually more expensive wood bodies.

So you can do a stock 103 in an aluminum body pretty inexpensively (probably around $300 if you shop), then run it for 800-1000 hours and retip it if you like. 

At $300, if you have the right arm and phono preamp, the cartridge will offer a lot of value and while it may not be perfect (what is for $300 anymore?) it will do a lot of things right and will be a pretty enjoyable cartridge to listen to. Errors of omission kind of stuff. 

Even with higher retipping costs, now that cartridge prices have gone through the roof, a retipped 103 or 103R with a better stylus profile/cantilever in an aluminum body will hold its own with most sub $1000 cartridges. It will not be perfect, but I can't think of anything that is in that price range anyway, and it will have a character that is somewhat unique and very likeable if partnered carefully. 

And you'll have had the opportunity to listen pretty extensively to the cartridge to see if you like its strengths before having to decide on whether or not to put more money into it in the form of a retip.

But both the body and a good retip significantly improve the cartridge. The body is the higher value proposition because of its lower cost but improvements from the stylus/cantilever really elevate the performance as well.