Denon DL 103 modifications and re-body questions thread

First of alI I really appreciate the responses on this thread, as it has answered my own query, but I believe it will benefit many others.

In terms of myself - I am gonna get a generic aluminium body for now if things get better - I will take it from there. I always consider value in the context of the price of other carts and I have a hankering for a Benz LP - which is probably far better putting my money towards (a different thread and topic).

I like the idea of an everyday workaday cartridge that I am not going to have a nervous breakdown over in the event of damage. Not only that but I sometimes find that, as with music, its sometimes better to hear something easy and inviting before going and listening to the detail once my ears tune in. 

I know many say that Denon ought to make the 103 with a better body, but arguably, its absence off such a better body may well be helping to drive sales - how? The likes of 'Zu' have helped put thee 103 back on the map so to speak (I would not have considered a 103 had it not been for potential mods). The plastic body has created a mini tweakers industry.

Out of interest - how about any responses about which new body to buy?

1. Zu
2. Muskraft
3. Audiotechne
4. Basic generic
5. ... others...?

btw - without wishing to put any noses out of joint @hdm wrote a superb post

I think you have done the right thing buying the generic. The one I would recommend would still be available at $42 U.S. on ebay. Very slightly different than the one I used in the past but these bodies are all CNC machined and very similar in mass-they will typically weigh about 7 grams. 

I was experimenting with re-bodying the Denon even before Zu brought their cartridges to market. To a certain extent I think the proliferation of bodies at higher and higher prices is kind of a "cashing in"/jumping on the bandwagon on the popularity of modding the Denons and the prices have followed the general trend in audio and cartridge prices over the past few years.

They are more "bling"-that's for sure but I really doubt there would be significant audible differences between most of these bodies (although I do think they will all significantly outperform any of the "caps" and similar items which leave the existing plastic body in place and simply wrap around it).

The Musikcraft seems like silly money to me and at that price one definitely has to ask the question of simply spending more money on another cartridge initially. The "tuneability" seems gimmicky to me.

So unless you are totally hung up on the appearance of a cartridge, I'd stick with the generic and put the savings toward a retip at a later date after you've run the cartridge for a bit and decided on whether or not that is an option you'd want to pursue. 

Nobody willing to change a body of any other cartridge for some reason.

There are many old and new amazing MC cartridges with plastic body. 

Why DL-103 stock plastic body should be replaced and what is the effect? 

Chakster, The DL103 is the particular pet cartridge, especially among US aficionados, for those who dream of getting a lot for a little.  (Who doesn't dream of that?)  You can find endless threads on Vinyl Asylum devoted to the DL103 and 103R, many of which discuss these various aftermarket bodies for the cartridge. (In fact, lohanimal ought to do a search on VA.)  On VA you can find extravagant claims for the wonderfulness of the DL103. So, I think that's why it gets a lot of attention. 

Moreover, there is some justification for the notion that the DL103 might be a "bargain".  Big companies, like Denon and Audio Technica, can often produce a better cartridge at a lower cost, compared to the smaller companies that specialize in the high end.  However, to be clear, I am not one of its disciples.

https://www.audioasylum.com/reviews/Phono-Cartridge/Uwe-s-Wood-Body-Denon-103-103R/Ebony-Wood-Body/vinyl/69/694577.html

I wrote that review in 2007. Used a Uwe ebony body, a generic aluminum body and another body in clavellin from Uwe. Found the ebony and aluminum to sound pretty similar. The ebony was perhaps just a touch warmer, the aluminum a bit more dynamic. 

Did not like the clavellin. Found it to be a bit thin and tipped up compared to the other two. So different woods will sound quite different. It should be noted that there are different types of ebony and an ebony from one wood body seller might be considerably different from another. Aluminum is aluminum. 

The other advantage of aluminum is that there is no chance of stripping the mounting holes, which is what happened to my ebony body after a number of years of use/dismounting & remounting.