The following was posted on Audiokarma by a fellow who owns PS-X9, Nakamichi Dragon CT, Nakamichi TX-1000, Pioneer PL-L1, Sony Biotracer PS-B80, SonyTTS-8000:
"OK, then everyone, sorry for the delay but I’ve finally got a chance to post a few thoughts on the big fella.
I initially fired it up last weekend, loaded up with an Ortofon LH-2000 headshell and Ortofon MC Jubilee cartridge. The Jubilee because I’ve used it on both the Nakamichi TX-1000 and the Sony PS-X9 and know how it sounds on them. The Ortofon headshell was necessary because the Yamaha shell has tapped fixing holes from below but the Jubilee has tapped holes from above.
And the verdict? Good. Very good indeed. The deck has a fine sense of depth and focus and a lovely sweet top end. Bass was deep but a little ponderous at times, and certainly not up to the PS-X9 standard ( but then, no turntable I’ve ever heard is). All in all, it seemed a good counterpoint to the Nakamichi - the TX-1000 is crisp and snappy but the GT is a bit more laid back.
All in all, very good, if perhaps not quite the jaw dropping stunner I was hoping for. But then we come to tonight...
After a week of idleness with the GT generally getting in the way in the lounge, I decided to have another play before moving it out of the way. I wanted to try the Yamaha headshell so a different cartridge was called for. Now, I like Ortofons and have quite a few, but they all seem to require screws from above - no good. However, as I was rummaging, I came across my Denon DL-103 and remembered a few of the folks on here have suggested the arm works well with one of these, so I thought why not give it a bash?
Well, I installed it, poured a glass of wine and sat down for a quick listen. That was about 6:00 - it is now 9:50 and I’m still going strong, because, holy crap, I still cannot quite believe what I’m hearing! As I type this, I am not listening to a band - I genuinely think The Eagles are down the other end of the lounge. The scale, effortlessness and sheer dynamics are absolutely staggering. That bass that was a bit ponderous is now deep, fast, cavernous and as tight as a whale’s blowhole at 50 fathoms! I’ve always had a soft spot for the DL-103 and know that it works better in chunky arms, but I have genuinely never, ever heard it sound like this before. Earlier on, I played some fairly epic choral material recorded in a church and even at a sensible volume, the low bass notes from the pipe organ were tingling the hairs on my arm. Equally, Sarah Mclachlan’s live ‘Mirrorball’ album is a bit of a sharp, splashy pressing if you’re not careful, but not right now it isn’t - it’s crisp and shiny, but yet detailed and clean.
All in all, I’m absolutely gobsmacked and chuffed to bits. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find more records!"
