Best cheapo Cartridge

Dear @parrotbee  : You are rigth. From some years now exist several truly expensive LOMC cartridges ( over 5K-6K prices. ) that use the DL 103 cartridge motor with different build materials in the body, cantilever build materials, stylus shapes and kind of wire in the coils but the " motor " is the one by Denon.

As I said I still have the venerable 103 and between other of its brothers the 103D that's good performer and competitive with today higher price cartridges.

@vpi  move with the 103M was and is really worth to do it and he knows by the rewardings he is achieving in quality level performance.

I own and owned several Denon audio items: TT, tonearms, cartridges, electronics, etc, etc, and never found out any Denon audio item where I can say: that is a bad item, never.

Now, I have more than " curiosity " about the 103M.

R.

@rauliruegas 
I knew I wasn't seeing things when you wrote:
'From some years now exist several truly expensive LOMC cartridges ( over 5K-6K prices. ) that use the DL 103 cartridge motor with different build materials in the body, cantilever build materials, stylus shapes and kind of wire in the coils but the " motor " is the one by Denon'

On another note too many people get fixated with boron cantilevers, having no regard to other elements. Boron is much stiffer than aluminium - so the suspension of the cartridge gets altered with a change of material. It's usually the overall effect you should look at. I know that aluminium is not a fashionable material for cantilevers, but i'me sure that there's either a Zyx or Shelter which has an aluminium cantilever on the more expensive model than the cheaper one. I bet Raulrigas will know the model.

Part of me feels like getting a few 103's to do arm/turntable comparisons - that said 103's do like a heavy arm... that's a whole other thread...

Dear @parrotbee  : That ws the Shelter Hrmony but the top 9000 comes with boron cantilever.

Normally top cartridges from almost all the cartridge manufacturer models comes with either boron or diamond.

R.

@rauliruegas when you speak of the top cartridges I agree with what you say - that said the designer/maker tends to consider the whole cartridge package - not just one part in isolation.

Out of interest - which carts do you know use a dl03 motor?

Dear @lohanimal  : Yes, cantilever is only one part of the cartridge.

This is an example of cartridges using the 103 motor:

https://audiofederation.com/dealership/prices/magic-diamond/

and that model is not its top of the line but is around 5K dollars.

R.