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Denon 103R or 304?

I have been presented with an opportunity to purchase either a DL-103R or (for $30 more) a DL-304. Either will be mounted on a tweaked RB300 tonearm. I welcome all suggestions and let it be known that this will be my first MC experience.

I have done two evenings worth of research on both cartridges and according to all the data the differences between the two aren't huge. I am leaning towards the 304 however.

Thanks
maktheknife
sktn77a
41 posts
 
I must agree with Ed - the 100 and 300 series have a very different sound. Having lived with a 103D for over 10 years, I was devastated when I couldn't replace it. Unfortunately, the suspension also ages in these cartridges, so a retip/retube frequently wont fix the aging problem. I listened to the 103 and, while the family resemblance in sound was definitely there, I couldn't live with the limitations of the spherical stylus. So I defected to Linn/Lyra cartridges and have gotten used to them!
kcc123
38 posts
 
I started using Denon cartridges since the seventies, of which include the 110, 103, 103D, 103R, 301, 303 and 304. My favorite cartridges among them are the 103R and 304, though they sound very different to each other. The 304 also sounds different to the older 303 as well.
gadfly's avatar
gadfly
194 posts
 
Sktn77a, well why didn't you just get the 103 retipped?
dcarol
62 posts
 
Expert Stylus in the UK can retip and replace the suspension...great way to go surely.

I found the 103R too 'hifi' whereas the 304 more open and musical, both very different IMHO.
sktn77a
41 posts
 
I didn't get the 103D retipped because back then (20 years ago) retipping services were unreliable. Even today, I'm not sure a cartridge can be rebuilt to sound the same as the original.
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