Denon 103r ????

Gadfly-
I think you might want to check with Raul. He does not use the Magic Diamond, although he has listened to one.

Rather than turn Pedrillo's post and question into another 103 vs. Magic Diamond thread, stick to the topic under discussion. Everyone understands your feelings on this. You have made it abundantly clear. I would hate to see this thread shut down because it went the route of the previous one.

As a response to the question, I own the Denon 103 (AND a Magic Diamond). I have never found it to exhibit the edginess you speak of, just the opposite in fact. During the first 50 hours or so, it seemed kind of dark and closed in, opening up more as I put hours on it. I used the 103 on two variations of the VPI JMW 9 series tonearms: the lower mass 9 standard, and the higher mass 9 signature. A wonderful cartridge for the money in my estimation. I have not had a chance as of yet to see how it would perform on the linear tracking tonearm I use now.

Have you played around with the VTA? Adjusting that may help with some of what you are hearing. I don't recall reading how many hours you have on it. They do require some break in time.

One thing he hasn't tried, Slipknot1, is to change the loading. I mentioned this in an earlier post but since Raul had some comments, well, I went with the flow.

There is no MagicDiamond vs 103; no contention at all. They are both the same.

Otherwise I agree that the 103 has some run-in time required to open up and show it's colors.

Really, a small trick would be to add some duct tape to the side of the body of the 103. Someone gave me this tip a while back, it is reverseable, and is revealing on several levels.

One thing I've noticed with this thread is that the discussion wanders from the Denon 103r to the basic 103 to the Zu103 and the Magic Diamond.

The original post was about the 103r and the tonal imbalance the poster was experiencing, especially excessive brightness and edginess.

Although the 103 and 103r are very similar, there are differences enough that what causes or cures harshness in the 103r may not apply to the 103. The first place to look would be load matching. Many LOMC aficionados agree that a purpose-wired transformer is a better-sounding solution than simply plugging into a higher gain "MC" preamp input. The 103r has far fewer windings and a lower internal impedance than a 103, and would most likely benefit from a transformer constructed to take this into account. The lower impedance may need a little higher capacitance to tone down the top end.

The second thing worth looking at is VTA. The higher the tonearm pivot relative to the record surface, the more forward, sibilant, and edgy the presentation. You can mellow out the sound by lowering the tonearm, perhaps to just a bit below dead level.

Thirdly, Pedrillo's turntable is extremely mass-loaded, to the tune of 400 lbs or so. Perhaps he should remove some weight and see if this lets the music bloom and breathe a bit more.

There are enough variables in this situation specific to Pedrillo's installation and the unique electrical characteristics of the 103r that go beyond broadly branding the 103 series "overrated" or not taking a closer look at Pedrillo's turntable and arm setup.

Thank you Johnnyb53 and all for contributing.
I really feel as though I am in good company.
Not only sincere, passionate but intelligent as well.
I think vinyl setup and appreciation should be a prerequisite to adulthood.
I do have a unique situation e.g. custom turntable modified tonearm and suspended speakers.
I am so curious as to where will I be in ten years, though I don't want to skip the journey.
I want to learn from experience but am not looking to do it alone just to prove something hence the posts here.
I don't mind giving up what knowledge I have relative to music playback or health as that is my first passion.
And I feel fortunate to be among those willing to share as well. Therefore again I extend my thanks to all.
I still welcome the passionate responses, it tells me how strongly one believes in what they are writing.
Ok, So now what do I do????
I can purchase another cartridge or make this one work. Funny thing as I was writing this response, I had 3 cornered hat(everest) on my table playing. I heard some remarkbly life-like orchestra in my room through the infamous 103r. Go figuree. The two things I changed today was I went from my heavily modified EAR 834p to my JLTI and the vta. I lifted the arm up.
Am I insane? Don't answer the last question only the preceding ones please.
I am thinking my next move will be to get a step up transformer, any comments?
Also I haven't gotten around to changing the resistors inside the EAR just yet. Feel like that should be done with experienced hands.

..

"Ok, So now what do I do????"

1. keep the cartridge and make it work
2. put duct tape on the body of the cart
3. get a CineMag transformer; wire it for 37.5 + 105 ohms
4. put a 14ohm resistor across the priamry of 150ohm and run the R thru that.
5. add mass to the arm
5. finally get a Uwe wood body and put the cart in it
6. enjoy it for a while then get a Soundsmith fine line retip

..