What cartridges under $800 outperform DL-103R?

01-04-09: Nrenter
Mingles,
Have you received you Soundsmith retipped 103R potted in an ebony body? I want to hear about it.

I have the cartridge and mounted it, but haven't had any time to listen to it due to the holidays. I promise to report back when I have something to say.

Mingles,

I'm anxiously awaiting your assessment as well.

Thanks!

I'm having trouble with one of my amps, so a report is going to take longer than I hoped.

FWIW, I recieved my ss retipped ( ruby line contact) nuded dl103 r, and dl 103 from peter a couple of months ago..... The 103 was mounted and ' run in' and guess what? It ain't coming off, I don't even want to know what the retipped 103r sounds like. I have found in this hobby that I will reach a nirvana of sorts, and then try to tweak or improve upon it, ultimately losing the synergy I had chanced upon in the first place. I have found my nirvana and I'm leaving it alone. One thing to be aware of is that the line contact stylus is an altogether different animal... And is very critical in demanding proper adjustments ( you've been warned) barring that, at the cost of the service I think it's a no brainer. If you enjoy the sound of the 103r, you will simply be taking it to another level as opposed to futzing with cartridges with entirely different sonic signatures. I hope I am making sense!
The. Ss retip allowed me to finally just stop, relax, and get lost in the music.
I love it!

Hxt1,

Can you describe how the redone 103 is better than the original.

Can I assume the stylus was worn when you had it retipped? Could that account for some of the difference with teh new one or is the new one just clearly better than the old in good working order?