What is "rich mans" DL-103?

Hm, good question. I had such a conversation with one of my audiophile friends about my modified 103R (I like it -sometimes-). He is a record collector and was totally upset. He told me"..well, you know, that cartridge is like a table dancer. great, really great to look at, in the first moment, but don't start a serious discussion..."
I told him, I don't like serious discussion the whole day ... etc.... :).

Well, for those moments with discussions I use Takeda Miyabi.

I have moments where I enjoy my DL-103 which I purchased as a replacement, but it definitely does not make me forget the Virtuoso that I sent in to have repaired. The level of delicacy and overall enjoyment that the Virtuoso provides is above and beyond. True, the Denon has more impact and perhaps even more detail, but it isn't nearly as enjoyable to listen to. I guess that doesn't really answer your question, because the Virtuoso sounds nothing like the DL-103; but if you're looking for a cart that provides hours of blissful enjoyment, I'd recommend it.

In my opinion Shelter top of the range have meat & bones with finesse. Just my 2 cents

There is an easy answer to your question. The Denon DL-S1 is the top end Denon effort. In my opinion, it is one of the best I have heard and is the 103 with lots more. It is easy to research and for the price, I can't believe there is much out there with more enjoyment.
Denny

Is the DL-S1 a newer model? HAdn't heard of it before.

It appears to have very low output and significantly higher output impedance than the 103, but also higher compliance.

I was just listening and enjoying the 103R in my system last night and thinking "can it get any better than this?" Maybe a bit more sparkle on the top end. But if it can, does it really matter?