Denon DL-103R cartridge update

You haven't specified a budget, and so you have several options at almost every price point. I love the DL-103R, especially mounted on my Thomas Schick arm. If you want to keep the "103" sound but just want more of it I suggest that you do as several of the guys above have recommended and upgrade your cartridge. Personally, I believe that the Soundsmith retip is the most bang for the buck, followed by either a UWE wood body or Midas aluminum body (depending on how you want to tune the sound). If you wanted to try something different in the Denon line, the DL-S1 is (supposedly) still available and sounds very different than the 103 line.

But other cartridges can and will take you to a different (not necessarily better) type of sound. Assuming that you want to stay in the world of "reasonably priced" MC cartridges, The Benz Ace or Glider are relative bargains, as is the Dynavector 20X2. Maybe a used Shelter 501 MkII?

The world is your oyster - just don't over cook it.

I have a "plain" 103 and was quite frustrated with setting it up. I have a Audioquest PT6 on a HMW19 MkIII.
After reading many forums on optimized setup; it became obvious to me that the arm was the problem. Not having the bucks to ante up for a SME 3009 I went to Dicks sporting goods and bought a couple of packs of lead tape.I also got a Isokinetic stabilizer.This made it much easier to mount due to the threaded plate. This also added 4 grams to the weight of the cartridge. I then applied 8 of the lead strips to the counter weight (4 grams each x 8=32grams).I also added 2 strips to the arm tube and cut 1 in half and drilled holes in them to use as a sandwich like shim for mounting(1 above the cartridge and the other above the tonearm/headshell).

Suddenly the Denon came into it's sweet spot.Very dynamic,no mistracking, with detail,nuance and a very lovely tone.
I like it better than many of the $1000-$2000 cartridges I have heard.

My friends call it Frankenstein, but I don't really care.

cheap and easy way to make your old denon work in a modern arm.

I agree that a Schick would be a perfect mate for the Denon, but my Frankenstein only cost me about $30.00 with $20.00 of it coming from the stabilizer.

email me if you want more details.

e

Excellent feedback. Thank you. From what I've been reading lately it seems that much must be spent to make a noticable improvement in quality over the sound of the Denon. I'm either going Soundsmith or Midas for sure. What about Nagaoka? I've heard great things about these MM cartridges. I was thinking of the MP200 or MP300 as a back cartridge.
Best wishes.

I have had a couple of retips done by Peter.. and they as a near majority will tell you, they are much better carts as a result. The Denon (i also have a SS retipped 103r) seems made for it: It seems to retain its trademark cohesivness, even with the added detail, very well.

My recommendation is to just send it off and to be patient with the lead time; it can vary based on how busy they are and to just enjoy a "hold-the-fort" cart while you wait.

While mine was under the knife, I have Peter pot it and put one of their fairly new wood bodies on it.. it's early in the going really, but so far, on my Lenco, Schick, Yamamoto combination: it's completely kicking butt to my ears.

Go for it! ;)

Marc

Emoriisiv,
Thanks for the great advice. I've learned that when it comes to analog money doesn't always resolve inherent resonance problems. I thought about placing some kind of blu-tack / silicone/ brass / rubber tape above the cartride, but wasn't sure about the most effective material. I'm going to get the Isokinetic plate and place a damping material between the plate and headshell, reset the VTA, etc. I'll report results. Marchomeslice-then I'm sending my other 103R to Soundsmith.