No. 26 - MM or MC board?

Well, I heard good news regarding Denon DL103 cartridges while in Berlin: there is a Finnish fellow who custom-winds transformers for Shindo Laboratories amongst other luminaries, and who makes a transformer specifically for the Denon. I was hoping to be the first kid on the block with one of these so I could try it out and report on it, but feel free to steal my thunder, contact http://www.hifi-im-hinterhof.de/ for details on this wondrous beastie. It would be cheaper than buying the now pumped-up retail price of the Music Maker in North America and the associated problems of mass-matching, would allow you to contiunue with your original plan, and is apparently very reasonably-priced at something like 300 euros or so. If this transformer makes the already-excellent Denon DL103-series even better, then watch out world! And you were right Twl, this is one beaut of a cartridge.

Fernando: Twl is right: ***** " Regarding the phono cartridge re-think, that would probably be more practical, but we'd have to know what arm and table you are using, and your budget, to make any recommendations.

A Music Maker works well in a lower mass tonearm, such as a Hadcock. It may not do quite as well in a heavier arm. " *****

BTW, my advise is that before you continue doing changes and continue with your " obscure " search, try to define what are really looking for , what are your priorities on the music sound reproduction and then start to find out the right items according to your musical priorities and budget.

Fernando: which are your musical priorities ?, which are your budget ?, which are your targets?

When you answer those questions many of us could help you with our advise and experience.

If you don't do it, not only anyone can help you but you don't know what are you loking for.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear John: I respect your opinion about the 103. But this kind of opinion about this cartridge is the " brake " for that you or anyone else can grow-up in the quality music/sound reproduction.

While we have this kind of opinion on this cartridge in this forum all you are doing is putting a " heavy brake " not only for the Audiogoners but for the new boys on the block.

I know that people like you or Twl " died " for this cartridge ( bad for you an worst for the music ), but I never hear why and against what. I know that this cartridge is your music/sound reproduction standars, mine is the MUSIC: big difference.

I own this cartridge and I'm only keep it and stay with for remember what not to do for the music reproduction.

Regards and enjoy the music.

Raul.

Hi Raul. I've seen your posts regarding this cartridge and, not having heard it had nothing to add. But now that I've heard it I think it is the most musical - that's right, "musical" - MC cartridge I've heard, which in my estimation makes it the best MC I've heard, period, since, as you point out, it's the music which matters most. Don't assume that you are the only one in any forum who thinks the system should serve the music and not the other way around, it makes you look like a pompous ass: there is a thing called "benefit of the doubt", which should be extended to all until you are certain where they stand. Feel free to apologize. I am not a professional musician and while I attend concerts, both classical and others - I don't do so in order to "readjust my hearing" and keep a "standard", I only go to concerts I am actually interested in listening to. Of course, I can't help but notice how real, live music sounds, and no system sounds like real, live music. I travel a lot and get to hear Arabic, Asian, Greek, Turkish (Mesopotamian) and other live music for a good part of each year, usually in gardens under the stars, very intimate settings where I can hear everything clearly. The best we can expect is a system which is beguiling, which is musical, which stirs us and which recalls the sound of real instruments and voices. To me the Denon DL103 is detailed without being bright, it has a very beguiling and exciting rhythmic sound, and it's rich-sounding. Beautiful. Those who've seen my posts elsewhere know I don't like the sound of MCs in general, though I've owned quite a few, including state-of-the-art ones in bygone days. I stopped buying expensive MCs in the early '90s as they all seemed to be veering towards bright, thin and analytical. Perhaps things have changed (I'm sure everyone will tell me it has), but in the meantime I've rediscovered MMs. I'm mostly an MM man these days because to my ear anyway they are far more adept at preserving the rhythm and timing of the music than MCs, and are more tonally correct: they sound more like music. Maybe you hate this cartridge for the same reason I like it: it sounds like a very good MM (which I concede you might find reason to dislike). Maybe some other reason. I wonder which model you have, my own is the plain-vanilla DL103, perhaps you have another model. I can't speak for the "R" version as I've not heard it, and I wonder if the more radical stylus profile doesn't harm its excellent tonal balance, I'll know when I try it myself. In the meantime, for those interested more in music reproduction than special effects (though the Denon is quite detailed - astonishingly so for a cartridge with a spherical tip - and very dynamic) and who want an MC, I continue to recommend the Denon DL103. If in your system the Denon sounds like crap (have you heard it in other systems?), then it behoves you to warn people away, but don't then automatically accuse everyone you disagree with of being unaware of either musicality or the sound of live instruments. Just so I don't stand accused of jumping on any bandwagons (again those who know me know better), I think the AT OC9, the current fashion, is bright and shrill junk, but I will try to find a combination which works for it, since I ended up with one as a favour for a friend (you owe me Big Time buddy).

And don't worry, I always enjoy the music, as I shy away from "analytical".

Regards and relax and Don't Worry, Be Happy, 'cause when you wear a frown ;-( you bring everybody down ;-)!

I plugged in the step-up this afternoon (which by the way I learned it is not a Cotter but an Audio Innovations unit). Gain is now almost the same as for the linestageto my ears, I left the internal ML No. 26 setting at 38dB and 100 ohms impendance, I just need a long-session to hear it and take some decisions from there.

I am using a Rega rb300 mounted in a VPI JW19MkIV TNT platter, my budget could be up to the $1K border.

Johnnantais: I will surely explore the Denon trasnformer option, is it a step-up or has a full RIAA?

Raul: You know my setup !!!, you were at my place some weeks back (jejeje)

Fernando