Recommended vendor for Denon DL-103?

mhardy6647

Can anyone here recommend a good, reputable (ideally US-based) vendor of the venerable Denon DL-103 LOMC cartridge at a good value/price?

Thanks very much for your attention and suggestions!

fbm211

lp gear
Or wait for one to pop up on audiogon.

george daniel

try this--ordered one today

http://www.cometsupply.com/advanced_search_result.html?keywords=denon

mhardy6647

george daniel wrote: »

try this--ordered one today

http://www.cometsupply.com/advanced_search_result.html?keywords=denon

That's the one someone had suggested to me (and I had promptly forgotten), thanks!

mhardy6647

heh. The DL-103 arrived from Comet yesterday. Last night, I installed it in the headshell of a Technics SL-Q2 that happened to be available for a test spin. Set the overhang per the SL-Q2 manual (available from www.vinylengine.com) and set the VTF for 2.5g using my cheap but trusty Shure balance.

Did a quick and dirty hookup on the living room hifi using a DIY SUT (I can provide more info if anyone's interested) and a Bottlehead Seduction phono preamp (currently running Amperex 6DJ8s, if memory serves).


To say I wasn't disappointed, even right out of the box, is an understatement! I remember these as sounding lush and alive from my first encounter with this venerable cartridge design (ca. 1977)... and I heard that in my living room last night. Vocals are just outstanding, as is the overall frequency balance. Detail is dandy (remember that this is a conical stylus; the 'bottom-end' version of this LOMC family). After listening to a couple of albums, I reconnected the standard LR tt (Marantz/Clearaudio TT-15S1 with Clearaudio "Satisfy" Ebony wand arm and Clearaudio Virtuoso Ebony MM cartridge). The Clearaudio cartridge is OK, but the frequency balance is noticeably different (bass-heavy compared to the Denon) and the quality of vocals just isn't in the same league at all. Mind you, the Clearaudio Virtuoso Ebony is an $800 cartridge (with non-user-replaceable stylus, just like an MC!). The Virtuoso's HF may be more extended than the DL-103 (in theory, it certainly should be!)... but the LR speakers (Altec Santiagos) aren't all that extended themselves, so a fairer comparison needs to wait for another pair of speakers to be hooked up.

Bottom line: What a deal for 118 smackers! I cannot imagine there is anything in the price range that will sound better. I certainly don't know of anything for that $ that's as good.

Further details as events warrant (if there's any interest).

thsmith

Interesting, I am especially interested as I have the same TT and cart as your LR

mhardy6647

The Clearaudio Satisfy arm is, I think considered "medium mass" and (again, I think) a reasonable match, at least resonance-wise, for the DL-103's compliance.