Denon DL103R cartridge w/ heritage speakers

[davestef]

Hi,

I was looking up cornwall youtube videos and i came across this guy with four cornwalls in his rig and a DL103R. I wasnt really sure what it was, but apparently it has "rave" reviews calling it a monster killer cartridge. I wasn't able to find too many thoughts and opinions on matching this cartridge with heritage speakers, so i thought id start a new post on this forum. Any one on here like the dl103r when used with their heritage speakers? love it? hate it? and why?

elliptical vs. conical.

Ive read that it is a very "warm" sounding cartridge, with rolled off highs, since it has a conical stylus. I was wondering what that might sound like through a tube amp, since they generally have rolled off highs and a warm tone. plus i have a problem with my cornwalls and heresys. I am currently using a shure m97xe, which has an elliptical stylus.

Right now i have a technics sl-d2, a basic direct drive turntable. A pioneer sx-34b tube amp, although I'm actively seeking out a mcintosh mc225 or mc240, or maybe even mc30's. Hopefully that happens sometime soon [:^)]. And a pair of cornwalls and heresys. I thought a new cartridge might be a good place to start improving my set up while i work on getting a new amp.

[Schu]

Mine... take a look at more of the videos(Dave Brubeck)(Gentle Giant). Please remember these are recorded in open air not by direct connection and the thing the speaker phone doesn't capture accurately is the deep rich bass that the system supplies. I wanted to add that I think it's more of a situation where one should ask whether or not the 103r is right for the Rega P5 and not necessarily the Cornwalls.

I have reconfigured slightly since making this particular video some time ago.

[JBryan]

You haven't listed your gear so I'm not sure if its even a good match but the 103R cart is very nice and a noticeable step up from the 103 with most TT/arm setups. As far as matching up with Heresy's, I'm not sure that's where you should start. First, the MC cart will have to work with your TT/arm and phono pre/stage and that'll have the most impact on the sound followed by how well the pre/stage works with your preamp, then amp. If you can get all that in line then the cart should sound like its suppose to and the amp will have more bearing on the sound coming through your Heresy's or any other speaks for that matter. Similarly, if you were to switch out your CDP, the sound would certainly be altered but again, the pre and amp would have more bearing than the speaks.

Mac-wise, I've always preferred the MC-30's and 225 with (stock) Klipsch heritage though IMO, there are plenty of amps that sound better and many that cost less since you're not competing with collectors for a piece of vintage McIntosh. If you do get a nice Mac for the right price, its a great investment though...no regrets there.

So, definitely look to the rest of your system - especially the TT to determine the viability of the 103R. To be precise, I've never actually used a stock 103 - just the modified versions (both 103 & 103R) from Zu Audio but they do sound very nice with the 103R having a more hefty and less fatiguing presentation on my SME arm and VPI TT. Also, it should be noted that the Denon's stylii don't last as long as others and tend to start showing their wear @600-800 hours.

[Mike Lindsey]

Search the Forum and you will find plenty of posts on the 103R. A number of them by me. I have ownd a 103, 103R, Zu Audio 103 and Zu Audio 103R, which I still use today (on my 2nd one) with my SME IV arm and Thorens TD-124 TT.

I think the 103R is a fabulous cartridge for the money. I think you can still get them new for around $300 - $350, but if you really want to kick it up a notch you have to send it off to Zu and have them do their magic for another $200 or so. As for amps, listen to JBryan. I think you can do much better than McIntosh with Heritage speakers (just my opinion folks), and for less money. I had a solid state Mac at one time, and it didn't hold a candle to my VRD's. Ymmv...

Mike

[thebes]

Hi Dave,

Whoever is telling you tube gear has rolled off highs and that the Denon 103R has rolled off highs is simply wrong. The bigger question, however, is do you have a phono stage that will support a Low Output Moving Coil of about .24 millivolts. If not you will need at a minimum, a stepup transformer, or a good phono preamp that handles LOMC at the minimum and should have capacitance loading to boot. Then you need an arm that can handle medium mass carts.

Denon 103r's a bargain in LOMC's and can be had with some patience at Comet Supply for $240. There are also good, but, IMO, maybe not as good, High Output Moving Coil carts that can be used with a regular phono stage, but I'd still want to be able to tweak the capacitance even with one of those..

[seti]

Hi Dave,

Whoever is telling you tube gear has rolled off highs and that the Denon 103R has rolled off highs is simply wrong. The bigger question, however, is do you have a phono stage that will support a Low Output Moving Coil of about .24 millivolts. If not you will need at a minimum, a stepup transformer, or a good phono preamp that handles LOMC at the minimum and should have capacitance loading to boot. Then you need an arm that can handle medium mass carts.

Denon 103r's a bargain in LOMC's and can be had with some patience at Comet Supply for $240. There are also good, but, IMO, maybe not as good, High Output Moving Coil carts that can be used with a regular phono stage, but I'd still want to be able to tweak the capacitance even with one of those..

The 103R is next on my list. I've heard it many times. The tonearm and cart still need to be a good match for each other. Hang out at the Vinyl Engine as there is lots of great info.

ian