Denon 103r - Any first hand experience?
- Thread starter Mike42
- Start date
freefallrob
pfm Member
Yes I have first hand experience. It's a great cart when you can give it what it wants, a lossy heavy tonearm, it's treble and detail retrieval is never going to the best as it's a spherical/conical stylus, but it can sound fabulously addictive and dynamic to the point where you don't really care..... it's not as straight forward to get the best out of as more mainstream models are.
divedeepdog
pfm Member
Smoother and more refined than 103, heavy headshell or lump of Bluetack essential. I consider it a baby Decca, upbeat and punchy it loses out in detail.
If this was boutique manufacturers it'd be £1k and the conical tip would be considered novelty
If this was boutique manufacturers it'd be £1k and the conical tip would be considered novelty
Seanm
pfm Member
Really solid imaging. Bit edgy at the top end on my too-light arm (Nima), and yes, not the most detailed. I think the suspension collapsed on mine otherwise I'd probably still be using it, although I prefer the AT33ev that replaced it: almost as solid and full-sounding, but more detailed.
I'm a big fan , currently using one in a Midas aluminum body . It gives a big bold sound with lots of texture , it has got enough detail to keep me happy but it can be easily beaten in this dept .
The biggest negative is that they need to be partnered with sympathetic ancillaries to get the best out of them , they are also quite fussy about loading .
The biggest negative is that they need to be partnered with sympathetic ancillaries to get the best out of them , they are also quite fussy about loading .
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
I wouldn't touch any cart with a spherical stylus with a specially extended barge pole...
jamesd
pfm Member
Even if it sounds better than cartridges many times it’s price?
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
It doesn't. It is guaranteed to sound crap if it has a spherical stylus. End of. I don't care how good the bass and mid is and if it has "PRaT", any cart with a spherical stylus will have really poor treble and I want a good sound from lowest bass to highest treble. I wouldn't want an Ortofon SPU for the same reasons. Even if it was free!
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
Yes I know. I believe there is a version of the 103 with a proper stylus as well (pretty sure there was at one time anyway). Either would be great with a real stylus I'm sure.
jamesd
pfm Member
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
I hope so as you seem to be cornering the market in it....
i think they offer a variety of profiles in the 103 body and mechanics. I hear the original suffers from end of side distortion.
I've tried the paratrace tip and different cantilevers and whilst they do improve certain areas they rob they 103 of its charm .
I find it strange that the Denon takes so much flak , no other manufacturers £150-£250 cart ( 103 and 103r price points ) are treated to such vitriol , yet for some reason people talk about the 103 as though it costs £1000 .
Take the Denon for what it is a nice sounding cart that's good value for money . For what it costs everyone can try one and make up there own mind .
I find it strange that the Denon takes so much flak , no other manufacturers £150-£250 cart ( 103 and 103r price points ) are treated to such vitriol , yet for some reason people talk about the 103 as though it costs £1000 .
Take the Denon for what it is a nice sounding cart that's good value for money . For what it costs everyone can try one and make up there own mind .
Tony L
Administrator
Agreed. I’ve never tried an R but I’ve had a few standard 103s over the years and they are a great cart with some limitations. If ones musical diet is mainly jazz it could be all the cartridge needed, it is phenomenally good on the short playing sides of Blue Notes, Prestige, Riverside etc. If however you are an opera fan or want to play rock or pop compilations with long playing times forget it as it just can’t trace the end of side well enough.
The 103s status as a classic is very well deserved. As with most of the true greats in audio it has a character, and that character really suits the vinyl of its era. I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t live with it as my only cartridge, but there is nothing that does what it gets right for even several multiples of its price. It may well be *the* jazz cartridge.
Works great in a pre-Improved 3009 or 3012 too:
Just mass-load the headshell a bit (there is a 4.5g SME spacer hidden in the shell above). To my ears it actually works a lot better in this kind of arm than it does in a Ittok, Zeta or whatever, it seems to like a fairly lossy platform.
Snufkin
pfm Member
You make some good point here, the 103 is a good introduction to the world of moving coil cartridges. Its easy to live with and made my previously run Goldring 1042 sound a bit dull at best. If you have never tried an MC cartridge I strongly urge you to try one. I still have a low mileage one as a reserve in case I have an 'accident' with my current MC.