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Moving Coil Cartridge Advice

hornblower

hornblower

pfm Member
Hello everyone,

My Denon DL103r is giving up the ghost after 6 years use.

For a replacement I am on a budget of about £500.

Can I ask if anyone has experience of Audio Technica moving coils?

I was thinking of either the ATOC9 III or the AT33PTG II.

I have heard reports that the former can be a little of the bright side, but I wonder if anyone has some more direct knowledge.

My set is Linn LP12/Ittok LVIII, using NAC323 cards in a NAC72.

All opinions are appreciated.

Regards

John

;)
 
I have use a DL103r ( Midas body ) on my LP12/Jelco 750D . I also have an AT33EV .

The AT cart does upper and lower frequencies a little bit better than the Denon but the midrange is a bit forward sounding ( for my tastes ) .

However despite the AT being better in individual areas than the Denon . I find the DL103r better at conveying a complete musical message .

Of course everyone favours a different sound but I find the 103 hard to beat at sensible money .
 
Gaius has a nice Dynavector 20 XL 2 for sale in the classifieds they're very good I had a few years back on an Ittok.

Regards,

Martin
 
The Denon is a hard act to follow, and I think that a swap to the AT sound would come as a bit of a surprise. I'm another person who, despite being aware of its weaknesses, finds the Denon is probably the best cartridge I have used for conveying the musical message. I'd suggest you get a standard DL103, send it to ESCO for their cantilever/sylus modification (this will take ages...) and then fit it into one of the alloy bodies that are available. My cartridge is an original Zu bodied DL103 with the ESCO mods and it is absolutely superb. However I'm presently running my old Decca London Gold and enjoying it immensely, so maybe not the best person to be advising you!!!
 
martin dawson said:
Gaius has a nice Dynavector 20 XL 2 for sale in the classifieds they're very good I had a few years back on an Ittok.

Regards,

Martin
Click to expand...

Thanks Martin,

I will seriously consider this.

I'll have to see whether Ceritech (my nearest dealer who I trust) would be prepared to consider fitting this.

Many thanks for your prompt reply.
 
I still have this for sale. I liked it so much I bought a spare, this one, which is now no longer needed.

I moved from a Denon 103 which I liked a lot; to a 103r which was like its brother but smoother; and then an AT33PTG which was the best of the three. I stayed with the AT for a few years until I started experimenting with Dynavectors.
 
The ZYX is a little bit of Koetsu for a lot less budget, I'm currently using the R100 and it's a fantastic cart. I have had two R50's in the past H and L versions and they really punch above their price.

Others to think about:

Benz Micro Ace SL
Zu Denon 103
Hana SL (£550 new)

If your phono does MM I'd suggest trying the AN IQ2 or secondhand IQ3 as they are fantastic.
 
Had all three , oc9 is lean and bright lacks body , at33ptg less bright less lean
but still lacks body top end off both cartridges dont get the treble right a bit
unnatural , dl103 more meat on the bone but a bit lacking at the extremes .
slightly more engaging . phil .
 
d m butcher said:
I still have this for sale. I liked it so much I bought a spare, this one, which is now no longer needed.

I moved from a Denon 103 which I liked a lot; to a 103r which was like its brother but smoother; and then an AT33PTG which was the best of the three. I stayed with the AT for a few years until I started experimenting with Dynavectors.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the reply and kind offer,

I will enquire whether my dealer (Ceritech) is willing to fit cartridges not purchased in store.

I'm having a Kore fitted as well, so maybe they will be happy to do this.

;)
 
hornblower said:
I was thinking of either the ATOC9 III or the AT33PTG II.
Click to expand...

As far as I understand AT OC9 III is AT-OC9ML/II with a lesser tip, sold as upgrade.

I'm using AT-OC9ML/II at the moment and I had AT33PTG (but not II) before that (please note, that I got 33PTG used, perhaps already on its way out). And I love both of them. I will open a thread on AT-OC9ML/II one day, but in few words, I'd say 33PTG may be more punchy, and OC9 is more subtle, especially revealing small nuances in vocals, playfulness, perhaps even small mistakes that only prove you are listening to human voice.

The tonearm is Roksan Nima and both carts work great on it, even though I have read before, that OC9 is better match for Ittok and 33PTG better match for unipivots.

I'm still curious how a brand new AT33PTG/II would sound, I had so much fun with it, that I may as well try this sometime. So the bottom line is: both are great carts, if there would be a significant price between the two, I'd just buy the cheaper one. 33PTG may be better with Deep Purple and OC9 better for Joni Mitchell, but is also great with Led Zeppelin, Nick Cave or Bjork.

Both work well with Naim cards and even better with DV P75 or Dino.
 
Howdy said:
As far as I understand AT OC9 III is AT-OC9ML/II with a lesser tip, sold as upgrade.

I'm using AT-OC9ML/II at the moment and I had AT33PTG (but not II) before that (please note, that I got 33PTG used, perhaps already on its way out). And I love both of them. I will open a thread on AT-OC9ML/II one day, but in few words, I'd say 33PTG may be more punchy, and OC9 is more subtle, especially revealing small nuances in vocals, playfulness, perhaps even small mistakes that only prove you are listening to human voice.

The tonearm is Roksan Nima and both carts work great on it, even though I have read before, that OC9 is better match for Ittok and 33PTG better match for unipivots.

I'm still curious how a brand new 33PTG would sound, I had so much fun with it, that I may as well try this sometime. So the bottom line is: both are great carts. 33PTG may be better with Deep Purple and OC9 better for Joni Mitchell, but is also great with Led Zeppelin, Nick Cave or Bjork.

Both work well with Naim cards and work even better with DV P75 or Dino.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for this. Out of interest did you use the PTG with S or K boards (I have set of both)?

:)
 
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