Denon 103R

[PHC1]

Denon 103R cartridge arrived today. I was really curious to hear it so it is already mounted and playing music. I ran into a little limitation with the technics tonearm and this cartridge. Not enough length to set it up with Loefgren geometry which is what I typically use. It was just enough for Baerwald setup though. Not sure how much it matters, never really compared the two geometry setups critically. This was also the first time I got to hear the Shindo Monbrison MC built in phono stage.

After taking it for a spin with a few jazz and blues records, which sounded very good, I turned to some rock albums. Dire Straits, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Roger Waters, Alan Parsons Project, Eagles, Pink Floyd is what I have played so far. For me the real test for this system and room is "musicality" and "ease of listening". If it can't pass this rock test, with various levels of recording and mastering qualities, it's not a valuable "team player".

First impressions are very positive. :yes

Bass is very impressive, I like full, round, analog sounding bass. The 103R does that. I'd say quite a bit better than the Maestro Wood I had and definitely much better than the AT440MLa I had mounted before it. It actually comes pretty close to what my Dynavector XX2MKII did with bass but that was a different system all together. Bass has very nice "weight", texture, good articulation and that elusive real "analog quality" to it, another words it's not dry sounding, without leading edge transient exaggeration. You hear and feel a kick drum for example like it really is sitting in your room, on the floor. The speakers even load the room differently when you get that "analog quality" bass going on. This cartridge likes to rock.


Mids and highs are very nice. Nothing jumps out as being emphasized. It doesn't sound like a very forward sounding cartridge nor would I call it colored, laid back or overly lush and romantic. It is consistent and pretty smooth across the frequency spectrum. Perhaps just a slight upper mids bump in enthusiasm, probably needs to break in.

Detail retrieval is very good for an MC cart and in this price range is pretty impressive. I didn't notice any deficiencies nor would I want any more detailed presentation as things start to usually sound a bit clinical and lean based on my other listening sessions with some other expensive MC carts in other systems.

I'll let it break in some more and report back. So far I am very impressed with this cart that is much cheaper than some MM's I've had and offers more. More importantly it is very enjoyable right out of the box and if it gets better, I'll be even more impressed.

[Puma Cat]

Thanks for the report, Serge. Keep us posted as you get more time on the clock.

Cheers,
Stephen.

[Alberto]

Thanks for the report Serge. I still love my Maestro, but now that I have a first-class built-in MC phono stage with the Shindo Monbrison, I'll have to give MCs another try.

Problem is, I don't know how well the 103R will work with my SME 3009ii compliance wise.

Alberto

[two dot]

Serge,

Congrats on the new cart... I have always wanted to try one... even bought one

I hear wonderful things about pairing it with A-23 SUT...

[ehoove]

Originally Posted by Alberto

Thanks for the report Serge. I still love my Maestro, but now that I have a first-class built-in MC phono stage with the Shindo Monbrison, I'll have to give MCs another try.

Problem is, I don't know how well the 103R will work with my SME 3009ii compliance wise.

Alberto

Alberto,
I'm running a Denon DL103r in my Jelco SA750D arm (20gr effective mass) with outstanding results. Audible improvement over the match of the same headshell/cartridge in the (LAD) Jelco SA370h varient (13.5 gr. effective mass), so the DL103r likes a heavy arm. A Denon DL 301MkII or DL304 might be an option in the SME arm at 12.5 gr effective mass, unless it is the improved version at 6.5 gr. effective mass. If you have the improved version, the cartridge will be controlling the arm which of course does not lead to great sound.

Do you know which version you have?
Regards,
Jim

[PHC1]

Alberto, my technics arm has an effective mass of 12gr. The 103R has a compliance of 5 with an 8.5gr weight. That puts the resonant frequency at 15.5Hz or so. A little out of the ballpark but it still sounds great. Obviously a heavier effective mass tonearm would probably be an even better match. Keep in mind the review that got me interested had an SME 309 with an effective mass of 9.5 and the reviewer loved the result. Goes against the typically assumed good match of heavier arm, less compliant cartridge but I guess the results spoke for themselves.

I'll try the 309 arm myself soon. We'll see what happens.

[jdandy]

Serge.......I have been interested in the Denon DL 103R moving coil cartridge for quite some time. You can't beat the price, even at full retail ($379.00). After having read your comments on the 103R's performance right out of the box, I may have to give this MC cartridge a whirl.

[KingRT]

I have been spinning a lot of records on my Concept and MC, and like to hear about knew cartridges.

Thanks

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by two dot

Serge,

Congrats on the new cart... I have always wanted to try one... even bought one

I hear wonderful things about pairing it with A-23 SUT...

I believe the A-23 SUT was actually made for the 103 not the "R" version. Not sure if it matters much? The one review was very enthusisastic about the A-23 SUT and the 103R none the less.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Serge.......I have been interested in the Denon DL 103R moving coil cartridge for quite some time. You can't beat the price, even at full retail ($379.00). After having read your comments on the 103R's performance right out of the box, I may have to give this MC cartridge a whirl.

Dan, I've been spinning vinyl all day long. I can hear it opening up slowly and getting even better by the hour. Very musical with the Shindo phono stage. I tried the EAR324, very nice as well but the Shindo's bass is even better. More magic in the mids, more delicate highs, heck, everything is starting to sound more mechanical and dry to my ears as compared to Shindo.