Denon DL 103 vs DL 103R

Just to clarify things a bit: output on the 103 is .3 mV while the 103R is lower at .25 mV so ideal gain from an active phono stage is about 60 db with the 103 and 62 with the 103R. The 103 should probably be loaded around 100 ohms while the 103R should be loaded lower, probably in the 30-50 ohm range so this may be a consideration when looking at phono stages and/or transformers.

Paste this into your browser for a review here comparing both:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/frr.pl?ranlg&1034089946&read&3&4&

While the standard 103 has its fans, research I did before buying a 103R indicated that the majority of those with experience with both cartridges preferred the R and felt it to be worth the extra money. It is anything but hi-fi-ish or analytical. In any event, I'm sure they are both very good cartridges, but remember that they deserve a very good phono stage as well which is something many people don't consider because of the low price of the Denons. The general concensus at this time is that if you stick one of Uwe's wood bodies on the Denons they are capable of embarassing much more expensive and exotic cartridges. The aluminum bodied Zu 103 at $399 seems to be another interesting alternative.

Notwithstanding the fact that the 103/103R will not be a good match with the Grace as others have mentioned, there is also, as others have alluded to, something seriously wrong with the setup on Grimace's table.

It would be pretty unlikely that an extracounterweight would be necessary to balance a cartridge that weighs 6 grams; typically extra counterweights are necessary to balance heavier cartridges (as in the plus 8-10 gram category).

Crazy as it sounds, the first thing I would check is to make sure the counterweight is on the right way. Take it off, turn it around and re-install it on the arm, balance the arm to zero and re-set the tracking force and see what happens. Short of that, it might be worth taking the taking the table to someone who really knows table/arm setup to get this thing right. It's pretty likely that Grimace will be much happier when he gets this resolved, possibly to the point of not wanting to do an upgrade as it sounds like something is seriously out of whack with the setup at the moment.