2. analog
  3. 1119829035

Denon DL103 bought in Asia- What to expect?

I was wandering Hong Kong yesterday (I'll post another thread soon re. audio adventures in China and Hong Kong) mostly looking for some car accessories when my audiophile mojo kicked in and I stumbled across a Denon DL103. After some haggling I bought it for $180 U.S.

My current set up: Oracle Delphi IV 'table, Oracle SME345 arm, Grado Sonata MM pickup, Primare phono stage.

The Denon is a MC cart, I'm not concerned about my phono stage's ability to step up .3mv I'm 6000 miles away from my rig right now *sigh* I am curious how the DL103 will sound compared to my current cart, any and all opinions are most welcome. Best, Jeff
hack

Showing 1 response by c123666

c123666
871 posts
 
I have a Shelter 501 II and a Denon DL103R mounted on a SME 312. Both are excellent cartridges; the 103R is a lush sounding cartridge and the Shelter seems to be a bit "crisper" than the Denon. But, the Shelter was three times the price (from Hong Kong) of the Denon. I use both cartridges and enjoy them both.

for 180 to 260 bucks (103, 103R) you simply cannot go wrong. I also own a Dynavector DV20XH (hi output MC) and, while it is a good cartridge, it is not in the same league as the Denon or Shelter.
More to discover