Is this why my analog rig isn't so hot?

The gain on both of their "Phono Cube's" is very high. It is possible that highly modulated passages may cause clipping of the circuit, which would tend to sound very fuzzy or distorted, not necessarily "dull".

My first suggestion is that you should verify proper installation and loading of the cartridge. If ANY of these parameters are off, high frequency extension and resolution will be reduced.

While i don't know the specifics of the Benz cartridge that you have, from what i can recall talking to a few others that were very familiar with them, i don't think that they are an "overly open" or "extended" sounding cartridge. I could be wrong about this though, so others that are more familiar with them may be of more help. My comments are based on conversations that i've had with some folks that had Benz cartridges that ended up switching over to Dynavector's and were much happier. Personal preference, arm / cartridge matching, gain / loading, etc.. could have all come into play here, so take that for what it's worth. Sean
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Raul: Your observations about the people having top-end problems with Benz cartridges were using tube based gear from what i can recall. Good observation on that one, but i can't agree with your comments about the Denon 103. My personal experience with this cartridge is that, like most MC cartridges, it is very sensitive to changes in loading. In the proper arm and with the right loading, i find it to be a very solid performer and a phenomenal bargain. Problem is, most people don't mate it with an appropriate arm and / or don't take the time to properly dial it in electrically either. In most cases, these are folks that are hardcore converts to digital primarily because they don't like to "fidget" with their gear in terms of setting up the cartridge / arm, let alone get inside their gear and change resistors and capacitors. While i can understand that mind-set and don't have a problem with it, like anything else though, sub-optimal installation results in sub-optimal operation. Sean
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Raul said "I have more than 35 years in testing analog rig and, beyond what Ken told us, the 70% to 80% of the quality of the sound reproduction comes from the tonearm/cartridge combo"...

I would have to side with Ken on his interpretation of this one. That is, it spoke volumes about Raul's point of view.

As far as i'm concerned, changing the table that ANY arm / cartridge combo is on will alter the tonal balance, harmonic structure, noise floor, sense of timing, steadiness of pitch, etc... These all have to do with the support structure that makes up the plynth, the mass and resonant characteristics of the table on the whole, the accuracy and steadiness of the motor, the play in the bearing / platter, etc...

As you might surmise, i disagree with Raul's comment whole-heartedly. With that in mind, i can see why we differ on our thougths about the Denon 103 series of cartridges. We obviously have very different experiences and ways of looking at things.

As a side note, the Stanton 881S has a compliance rating of appr 35. It is obviously best suited for a low mass arm. Sean
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