I bought a Zu Audio DL 103 Mk II cartridge - Grade 2 Prime
cartridge for $1099 as a spare as my other cartridge was being
repaired/inspected. At the time (September 2020), the cartridge sounded
pretty good - this was my first modded DL 103. However, just as the cartridge
was breaking in (~ 35 hours), I accidently hit my tonearm and sent it towards
the platter and unfortunately snapped the cantilever right off. After a few
cuss words, I realized there wasn't much I could do except send it in for a
retip. So the next day, I sent it to VAS Audio to get it retipped.
When Steve examined the cartridge, he told me that the right terminal of the
cartridge was damaged internally and that due to the make of the cartridge
(epoxy filled) that repairing it would be an issue. I then reached out to Zu
Audio who confirmed that repair was not possible (after I sent the cartridge
back to them) and the best they could do was offer me 20% off on a new
cartridge. I definitely wasn't going to go down that route again - I tried to
get the 20% discount on other Zu products, but was told that the offer was only
good for cartridges. So, worst $1100 ever spent. I know accidents like this are
isolated incidents, but it does happen. So those of you that are looking
into the Zu modded Denon's - keep this in mind.
Since I didn't have another spare cartridge, Steve did send me one of his
modded Denon's with a wooden body and elliptical stylus. The VAS
cartridge sounded warmer and better than the Zu cartridge and at half the
price. To those that are in the market for modded 103's there are tons of
options out there - I would recommend giving VAS audio a try before pursuing the
more expensive Zu Audio or other cartridges that use epoxy as fillers to add
mass. This way if something goes wrong, at least there is the option to repair the
cartridge.
