No. 26 - MM or MC board?

Well, I heard good news regarding Denon DL103 cartridges while in Berlin: there is a Finnish fellow who custom-winds transformers for Shindo Laboratories amongst other luminaries, and who makes a transformer specifically for the Denon. I was hoping to be the first kid on the block with one of these so I could try it out and report on it, but feel free to steal my thunder, contact http://www.hifi-im-hinterhof.de/ for details on this wondrous beastie. It would be cheaper than buying the now pumped-up retail price of the Music Maker in North America and the associated problems of mass-matching, would allow you to contiunue with your original plan, and is apparently very reasonably-priced at something like 300 euros or so. If this transformer makes the already-excellent Denon DL103-series even better, then watch out world! And you were right Twl, this is one beaut of a cartridge.

Hi Raul. I've seen your posts regarding this cartridge and, not having heard it had nothing to add. But now that I've heard it I think it is the most musical - that's right, "musical" - MC cartridge I've heard, which in my estimation makes it the best MC I've heard, period, since, as you point out, it's the music which matters most. Don't assume that you are the only one in any forum who thinks the system should serve the music and not the other way around, it makes you look like a pompous ass: there is a thing called "benefit of the doubt", which should be extended to all until you are certain where they stand. Feel free to apologize. I am not a professional musician and while I attend concerts, both classical and others - I don't do so in order to "readjust my hearing" and keep a "standard", I only go to concerts I am actually interested in listening to. Of course, I can't help but notice how real, live music sounds, and no system sounds like real, live music. I travel a lot and get to hear Arabic, Asian, Greek, Turkish (Mesopotamian) and other live music for a good part of each year, usually in gardens under the stars, very intimate settings where I can hear everything clearly. The best we can expect is a system which is beguiling, which is musical, which stirs us and which recalls the sound of real instruments and voices. To me the Denon DL103 is detailed without being bright, it has a very beguiling and exciting rhythmic sound, and it's rich-sounding. Beautiful. Those who've seen my posts elsewhere know I don't like the sound of MCs in general, though I've owned quite a few, including state-of-the-art ones in bygone days. I stopped buying expensive MCs in the early '90s as they all seemed to be veering towards bright, thin and analytical. Perhaps things have changed (I'm sure everyone will tell me it has), but in the meantime I've rediscovered MMs. I'm mostly an MM man these days because to my ear anyway they are far more adept at preserving the rhythm and timing of the music than MCs, and are more tonally correct: they sound more like music. Maybe you hate this cartridge for the same reason I like it: it sounds like a very good MM (which I concede you might find reason to dislike). Maybe some other reason. I wonder which model you have, my own is the plain-vanilla DL103, perhaps you have another model. I can't speak for the "R" version as I've not heard it, and I wonder if the more radical stylus profile doesn't harm its excellent tonal balance, I'll know when I try it myself. In the meantime, for those interested more in music reproduction than special effects (though the Denon is quite detailed - astonishingly so for a cartridge with a spherical tip - and very dynamic) and who want an MC, I continue to recommend the Denon DL103. If in your system the Denon sounds like crap (have you heard it in other systems?), then it behoves you to warn people away, but don't then automatically accuse everyone you disagree with of being unaware of either musicality or the sound of live instruments. Just so I don't stand accused of jumping on any bandwagons (again those who know me know better), I think the AT OC9, the current fashion, is bright and shrill junk, but I will try to find a combination which works for it, since I ended up with one as a favour for a friend (you owe me Big Time buddy).

And don't worry, I always enjoy the music, as I shy away from "analytical".

Regards and relax and Don't Worry, Be Happy, 'cause when you wear a frown ;-( you bring everybody down ;-)!

Hi Fernando. It is only a transformer, and I believe the impedance figures for the 103R is different from the plain version. You'll have to work it out with the supplier, but I foresee no great problem since the Finnish fellow custom-winds his transformers. Keep us posted as to how the Denon works out with your present transformer.

Hi Fernando. If you click on "Kontact", and click on "So finden Sie uns" in the menu whcih shows up, a page will come up with this address: [email protected]. Click on this and the usual email page pops up. Write your request for information on the transformer they sell for the Denon DL103 (and explain you have an "R" version), since they (or some) definitely do speak English, very friendly and philosophical fellows. If this fails, then I'll contact my girlfriend so she can help us out.

Hi again Raul, glad to know you like MMs as well, have to continue to disagree with you on the subject of the Denon however, since accuracy should take a back-seat to musicality anyway. But to my ear, these are very tonally and rhythmically accurate MC cartridges (admittedly the imaging is not laser-etched), and their beguiling sound can only be described as poetic. My favourite MC to date. I will soon be sending a Kiseki Purpleheart Sapphire cartridge I have for a rebuild (I love vintage stuff), a beautiful cartridge, but not as compelling as the Denon. Serious money I save for trips to perfumed gardens in Asia Minor to hear Mesopotamian beauties with incredible voices sing under the stars accompanied by zithers, not for megabuck equipment. We all have our priorities.

Regards, and continue to enjoy the music!

Thanks for the compliment Tom, and yes, the Denon certainly sounds great on the Lenco, if I were going to make absolutely sure the Lenco would hit new ears with irresistable impact, I would suggest the Lenco/Rega/Denon DL103 combination, which works so synergistically together (and for roughly the price of a Grado Sonata!). As to the Hadcock/Grado, I've been remiss and haven't even tried it yet, having it mounted on other low-mass tonearms for the moment to such great effect I was not moved to finally mount the Hadcock. But now that you remind me...

I can understand Raul's reasoning on the subject of transformers, but must admit that the fact a world-class transformer designer has seen fit to make one especially for the Denon DL103 makes me want to try one out (and I'm aware that the subect of transformers versus active devices generates as much controversy as the tubes vs solid-state debate!). Let's remember that the electronic genius Matti Ottala (or Otala) was a Finn, and that several world-class speakers are also made in Finland. For such a small country (population 5.5 million) it is very productive in terms of audio equipment! Kippis! So far though, I've always used active step-up devices, which transmit natural dynamics very well, if you want to consider alternatives Fernando, am working on restoring/tweaking an older model I have now. Does anyone make a simple active step-up anymore?

Tom, I would have tried your cool free mod long ago, but I haven't had the Rega mounted since last Spring, what with the low-mass and other tonearms I've been playing with over the last year. Now that it's up again (thanks to the Denon), I'll be trying it out very soon.