Phono cartridge suggestions sought

Thanks chakster

Some random thoughts:
A bit more output than the 103 wouldn’t go amiss if the 60dB quoted as the maximum gain for an unbalanced output for your phonostage by Absolute sounds is accurate. 
What do you know about your arm, was the 103 a good match?
I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the performance of a London Decca I fitted to an Aro recently, and rather disappointed when it started humming when a neighbour turned something or other on in the adjacent apartment, probably his TV or a computer or some such.
If you can get to hear one a 17DX might give the apheta a run for its money but you’re into micro line there so you’ll need clean records, the plus side is the 2000 hour plus stylus life if you don’t mess up the bias setting (like I did on my first D2).
The D2 lacked a bit for body but the range has been improving there, it never lacked for speed.
I’ve heard the Atom at the factory driving Sopra 1s and at a dealership driving some Russell K floor standers, on both occasions the object was to show the improvement to be had from the Star and Nova, I’ve not hears it with speakers that were chosen for the Atom, oh and I’ve heard it powering some Shahinian Hawks surprisingly well, though not well enough to live with, its still an entry level product, how much cartridge does it need?
I get the succession thing, I have some Thiels and a Transfiguration, the latter will be very hard to replace. Ortofon and AT won’t suffer from that though AT have been known to drop support for some of their discontinued cartridges after a disappointingly short while.

Yeti, thanks.


"A bit more output than the 103 wouldn’t go amiss if the 60dB quoted as the maximum gain for an unbalanced output for your phonostage by Absolute sounds is accurate."

Easily accurate, yes.

"What do you know about your arm, was the 103 a good match?"

Seems like a good match. 10 gram effective mass or so. It's written down somewhere.

"I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the performance of a London Decca I fitted to an Aro recently, and rather disappointed when it started humming when a neighbour turned something or other on in the adjacent apartment, probably his TV or a computer or some such."

I moved through testing many phono pre's before landing on the JC Junior precisely because it out right rejected RFI from a nearby antenna that the other 'stages couldn't silence.

"If you can get to hear one a 17DX might give the apheta a run for its money but you’re into micro line there so you’ll need clean records, the plus side is the 2000 hour plus stylus life if you don’t mess up the bias setting (like I did on my first D2)."

Well, depends how clean clean is. I have a RCM, but I clean once, and then just rely on new sleeves, carbon fiber brush and occasional groove glide. Also, I don't use anti-skating, not on my Thorens and the Bryston doesn't even come with it. I guess I fall in the school that doesn't believe in it. 

"I’ve heard the Atom at the factory driving Sopra 1s and at a dealership driving some Russell K floor standers, on both occasions the object was to show the improvement to be had from the Star and Nova, I’ve not hears it with speakers that were chosen for the Atom, oh and I’ve heard it powering some Shahinian Hawks surprisingly well, though not well enough to live with, its still an entry level product, how much cartridge does it need?"

Well that's a great question. At some point, I may get an amp and use the atom as a streamer. Not to play louder, which I don't regularly do, but to provide more presence at lower volume.

But I've listened to very expensive cartridges on nominally very resolving systems, and I don't always hear more than what I hear with a 2k cartridge. So maybe my ears are shot (not what the tests show, though my highs do disappear at 12khz. This aging thing...) 

Still, I tend to think that transducers are the parts of the system which make the clearest sonic difference, and that makes me think that a substantial cartridge upgrade is worth a try.

"What do you know about your arm, was the 103 a good match?"

Seems like a good match. 10 gram effective mass or so. It’s written down somewhere.

No way 10g is optimal for an oldschool low compliance cartridge like Denon 103. At least 20g effective mass! And very few modern arm will be as high in effective moving mass. 30g will be even better, remember that compliance of Denon 103 is extremely low, this is a stiff cartridge, so superheavy effective mass is a must!

Tonearms with 10g mass designed for mid of high compliance cartridges. It is always surprise me when people buying an oldschool monster like dl-103 without having an appropriate tonearm for this cartridge, it is absolutely pointless.  

I’m going to try an SPU Royal N on an arm I can get up to 18g affective mass and it’s a heavy cartridge. Word from my arm’s builder is that this may not be enough but give it a try. I’m replacing a Transfiguration Proteus, now an orphan cartridge, and it will be a hard act to follow so something radically different may help stop me comparing it too harshly. I still have a part worn 17D3 but the Proteus did everthing that cartridge did only better. The 17D is still a good cartridge though, I used several of them for 25 years on a Rock mk2 with an RB300.