50 hours sounds about right, though it will start sounding sweet maybe 20 hours in.
Btw, don't dismiss the 103R as just a backup cartridge or value option. (See my other post under the Zyx thread about amortization of R&D costs.) It's an incredible cartridge, full stop.
The only problem is that it's so cheap that people are apt to use it with less-than-stellar turntables, arms or - especially - phono stages that don't even get it close to its full potential. The Rega is never gonna get the best out of the 103R, even with Twl's Hi-Fi mod. It won't happen because the Rega, while a decent arm (at best), doesn't even come close to the magic of a 103R in the nice heavy arms for which it was designed.
And then we're talking LOMC... there's no particularly cheap way to step up volume from 3 microvolts to full listening level. We're talking absolutely top-quality step-up transformers (no R&D amortization gonna bring the cost down here, since the materials are just expensive and getting more so) or better yet, high high quality all-tube active phono amplification, which is just expensive, full stop. Certainly when compared to $250.
Don't let the price tag of the 103R full you. It deserves the absolute best and will deliver some of the best you've ever heard.
Patrick
Btw, don't dismiss the 103R as just a backup cartridge or value option. (See my other post under the Zyx thread about amortization of R&D costs.) It's an incredible cartridge, full stop.
The only problem is that it's so cheap that people are apt to use it with less-than-stellar turntables, arms or - especially - phono stages that don't even get it close to its full potential. The Rega is never gonna get the best out of the 103R, even with Twl's Hi-Fi mod. It won't happen because the Rega, while a decent arm (at best), doesn't even come close to the magic of a 103R in the nice heavy arms for which it was designed.
And then we're talking LOMC... there's no particularly cheap way to step up volume from 3 microvolts to full listening level. We're talking absolutely top-quality step-up transformers (no R&D amortization gonna bring the cost down here, since the materials are just expensive and getting more so) or better yet, high high quality all-tube active phono amplification, which is just expensive, full stop. Certainly when compared to $250.
Don't let the price tag of the 103R full you. It deserves the absolute best and will deliver some of the best you've ever heard.
Patrick