Upgrade Denon 103 R to Shelter 501 II?


I own a Denon DL 103R on a Spacedeck with Space-arm. I have read much conflicting data on this cartridge. My question to those who have tried this cartridge and also either a Sumiko Blackbird and Shelter 501 II, is: Will either of these be a significant upgrade? (System: EE Mini-max phono-preamp, Jadis DA 88 Signature int amp, Merlin TSM-Mx speakers)
springbok10

Showing 2 responses by artemus_5

Wow - makes me wonder if something was wrong with my Denon!
If the Denon is really that good, why do't they raise the price to an appropriate level? Do ya think that Denon has no one with ears that can hear its superior quality, or marketers to sell it? I'm skeptical. Yeah there are giant killers out there. Maybe the 103 is one. But giant killers have limits. This one seems limitless according to all the hype. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it. I was going to, but it has been oversold to the point where I'm now too skeptical.
Patrick wrote
The only problem with the low price is that people constantly underestimate the value of the partnering equipment. The Denon wants a high-mass, heavy-duty arm with high-quality bearings to drive its stiff, short cantilever and comparatively high weight. Such tonearms do not come cheap - you're talking Ikeda, Ortofon, FR, old-style SME (with steel knife-edge bearings) etc

Considering that this cartridge was initially made for the broascast industry, You have given a very good explanation of its characteristics. That industry mostly used high mass 12" arms. This also explains why it is used more successfully by vintage equipment users as well, since vintage generally used higher mass arms than todays newer arms, which are usually low or medium mass. Yes, one can spend a lot of money to buy a 12" arm, but there are a lot of good arms which will not get optimum performance from the 103 due to incompatibility. In short, the cartride was engineered for 40 yr old table/arm combo, but is generall not a good match for newer lighter arms.