What cartridges under $800 outperform DL-103R?


I have a brass plate on my nude DL-103 and I'm ready for a change. I'm looking for more air and ambiance, but don't want to sacrifice extension on either end.

I'm debating whether to try Uwe's Panzerholz body on a 103R, or try something altogether different like a Dynavector 20XH, Sumiko Blackbird, Lyra Dorian, Zyx R50 Bloom. I had a Benz Glider L2 (0.4 mV) for a while, but didn't find it any better than the 103R. My tonearm is Micro Seiki MA-707.

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
mingles

Showing 2 responses by mmike84

I own a 103R. I also recently sold my ZYX Airy 3. While the Airy 3 was better, especially tonally, I don't think it was as much as you'd expect given the price difference. My opinion is the 103R is a great cartridge that belies it's price, as opposed to the reverse. I owned a Shelter 501MkII that I liked as much or better than the 103R. I also just bought a Shelter 901 for $600 with the top shelf Soundsmith modifications (3 levels available on their website for your 103R or buy one already moidifed- That should tell you what Peter Lendermann thinks of them) but I've not had a chance to mount it yet.
I have compared the DL-S1 to the 103r zyx airy 3 and shelter 501mkII side by side. Probably comes down to personal preference (and budget)as always. Here's what I heard. The DL-S1 was more refined with better resolution tighter base than the 103R. The Shelter was more "musical" than them both giving up a slight amount of resolution and soundstage precision. The Airy 3 was tonally better and matched the DL-S1 in every other way except a slight degree of soundstage width. Of them all the Shelter 501MKII was my favorite. It goes for about $500 used. A used DL-S1 sold for $600 a few weeks ago. The Airy 3 go for $1600 used. I'm now trying a Shelter 901 with Soundsmith upgrades (similar to ZU). My initial reaction is it's better than everything else I've tried but I'm having arm compatibility issues that may not be solvable. S

If $100 difference is a lot to you the 103R will be your best value. The Shelter 501 MKII or DL-S1 will both impress at only $200-$300 more used. After that the improvements will be slight for a lot more $.