What is the appeal of the Denon 103 cartridges?

I think many owners of the super expensive turntable can actually find/use reasonably priced cartridges instead of the multi-thousand dollar items promoted in high-end community by the manufacturers and reviewers. 

The problem is that most of them (unlike Denon) have been discontinued in the 80's, but Denon is still in production since the late 60's and the price is very low. 

Some other amazing cartridges from the 70s/80s era are rare and not easy to find for majority of audiophiles that also don't like to take a risk of buying used vintage cartridges, so the Denon for them is a chance to use a vintage cartridge made today for under $300. 

For others it is a business to offer their tweaks/mods for the same cheap cartridge to make it actually expensive (like Zu versions) and a little bit better. Or those companies that can offer same Denon with exotic cantilevers (instead of cheap aluminum) and better profiles. Almost everyone agree that tweaked is much better than the original, so i believe the result of different body, different stylus, different cantilever is a proof that original Denon is nothing special.  

Another example is Ortofon SPU, but the company produce so many versions by themselves instead of giving that option to others. 

Both are classic, old school low compliance monsters for heavy tonearms, originally designed for radio broadcast (like Denon). 

What i don't understand is the reason to invest in cheap Denon for all that special tweaks if man more (much better cartridges) available in its original form with superior cantilevers, diamonds and overall superior sound without any tweaks (just like designers made them from the start). Even some other old low compliance monsters with aluminum cantilevers are much better than Denon , for example Fidelity-Research FR-7f and fz. Also some MM/MI cartridges are better than Denon 103 at the same price category. 

But the Denon and Ortofon have a reputation, some others from the 70s era are just unknown for majority of people today, because they are rare.

Anyway for the price of $250 for 103 it is easy to try without big loss. 

But my advice is to learn a bit more about Conical stylus profile utilized in Denon, because this is the worst profile ever.   



 

@aberyclark
- they are inexpensive (for a moving coil)
- pretty darn good at what they do - very musical
- and easily modified.

I started with the 103 and found it very nice. The price made it attractive for my first foray into the world of moving coil

I had used several other MM/MI cartridges from Rega and Nagoka, but preferred the sound of the stock 103

Like you I read many articles and decided to look at the various mod’s made by different people, Zu being one of them

I now have a Soundsmith modified 103 that I purchased directly from Soundsmith.

It allowed me to see just how good the basic design can function with a little "help"

The model I have has a ruby cantilever and an Optimized Contour Contact Line stylus, which provides much more detail and crisper dynamics, without affecting the overall tone and musicality attributed to the original 103 cartridge.

There is a guy in Italy that goes to extreme lengths by nuding the cartridge, rewinding the coils and replacing the cantilever/stylus to make it a top performing cartridge for a fraction of the cost of it’s competition.

My cartridge did require some additional mass to match the Rega Style arm on my TT, so I epoxied a brass plate to the cartridge, which really made the cartridge shine.

Here’s a little more detail on my Brass Plate tweak
http://image99.net/blog/files/23c020f75290d3392577113371f4dc94-38.html

@chakster is correct about the conical stylus being a poor profile, however, if you play lots of old albums, the conical stylus being less detailed than more modern profiles, can make for a more enjoyable listening experience.

Is it the best cartridge for the price? - I stopped looking for Cart’s when I heard the improvements of the Soundsmith mod’s

PROS:
- it’s an affordable and musical first cartridge for "Moving Coil Virgins"
- the "engine" is very good - neutral but musical
- you can use VTA to fine tune the overall sound
- it’s very easy to setup/align
- lot’s a companies provide excellent mod’s
- it can be made to perform to the levels of much more expensive brands
- a lot is known about this cartridge

CONS.
- It requires carful matching to the Arm - but most cart’s do
- Conical Stylus - elliptical would have been a better choice
- aluminum cantilever impacts the full abilities of the "engine"
- the plastic housing of the cartridge needs to be stiffer - like the ZU

When you delve into the ZU version of this cartridge, they basically
- use the best standard 103 cartridges from Denon
- add more mass to the cartridge with the aluminum shell
- the aluminum shell also ens the mount for the "engine".
- BUT - they DO NOT address the cantilever issue or the stylus profile
- For the Zu price - I believe  the Soundsmith options would be better and more affordable

If the mass of regular 103 or 103R is suited to the arm on your turntable, then I would recommend opting for a standard cartridge and getting Soundsmith (or similar company) to replace the cantilever/stylus with a better option.
Soundsmith used to offer other tweaks specifically for Denon Carts - so drop them an email to see what’s currently on offer

One thing to consider - as you progress to the more advanced stylus profiles you will need to exercise extreme precision when aligning the cartridge - you will require some kind of mirrored protractor, like the Mint Best Protractor - the paper variety will not be good enough.

FYI - I still keep my first 103 (with brass plate) around - for when I have to send my existing cart back for "re-tipping"

Hope that helps - Steve

If you like the beauty and soul of real music then the stock 103 is the real deal.  A little more Hi Fi then 103r.  If you want alot more Hi Fi this forum will give you all kinds of reasons to buy something else.

This is the one industry that took a bunch of wrong turns for profit and graph results.  Another great product from the good old days Quad 57.  Of course not cheap.  And those shitty dht tubes and transformers etc...

I would suggest reading up on the reviews and notice how many people would state, " Well it was not the most detailed but it was musical and enjoyable".  

Enjoy the ride
Tom

The Denon 103 series are a proven and reliable signal source that will give you 90% of what is in those vinyl grooves! And for that last 10% be prepared to pay around 10X the cost of a 103!

Plus the fact that they are still available factory-fresh (unlike other mc cartridges of yore) makes them very appealing to the budget-concious audiophile!