What is the appeal of the Denon 103 cartridges?

I have the 103R on the Pioneer PLX1000 TT. I use it with a Denon SUT into the Robert Grodinsky Research RGR 4 preamp. Noise-free wide dynamic range sound quality!

I think that a major factor in the quality of this cartridge is that it is very consistent and repeatable. No variation in the manufacturing process means you know what to expect. This is not true of some of the very expensive cartridges. A very good value, but I wouldnt say 90% of the best, but then again I hate these type of statements.

The predecessor of DL-103 MC was DL-107 MM designed for NHK broadcast. I bought NOS for about $250 and it was also impressive, but only until i bought much better cartridges for a little higher price.

When someone telling me this is "real music not a high-end" it is always sounds like "yeah i want to hear real music and to be closer to the soul of music". Unfortunately it has nothing to do with reality. I believe the rolled-off sound of Denon and its conical tip can be ok in some super high resolution (or harsh) horn based speakers or something like that, when the owner trying to avoid high resolution cartridges because of some personal preferences (to get rid of detailed airy highs and deep bass etc).

It’s like telling people to stick to the 78rpm and a gramophone, for some of them this is the heart of music, not a high-end. Not for me.

I bought conical Ortofon SPU because i expected i will get something special, i already had a very expensive modern high-end cartridge at that time in my ex tube based system and full range high efficient speakers from Zu Audio (upgraded Druid mk4).

I was very disappointed in sound of Ortofon SPU with conical tip. Compared to my ex ZYX Premium 4D it was such a downgrade and i could not stand it, it was extremely boring to listen any old record with Ortofon SPU, but i expected it could be better (no it’s not better).

Ortofon is better and more expensive cartridge than Denon, but still nothing special. I’ve been using them on Thomas Schick tonearm designed for those cartridges and a phono stage for MC with bult-in SUTs. Later i tried to return to the SPU and discovered Royal G mkII with Replicant 100 stylus - this was the best SPU i have ever heard. Prior to that i tried SPU Spirit (limited edition) and it was also so much better than conical SPU.

I think my ex Denons and Ortofons are on the lower side while the ZYX is definitely on the higher side in everything including the astronomical price.

But after years of my own research i prefer something in the middle and when we’re talking about low compliance MC cartridges at moderate price there are many of them in $500-1000 range, all of them are from the 70’s era. I think this is where the musicality really is, but with correct reproduction due to many advantages in cartridge design, better cantilever and superb stylus tip.

The superiority of Denon 103 or 103r is the biggest myth in audio (imo).
They are so easy to find new and this is the reason people are talking about it.

P.S. My favorite low compliance LOMC cartridges are: Miyajima Kansui, Miyabi MCA and Miyabi Standard, Fidelity-Research FR-7fz i also enjoyed Klipsch MCZ-10 Ruby and Victor MC-L10 just to name a few.

Actually, i have had many LOMC cartridges that disappointed me, but fascinated some other people for some reason. So we’re all different and it’s a matter of taste and sometime a lack of experience with something special.

On MM/MI side you know my preferences: AT-ML180 OCC, Grado Signature XTZ, Grave LEVEL II, Grace F14, Garrott p77, Glanz MFG-61, Victor X-1II and many others.

I have several versions of the DL-103.  Love all of them.