Chakster DHT tubes go back to at least the 30’s transformers even further. I am guessing you are not a musician who has played in bands and orchestra’s.
@tomwh
Right, i am not a musician, but i have a piano on the left of my system and i can compare the sound coming from my real piano to the sound coming from recorded piano in my system. My system has tremendous dynamics (with 101db high efficient full range drivers). I’ve been there with very rare NOS tubes, and when i completely removed all the
tube gear from my system it became superior with First Watt and Pass Labs amplification. Here is the latest image of
my system. However, i must say i do not swap gear as much as i swap cartridges and tonearms.
Tubes are nice to look at, some killer First Watt amps does not looks so attractive as
this system i put together for a friend or as good as
my ex system. But everybody knows that First Watt amps are very special and each of his amp is unique, i am using current-source F2J for crossover-less speakers (
full range drivers). All the rarest telefunken military 60s tubes in my ex triod push-pull amp blown away by First Wass F2J. I do love to experiment with better tubes with and some single ended tube arms if someone will give me $10k just for fun, the First Watt gear is cheaper and better, more convenient in the modern world, the sound and resolution is fantastic, if i will ever buy another amp it will be another First Watt, probably
SIT-2 or something like that.
In regards to your total discuss for denon 103’s my question is how many arms did you try. How many step up trans and loads did you try??? How many phono pre amps??? Etc...
Way too many that i can even sell a half of them. For my favorite low compliance cartridges as the moment i have
Ikeda IT-345, FR
64s with B60, FR-64fx with n-60. I have enough SUTs, Headamps, Phono Stages, Turntables, Tonearms to properly match my cartridges, i tried over 50 samples in the last 5 years or so. I want to tell you that i love vintage cartridges, but not Denon 103 or 107 and not the similar conical SPU, because they are inferior to almost everything i have tried and i explained why. I have also mentioned my some of my favorite cartridges in earlier posts here and if you like to hear something special i will tell you just one that will blown away almost everything: Fidelity-Research FR-7fz from the 80’s (also low compliance monster, so it can be used on those heavy tonearms where you can use Denon 103). Last night i’ve been listening music with FR-7fz connected for the first time to my new 47 Labs Phonocube (also current injection phono stage) and i was blown away, it was better that all the SUTs and Phonostages i have been using before.
Maybe when i tried
my SPU and Denon my system was not as good as today, but it was a great system anyway, i have much better cartridges today and i just don’t understand all the hype about Denon 103. it can be a good cheap cartridge, but even with the money people spending of DL-103 i would buy superior MM/MI cartridge instead. Some people are too lazy to learn and to try something different. Only comparing one cartridge to another we can say something about each of them.
I bet my 16 inch silicone damped Brazillian rosewood arm with my 103 / 103r/ 103 wood / alum body etc... On a 50 pound platter with a 3 phase 50 watt motor / controller, does not sound like a 78 on a gramophone.
I hope so, but the cartridge design significantly improved during the 70’s/80’s era, no doubt. I think i explained why? So if you like vintage sound you will find the best in this era, not in the 60’s when it comes to phono cartridges. I agree that old tubes are great, but cartridge is different. Learning a lot about cartridge design i do not see any single reason for use a Conical tip unless you like rolled-off sound.
