DL103R- I’m sure it’s been said before…


… but before you move on from your 103/R, if you like the sound signature of it, treat yourself to the best SUT you can afford. I have been doing a lot of comparisons lately and after the Lyra Argo and Ortofon Cadenza black just didn’t suit my taste, and I got tired of the quirks of the Decca Super Gold I was frustrated. I loved the tonal qualities of the DL103R with a microridge stylus (I have two, one from AnaMighty and one from Andy @Needle Clinic) but I was really unhappy with the dynamics. I just didn’t believe that the internal SUTs in my Lamm LP2 weren’t good enough but in the end they weren’t. I ended up with a Sculpture A SUT from AnaMighty matched for the DL103R and it’s awesome. Couldn’t be happier. Not as dynamic as a Decca but nothing is. But it’s dynamic enough to enjoy and the tonality is exactly what I like. Finally off the cartridge rollercoaster.
dhcod
Matching an mc cartridge and SUT is always problematic. I have a Denon 103R on the Pioneer PLX1000 with a Bellari SUT. This combination sounds fine to me! Others may disagree! YMMV!
dhcod, absolutely! The transformer has to be matched to the cartridge's impedance or.... 
However, there are several MM and MI cartridges that are as dynamic as the Decca. The Clearaudio Charisma is certainly one of them. The Decca is certainly a PITA having owned one for a short time. 
The Jensen mc 2-rr was designed with the denon 103 in mind. $599 and made in USA. The input impedance is 430 ohms, so near perfect. Also, it is a 1/10 ratio with 20db gain, also perfect. Using mine with both the Hana el and the denon 103. These two cartridges have similar needs.