I found a Dynavector 20x2 to be a similar flavour to the DL-103 with better extension and control at the frequency extremes. It is 3x the cost though. There are great accessories for the Denon that bring its performance closer, if you want to open all your money on a new turntable... That would be my approach.
Upgrade from Technics SP25
I currently have a Technics SP25 with ATP-12T arm and Denon DL-103 and a solid, custom plinth. I think this combination punches above its weight class due to really good synergy between arm and cart. It has big tone and tracks really well. However, I am looking for an upgrade that digs a little deeper and extracts more detail. I was going to purchase a Hana EL cartridge and give that a try. However, now I have a larger budget ($2500) allocated to this upgrade and am trying to determine best course of action: eg, buy an entirely new turntable, upgrade arm and cartridge, stick with just the cartridge upgrade,etc. Any advice is much appreciated. Also, I am currently using the phono stage in my Crayon integrated amp. After experimenting with different phonostages the one in the Crayon just sounded the best .
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Trying to update this thread in August 2025: I have the opportunity to buy a used Technics SP-25 TT in the SH-15B2 Base, but without arm. I currently own a ca. 2020 Clearaudio Solution TT with Origin Live arm & Hana MC cart. as my primary analog setup. Currently using an Aragon 24K pre-amp with phono for the phono stage. I am considering the second table to use with a dedicated mono cartridge for older Lp's such as Jonah Jones, Erroll Garner, etc. (I cannot find a second armboard for the Clearaudio). I've read that 10" or 10-1/2" tonearms work well with this SH-15B2 base. Any suggestions about what arm (ideally under $1,000)?
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@cooperdude6 - Which Hana MC cart do you have? I just recently got a Umami Red and that is a truly wonderful cart; not cheap but great value for how much it costs. |
I currently have the Hana SL original LOMC. When I acquired that it was all the budget would allow. But with the upcoming move we should be much more liquid after taking the equity out of the current home and downsizing. JohnSS: That's the plan after the move. I'll upgrade the whole system including pre-amp, phono stage (I'd like a phono stage with two inputs for the two tables, one needs to be MC, MM is ok for the second), etc. I may consider preamps with streamers & DAC?, but needs to have balanced outs (and at least one balanced in). I'm thinking about using the preamp direct to Buchardt active speakers. I like the Backert line stages, but will consider lightly used (like a Jeff Rowland, ARC, etc.). |
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