Has anyone heard the Denon 103-SA?

I've been using Denon 103 variants continually since 1974. The SA has the essential qualities of the 103r, but with the usual advantages of a stiffer body. The advantages over the 103r aren't as great as, say, the ultra rebody and potting of the Zu103, but it moves the stock lossy body 103r in the same direction of more incisive, resolving, wideband sound.

Had an Azden back in the day. It was a startlingly good cartridge for its modest cost, but incapable of delivering the tonal density that makes a 103 so involving. Azden just delivers something good that's completely different.

All you youngsters relatively new to the 103 (ten years is nuthin'), keep a sharp eye out for any chance to land one of the increasingly scarce 103D versions. All of these hot-rodded 103 iterations -- good as they are (and I have some) -- bow to the elliptical errant lost son of the seminal 103.

Phil

In respect of its lowest possible price on the market, DL-103SA is well-built, sturdy, stable, with excellent trackability, suitable for a wide variety of medium and medium-high mass tonearms, low in residual/surface noise, not too "nervous" on older records, etc.

If your system can reveal the subtle sonic differences, the detail retrieval of 103SA is a tad better than 103R. In brief, it's one of the best MC carts made by Denon. But, IMHO, not a giant killer, just another reasonably priced MC carts. I still keep it as a back-up reference.

Best regards
Dan

I've migrated through the various 103's. Started with the original which is a great sounding cartridge for the money - in my opinion beats any MM or MC in the price range. I bought a lightly used 103R that I've been using for the past year. The 103R is definitely a step up from the 103 without losing any of the good qualities of the 103 like the solid bass. It just has more refined highs. Finally, 2 weeks ago I purchased a 103 SA. I found Needle Doctor to have the best price. My SA only has about 15-20 hours on it, but I find it slightly more detailed than the 103R. I love the 103R and to my ears, the 103 SA is better - not by a huge margin, but noticeable.

Question.

When one replaces a used cartridge with a new one of similar design in good working order, doesn't the new cart almost always sound better? Styli are subject to wear and tear every time you play a record and should be replaced or retipped periodically. High end and perhaps resulting detail are usually the first thing to be affected.

I wouldn't say to compare a used, old 103R with a newly broken-in 103SA is meaningless. But an old cart would be absolutely inferior in performance than its hay day when it is still young.

Styli are subject to tear and wear? I believe so. But if used properly, a NATURAL diamond stylus would certainly last longer than the damping material & suspension of a cart. It is not uncommon when the suspension of a cart starts to degrade rapidly after a certain period of time while its stylus still remains sound & intact.

IME, no matter how high the prices of the carts, being too dry or too humid, with abrupt temperature fluctuations, air too salty near the ocean and direct sunlight, etc, would all accelerate the aging process of a cart and thus shorten its normal lifespan.

Best regards
Dan