FEATURES - DL-103R

The DL-103R is an updated version of the classic DL-103. It provides improved sound by using 6N copper coils wound with precision to the cantilever shaft. Audio lovers will delight with detail that is brought out by this outstanding phono cartridge.

SPECS - DL-103R

Features

TypeMC

Output Voltage0.25 mV

Frequency Range20 Hz to 45 kHz

Output Impedance14 ohms

Weight8.5 g

Denon DL-103R

In a world of five-figure phono cartridges, a serious audio aficionado might pass on the Denon DL-103R because it’s too inexpensive. Wrong decision.

They’d be missing out on one of the high-end’s best bargains. A decent moving-coil cartridge for $379? Heck, a decent cartridge for $379? Yes and yes. If you love analog, the DL-103R is a cartridge you should not be without. First introduced for broadcast use in the early 60s, it brought a new level of detail to analog playback.

The DL-103R has always used a spherical stylus and boasts a relatively low output of .25mv. It’s also undergone constant refinement over the years, with the current model featuring 6N copper coils.

Simple Setup

Unlike some others in the Denon line, the DL-103R is a low-compliance cartridge, which makes it easier to implement in most of today’s tonearms. The conical stylus profile aids with the DL-103R’s easy setup; it’s not at all fussy. While the .25mv output didn’t pose a problem for any of the phono cartridges I had on hand, double check that your phonostage has at least 60db of gain—a little more won’t hurt. DecWare’s newest step-up transformer proved a perfect match for the Denon, should you not want to add another box with a power cord. Just be sure to tell DecWare what cartridge you are using so the company can optimize the transformer for the 103. And per Denon’s spec sheet, 100 ohms proved the optimum loading point for a conventional moving-coil preamplifier.

A quick listen with the Rega RP-1 resulted in an amazing budget analog setup that wasn’t crazy money. Stepping up to the P3-24 offered greater resolution across the tonal spectrum, and more bass weight. However, I did most critical listening via the Triplanar VII mated to the new AVID Volvere SP. And no, this cartridge was not the least bit embarrassed by an $11,000 table/arm combination.

A Touch Too Much

With virtually every bit of new vinyl being pressed from digital masters, most LPs are too hot in the upper registers and sound rather CD-like. If you’ve just scored a new turntable, and listening to some of your favorite recordings on LP leaves you a little bit cold, this cartridge is the answer. The DL-103R possesses a tonal balance that’s ever so slightly on the warm/romantic side, giving everything you spin a little extra bump of tonal richness.

Granted, the cartridge didn’t have enough richness to overcome the inherent brightness of the new 12” maxi single of C-Low Green’s “F**k You!,” but it went a long way at making the hit song much more listenable. But it worked wonders on the Twilight Singers’ Dynamite Steps (reviewed by editor Bob Gendron, last issue). The record is the perfect example of an album comprised of brilliant music with a bit too much ProTools in the final mix. Play it back with the SoundSmith Sussurro Paua cartridge—which reveals way too much detail for this particular record—and you will be running for the Tylenol bottle; it’s sure to give you a headache. Yet the warm midrange magic that the DL-103 brings to the sonic picture tames the beast and allows actual engagement.

With so many classic albums from the 60s and 70s being re-pressed—albeit rarely from the original analog tapes—the “new vinyl sound” isn’t always warm and magic like it was in the 60s. Moreover, many such records were knocked out with little care invested in the original production. So, as much as you might think everything wine and roses from analog’s early days, the dirty truth is that a lot of these records need a little help—and the Denon DL-103R is just the cartridge to provide assistance. Recently remastered pressings of VanDerGraaf Generator’s The Aerosol Grey Machine and the Tangerine Zoo’s Outside Looking In are both older albums that, while pressed on vinyl, retain a decidedly digital edge. The DL-103R also made a number of my favorite 70s MoFi records more enjoyable and my Nautilus pressings listenable.

Posh Performance

The biggest surprise came when using the DL-103R with the Rega P9 or AVID Volvere. I wasn’t prepared for how much performance was lurking! A more stable platform allowed the DL-103R to show off its much more solid bass performance and imaging abilities. The AVID/Triplanar combination extracted the maximum from the cartridge, throwing a large soundfield well beyond my speaker boundaries. When using this ‘table in System Two (C-J tube electronics, B&W 805D speakers), I easily fooled some of my audiophile cronies into thinking that a much more expensive cartridge was at work.

Forgiveness

“Forgiving” is the word that best describes the DL-103R. It won’t retrieve that last bit of minute detail from meticulously recorded albums; that will cost you $3–$10k. But, what it will do is give average records in your collection a new lease on life. The Denon DL-103R is one of the few components I’ve experienced that truly serves two masters. In more modest turntables (Rega P3, SL1200, etc.), it goes a long way at making up for the shortcomings of low-budget records. Yet it also performs incredibly well in fairly expensive turntables.

While the best pressings in the analog domain seemingly join the endangered species list on a daily basis, there are still plenty of acceptable LPs to be had in the $3-$6 range—a perfect place to build a music collection without breaking the bank. Whether you use the Denon DL-103R as a primary or secondary cartridge, I guarantee you will enjoy it.

• Denon DL 103R 換 鋁殼

Denon DL103 MC 唱頭是日本NHK長年使用的廣播器材。其聲音是業內的標準。DL103R, 係DL103的進化版。

103R唱頭芯改用6n 銅線,結構大致一樣。聲音一样中正平衡,中頻有很好的密度。靚料令R 版提升了高低伸延能力,hifi性能強了。由於貨真價實,多年來103系列支持者眾,是市場罕見的長青產品。

有不少黑膠友玩過高檔貨後,反樸歸真,轉用103/103R, 所以你偶然會在網上看到名盤配103/103R的组合。不要感到意外,因為103/103r雖然價廉而且其貌不揚之外,其實有深厚的潛能給用家發掘。換殼是其中一個搾取103/103r實力的芾用手法。

103/103r 用的外殻是平價塑膠製品,一般認為係103系列性能未臻顛峰的原因。ZU 的改装103,正是针對此問題的產品。ZU簡單地用一只鋁殼取代原裝103膠殼,為103帶來極明顯的性能提升:

“The Zu doesn’t just slay giants: It rips their beating heart from their chests, shows it to them, finishes them off, then chases their souls and drags them down to hell.”

Art Dudley, Stereophile

十分誇張的敍述。但某程度上,我明白而且認同他這個説法。因為我剛剛為我的103R換了鋁殼,分別之大,令我十分意外!

先看圖

給除了衫的103R。在給103R脱殼的過程之中,要小心不要觸碰coil的兩邊。因為4支pin與coil之間是四條極幼銅線,脆弱非常,若果弄断,唱頭立即報銷。而將殼移除時,更要注意脱出角度。我之前為另一隻103R脱殼時,一不留神,脱出時唱頭殼碰到唱針,唱针立斷。現在此103R已保外就醫,在美國搶救中,情況危怠。。。

在ebay找到的德國鋁殼。此殼由一鋁塊削出,份量十足,而且切割精確。

結合前的合照

組裝完成。完成品很重,質感一流。而且由於鋁殼切割手功好,唱頭coil連底座剛好楔入鋁殼,不需要使用膠水。

由於整体重量大幅上升, 調校得花心思。我要在countweight 上加重量才能調校到合適唱重。

效果?

好似dvd升級上bluray一樣。透明度大幅提升。高低伸延明顯進步,高頻細節極多,低頻深了量亦大大增加。樂器個體全部分明清晰,音場立体感是強了。

我不敢說這是人人追求的效果,但其改变極大。我是驚訝,又滿意的。

本身已是高清的系统,慎用。