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RE: Why Does The Denon DL-103/103R Sound So Magical?

I would add that it also depends very much on the material one prefers to listen to and the bandwidth/volume of the cut.
Once the bandwith extends significantly and the amplitude of the Cut increases to what you would expect on a 12" single cut to the limit, the spherical tip simply can't compete against a low mass LC or fine cut elliptical tip such as one would find on the DL304 or S1.
Properly set (and I have the tools to set height to within 10um!) and with optimised geometry, the special elliptical tip on the 304 sounds clean and clear at all cut amplitudes in a way that the spherical can't compete with its inherent distortion. Many might not notice the increasing distortion towards the inner grooves, but as the amplitude increases, the pinch effect and FM distortion become significant. The reason why people still love the 103 and may prefer it to the more exotic tips is that they have additional distortion components due to set up error (SRA usually) which rapidly become more audibly offensive.

As with everything in our hobby, it's about the right tool for the job and that is the one that gets the job done for you. The 103 is undoubtedly popular due to its pleasing sound which suits the majority of LP users interested in jazz and similar, but also for the ease of customising/personalising - The variety of alternative bodies at substantial cost is quite eye-opening!
Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

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