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In Reply to: RE: High compliance, low output MC? posted by TubeDriver on February 27, 2017 at 09:59:32
The AT-F3/III is not high-compliance. The Denon DL-301/II that I owned was high compliance.
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Ordered! If I like it enough, I might step up to the 304 but that cart costs more than the TT (Thorens 160 Super and Grace 707).
I think you'll like it. I played mine on a Thorens TD-126 Mk III for about three years before upgrading my entire vinyl front-end to my current Sota Millennia with SME V.
I enjoyed my DL-301/II .
I am enjoying it! It is very different sounding from my 103. The 301/II has more fine detail, does high frequency sounds better and probably sounds more "Hifi". It is a bit lean sounding but has very few hours on it and it is already improving. My well worn Zu 103 sounds more dynamic, bigger, but it overlooks some detail and has less finesse.I do have an issue with the 301/II alignment. I am unable to get perfect overhang, I believe the custome mounting board hole for the Grace 707 is about 2mm too far away. So even with the 301at the very end of the arm, I could not get the overhang I wanted for several different alignment types. I got it as close as possible and then aligned on two null points as good as I could. VTF is 1.45g and the arm tube is essentially parallel. Even with the sub optimum alignment, distirtion appears low.
I got it from the ebay vender you suggested, it arrived fast in perfect new in box condition. I'll probably get a second one just to try on my main TT, I am slightly bored with the 103 (which I still do enjoy a lot) after having used various versions for 15+ years. I think that while the 103 sounds great and really is a LOT of cart for the money, you do give up some detail and subtleties.
Edits: 03/10/17 03/10/17
Did you use the rear mounting slots in the DL-301/II cartridge? You can increase overhang quite a bit by using the mounting slots instead of the mounting holes. That's what I did with my DL-S1 in order to get Lofgren's "A" alignment in my SL-1200 tonearm.
I redid the alignment using the slots. Thanks again for the tip. No issues getting perfect overhang now! I switched from Stevenson to Baerwald just for the hell of it. I did not really notice any really objectionable distortion before with the sub optimum alignment but the newer alignment with correct overhang is CLEARLY better. Crystal clear! Damn this stuff is fun!
Edits: 03/10/17
I think I prefer the 301 over the 103. I have been using a 103 of one form or the other for decades. The 301 just has a lot more texture and nuance while the 103 editorializes things (it leaves in the most critical stuff and overlooks the nuance to some degree which is not all that bad). I still really like the 103 but am enjoying the change.
I also really like operating the 160, it is more fun to use then my Well Tempered. The WT feels extremely inert, the arm feels dead and damped and it is almost boring to use. The 160 feels like operating a vintage car, you get a sense that you are operating a mechanical device with switches, springs, motor etc. In contrast, the WT is like almost like a silent, dead, black hole of a device. The sound of the 160/Grace 707/301 is really surprisingly good although in an absolute sense the WT is better.
I ordered another 301 for the WT, it should be interesting to see how the WT Reference arm handles the high compliance 301/II.
All this talk about 100Hz cu and arm eff mass, got me thinking about the old days.
I used to set up tables in the '80s. Most and the Japan mfg said the S shaped arm was for structural rigidity. The bayoneted connector between the shell and arm is a weak point. It adds some mass to the arm, but I wonder how much a 1200 arm would lose if straight, a gram or two??
Some of us converted many AT MM 100Hz cu to 10Hz and found the conversion to be a sliding scale. Low cu carts, AT95 is 6.5cu (100) and is 15cu @10.
\AT-440/120 150MLX etc are 10cu = 18cu @10Hz. 1.6 to 1.8g VTF.
But the AT140 is 16cu @100Hz, but max VTF is 1.6 so cu should be similar.
Denon makes a nice inexpensive LOMC
I had a DL160 and I would guess it would be impossible to beat for what I paid; also has a 304 - nice cart and sounded amazing with a SS ruby line contact. Worth every penny.
BIRD LIVES
Doh! I am an idiot, it did not occur to me that those slots were functional. I just assumed you were stuck with just the two holes and the slots were cosmetic or milled to adjust mass. LOL! Thanks for the suggestion, I am going to try that out right now.
Doh! Smacks forehead!
Not sure why this cartridge did not spring to mind in the first place? Thanks!
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