Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Denon 103R Phono Cartridge by Paul Tobin

Model:	103R
Category:	Phono Cartridge
Suggested Retail Price:	$249
Description:	0.25mV moving coil, Conical Stylus
Manufacturer URL:	Denon
Model Picture:	View

Review by Paul Tobin ( A ) on November 15, 2005 at 05:36:23
IP Address: 202.164.204.60

Add Your Review
for the 103R

While I'm literally still on my 'honeymoon' with this cartridge, my enthusiasm has gotten the better of me. I'm convinced that it's one of the biggest bargains in audio. I'm just shocked at how good this cartridge sounds in my TNT/Graham 1.5T setup.

Firstly I must dispel a myth. Denon lists the compliance of this cartridge at 5cu. This leads many to suppose it won't be suitable for the most common medium mass arms. All I can say is Denon are measuring something differently. Using the HFNRR test disc, I get a near textbook 10Hz lateral and 12Hz vertical resonance. This cartridge behaves extremely well in the Graham, being insensitive to footfalls and disc warps....i.e. very little 'woofer pumping' from these problems.
You will require a quality phono amp with about 60dB of gain.
I've found the cartridge sounds best when tracked below Denon's recommended 2.5g weight - at about 1.95g in my Graham arm. I found no tracking benefit with higher VTF and it didn't sound as good. BTW, I recommend careful and accurate alignment - this cartridge deserves the best!
Amazingly the 103R - with it's supposedly primitive conical stylus - is virtually a super tracker (yes, at 1.9g)....and surface noise is pretty low too! Hardly anything seems to upset it's composure - even tough piano recordings, trumpet blasts etc. What's more, it holds everything together beautifully in musical climaxes, giving a rock-steady presentation.
The 103r doesn't emphasise transients or treble detail - it is remarkably detailed, but it presents it naturally without hype, edge or sibilant emphasis. Dynamics, detail, depth, imaging etc are all very good. It has a trace of (natural) warmth, but is largely uncolored.
But what these things don't describe is how it produces music.
For sheer musical cohesiveness and naturalness this cartridge may be hard to beat! Records just sound fantastic! Nearly every album I pull out sounds better than ever before. The music just flows and you can sink into it without worrying about the mechanics of the process. And it sounds great on everything - classical, folk, jazz, rock etc....from Frank Zappa's 'Jazz from Hell' to Julian Bream on solo lute!
Don't be fooled by the low price of the 103R, it deserves the best ancillaries you can provide.
This is a classic cartridge, no risk!

Product Weakness: Not the absolute untimate in 'audiophile' terms eg hyper-detail, finesse, transient definition......but it's possible the 103R may actually be more accurate in these regards. In any case, who cares?
Product Strengths: Coherence, naturalness...makes records sound like music!

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Plinius 8200Mk2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Plinius CDLAD Mk2
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	VPI TNT, Graham 1.5T
Speakers:	Harbeth Compact 7es2
Cables/Interconnects:	DIY, Goertz
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock, Jazz, folk, classical
Room Size (LxWxH):	6m x 4.3m x 2.7m
Room Comments/Treatments:	DIY acoustic panels
Time Period/Length of Audition:	9 days!
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Not the absolute untimate in 'audiophile' terms eg hyper-detail, finesse, transient definition......but it's possible the 103R may actually be more accurate in these regards. In any case, who cares?
Product Strengths:	Coherence, naturalness...makes records sound like music!