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Denon DL-103 "one of the...."

Is the Denon DL-103 one of the greatest cartridges of all time?

Influence?
Longevity?
Price/Performance?
Sonic achievement?
Conical Stylus?

This thought was brought on by Lebron James claiming he would be on the Mount Rushmore of NBA players. So my friend and I discussed what that criteria would be. So, I applied this thought to cartridges.

I do not have an extensive experience with many cartridge varieties, but thought about what attributes make a cartridge an all time great. Out of all that I have had the 103 just seems to hit most of the marks.
enobenetto

Showing 2 responses by viridian

viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
It is, but, but, but..........

It is not a cartridge for all seasons, which the cheap price would imply, so it is often used in less than optimized setups.

It needs a very high effective mass arm, and of course a high tracking force. It won't wow you if you prefer detail to tone, and it seems to have an affinity for records that came out in the year of its birth, or before. But that said, it makes the list for all of the reasons that you have listed.
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
First a .7 mil conical stylus has a larger contact patch with the groove than the standard .3 X .7 mil elliptical stylus. Second, Denon cartridges have some of the best polish of any styli available, just look at them under a microscope. All of this is indicative of a long service life. The high tracking force will certainly mitigate against this somewhat.
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