Just Bought a VPI Scout

higher compliance, I should have said.

As I said on the AA board, I have a ZU/dl103 mc ctg which I have been told isn't a high compliance ctg for my Scout and it works and sounds wonderful. You will be fine with your cartridges. Just set up carefully and enjoy.

Bob

If I were you, I'd touch base with Mike at VPI. He will give you really good setup advice. You may be encouraged to buy a small weight for the headshell to make the cartridge and arm mate better.

The Zu 103 adds mass at the headshell to increase the effective mass of the arm, so that the lower compliance of the cartridge can match with lower mass arms. The design center that Zu used was the Rega RB300, which has an effective mass of around 9gm. The Denon 103 will not match well with low mass arms at all. Unless you use a headshell weight to increase the mass of the arm.

My take is that the medium/high compliance Denon 301 will be a match made in heaven. Many love the Dynavector 20XL in that arm and the Dyna is even lower in compliance. Then again, why not just try both and report back?

The AT 33 is high enough to work well in the Scout arm; I use one in a Graham 2.2. I have used a Denon 304 in a Scout arm and it has a similar complience if I remember. Most cartridges will work in a 9 gram mass arm which is about the mass of the Scout arm. The only Classic I have sold yet was with a Denon 103, sounded good to myself and the buyer; it is a little higher in mass than the 9" Scout arm as it is 10.5".