[yeldarb]

I bought my first, this spring, before the giant price hike.  I really like the cart.  So, I ordered another through Compass Supply.  Months went by and, finally, CS refunded my money, saying that they were not going to carry anymore.  The next day, poking about on the web, reading cart reviews, what should appear but a Denon DL-110, from Amazon, for the old list price.  One left, which soon become none left.   Supposed to be new; we shall see.  I hope so.

[gnuyork]

I ordered one last week from an Ebay seller out of Hong Kong for a decent price. It arrived this week, but i have not installed it yet. I am new to this process. Hopefully I don;t mess it up.

[Heckler75]

IMHO     the Denon 110  is probably one the best sounding cart, for the money (actually in its price- nothing beats it) it Will   compete with Cart's   costing a ton more


the Denon 110,is truly a special cart, and a giant slayer- even with the price increase.


many  audiophile guys, overlook the Denon,   probably because it doesn't cost a ton of money


Gents,  enjoy your Denon  110's

Cheers

[Letitroll98]

The Denon is a very nice cart at the old $116 price, not so much at the $299 new retail, and an iffy recommendation at the street prices.  Those prices bring in a lot of competition from Grado, Audio Technica, Nagaoka, Empire, etc.  Also note that the Denon requires loading other than 47kohms to sound it's best.  Not as fussy as the now discontinued DL160, loading around 30kohms will make it sing.  I see it as an option for those unable to use a low output Denon like the DL103R or DL301mkII, but if you can handle the low output, the other Denon models are much better.  The DL110 is a sweet number, just not so sure I like it that much at those prices.

[yeldarb]

I stumbled across this one, while looking for alternatives.  At $300, I was out of the game.  You can buy a Nagoka 200 in a headshell for a bit more than that.  And I am alternating between my 110 and an Ed's Red with a hyperelliptical stylus upgrade from LP Gear.  It is surprising how good it is.

[neobop]

If you have an arm on the heavy side and only MM amplification, budget choices are limited.  At $139 the 110 was a viable option, but at $299, not so much.  Of course that's a matter of opinion. 

I had a 160 - pretty good cart.  While I wound up loading it at 11K, it sounds decent at 47K.  Users report that the 110 doesn't require loading like the 160.  Even if you want to try it, a couple of 100K resistors will get you 32K.

There are low compliance MMs you might want to consider.  The Nagaoka models mentioned are low cu and are more bass oriented than the AT95 and variants which seem more neutral to me.  The AT7V is a nice choice.  It has a tapered cantilever and a nude .2 x .7 elliptical.
http://www.lpgear.com/product/AT7V.html

http://www.lpgear.com/product/NAGAOKAMP110.html

http://www.turntableneedles.com/Cartridge-AT95HE_p_3926.html

neo

[neobop]

Here's a deal on the 110:

http://www.avgearshop.com/denon-dl110.html

neo

[sunnydaze]

see reply 41 here for more 110 accolades:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129099.msg1364378#msg1364378

really hard for me to believe he'd be using (and loving) this modest / budget cart in such an expensive and highly praised analog rig, but what do I know?     

[a.wayne]

The Dl 110  is a hard job to beat in the 300 and under category and its fine at standard MM settings IMO. It lacks the refinement of the more expensive cartridges, but gives up very little otherwise. Grado's sound completely different and have a really big full sound vs anything else, has more surface noise and will not track as well as the Denon.

A DL 110 correctly weighted and setup will deliver , Comet use to blow them out for 87.00 , not anymore...

not 110, but DL103 sale:   https://www.newaudiounited.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=829


Regards..

[a.wayne]

 

[a.wayne]

I stumbled across this one, while looking for alternatives.  At $300, I was out of the game.  You can buy a Nagoka 200 in a headshell for a bit more than that.  And I am alternating between my 110 and an Ed's Red with a hyperelliptical stylus upgrade from LP Gear.  It is surprising how good it is.

IMO The Denon is better  in every way ...

[J-Pak]

I sold mine for $70 around 2010. I didn't think it was that great, it sounded like a vintage CD player almost. Bright, thin, lacking in dynamics...

Just IMO and tastes will vary. I like cartridges to have a bit more "tone" ala Zyx or Soundsmith. For real cheap the M97xe with proper capacitance loading (I rarely hear people do this in threads discussing entry MM carts) is nice.

[Wayner]

Why are we obsessed with this cartridge? It's an old AM radio cart, made for great big tonearms. Certainly the world has come up with something better since then????

[a.wayne]

I sold mine for $70 around 2010. I didn't think it was that great, it sounded like a vintage CD player almost. Bright, thin, lacking in dynamics...

Just IMO and tastes will vary. I like cartridges to have a bit more "tone" ala Zyx or Soundsmith. For real cheap the M97xe with proper capacitance loading (I rarely hear people do this in threads discussing entry MM carts) is nice.

Wrong setup , will produce a thin sound, for any cartridge really, it is far better sounding than any shure...  Adjusting capacitance is system dependent, not all systems will require or use the same value 'EQ" ....

Regards..

[a.wayne]

Why are we obsessed with this cartridge? It's an old AM radio cart, made for great big tonearms. Certainly the world has come up with something better since then????

You mean like Digital ....... 

[Toaster]

Tastes vary, but I'm surprised to see people describe the DL110 as thin or bright. Just a touch of warmth if anything. The reason people like it is because it's a very fine sounding cartridge. Still my favorite at (relatively) reasonable prices, although the Shure and Goldring cartridges mentioned are also very good. Wayner- you are confusing the DL110 with the classic DL103.The '103 is not to everyone's taste- although I like them- but modified units with aftermarket metal bodies and upgraded styli and cantilevers by companies like Expert Stylus and Soundsmith are amongst the best cartridges at any price. I regularly hear one like this at a friend's house in a very good system with an excellent turntable. It sounds superb.

[a.wayne]

At today prices you can buy an DL103 and get it upgraded by Soundsmith with their RUBY "Single Crystal" cantilever and Nude "Contact Line" diamond, for around 400.00 total plus cartridge , you can use before re-tip or buy used and send in for re-tip,  add 50-150 if you want to play with bodies, consider the 103 the chevy V8 of phono cartridges..


Regards.

[neobop]

This thread was about the DL110 HOMC and has veered off into the low compliance LOMC arena?

The HOMC is the red haired stepchild of carts.  While you might get good results with 1.6mV output into a MM phono, it really depends on your system, the sensitivity of your phono stage, and your gain situation.  YMMV

Why red haired step child?
A MC has the coils connected to the cantilever and the coils move in response to those cantilever movements, hence the name moving coil.  A LOMC has very few turns of wire making up the coils.  This quickly responds to the cantilever movements.  By necessity, a HOMC has many more turns of wire making up the coils and this adds mass to the moving assembly.  Tip mass and transient response tend to be compromised.  Other types of HO carts, MM/MI have a different type of generator and the coils don't move, although there are other things to deal with like more complex loading.

That is not to say all HOMCs are hopelessly compromised, then why are there so few of them?  Careful design, strong magnets and juggling of design parameters can yield good results.   If you get a chance listen to a Sumiko Blackbird.  I always liked that cart and it doesn't sound slow or have poor tracking, but it's $1100. 
The 110 is no Blackbird, but it's an excellent budget cart.  At $139 it was an exceptional value provided you have enough gain.  As mentioned previously, there are other options.  The link in my last post is a source close to the old price and I imagine they were purchased at the old price.  Dealer cost is probably more than that now, so.....
neo

[a.wayne]

Neo,

Gain is no issue on any of the phone pre's i have used a DL110 on (4) and i can say without hesitation anyone with a good working MM stage will have no issues with gain.  As you know, an Analog rig,  TT /Arm/cartridge, is very sensitive to setup and phono stage for sonics.  Anyone here can try this for themselves and see one cartridge go from perfect to also ran when going from one PP to another. When i do make comments on analog TT items it's after many numerous setups with arms tables and phonostages. It takes Hrs to setup a TT rig correctly and when done it's for that specific setup.


Regards....


PS: The Blackbird is a great 500.00 cartridge ...

[neobop]

Neo,
Gain is no issue on any of the phone pre's i have used a DL110 on (4) and i can say without hesitation anyone with a good working MM stage will have no issues with gain.  As you know, an Analog rig,  TT /Arm/cartridge, is very sensitive to setup and phono stage for sonics.  Anyone here can try this for themselves and see one cartridge go from perfect to also ran when going from one PP to another. When i do make comments on analog TT items it's after many numerous setups with arms tables and phonostages. It takes Hrs to setup a TT rig correctly and when done it's for that specific setu

That's not necessarily true.  Plenty of people are in a marginal gain situation.  It can be due to other factors like inefficient speakers, passive preamp or line stage with too little gain.  MM stages vary in amount of gain and 1.6mV is way under the sensitivity of many phono stages, especially budget models likely to be used here.  That means you're not going to get full output from the phono pre.

I have no doubt that you get good results, but that might not apply for everyone:

I sold mine for $70 around 2010. I didn't think it was that great, it sounded like a vintage CD player almost. Bright, thin, lacking in dynamics...

Just IMO and tastes will vary. I like cartridges to have a bit more "tone" ala Zyx or Soundsmith. For real cheap the M97xe with proper capacitance loading (I rarely hear people do this in threads discussing entry MM carts) is nice.

The Dl 110  is a hard job to beat in the 300 and under category and its fine at standard MM settings IMO. It lacks the refinement of the more expensive cartridges, but gives up very little otherwise.
Regards..

"The Blackbird is a great 500.00 cartridge"
That was about the price of the Blackbird 25 or 30 years ago and it was a big seller, probably still is.  Factor in inflation, it should be more like $1500. 
IMO the Blackbird has the refinement Denon lacks, and then some.  But this isn't about the relative value of a Blackbird.  Some might prefer a different sound and you're entitled to your opinion.  The problem is, you state it as fact and it ain't necessarily so.
Regards,
neo