[DavidS]

Have a new cartridge installed with my Amadeus - a Denon 103R.  Its my first MC cartridge.  Sounding pretty good right out of the box.  My Phono is an Eastern Electric Minimax and have changed settings from MC Low (47ohm) to MC High (100ohm) and sound is much more dynamic, lifelike.  So being a turntable newbie I don't really understand this as I thought difference would be just gain but there is more going on (gain settings not that different) ... can anyone explain or point me to some reading that I could understand. 

Was nervous the Denon might be poor match other than being a bugger to mount and being large compared to my Ortofon love the choice.  Thinking I might have to look at Soundsmith or Zu Denons.

[roscoeiii]

What carts were you using before the 103R?

[DavidS]

Ortofon 2m black

[roscoeiii]

Thanks. Look forward to hearing how they compare when you have the chance.

[Coldwarvet]

Hi, just a quick note here - just registered - been bringing an older WTT back to life.  I too got the Denon 103R for Christmas and wondered why it was a bit bass shy, then got out the manual and read/remembered the SP9 is stock with 47 k input!  Just put in 100 ohm resistors today and it made a huge difference for me too.
I like the 103r quite a bit.  It replaced an older Grado that was decent when it was new.

[threadkiller]

Hi David,
Glad you're enjoying it, the 103 is a fun cartridge, and you hit the nail on the head- dynamic. That's what gives it such universal appeal. Also, by having it on a table like the Amadeus, you're really hearing what the cartridge can do. It's a far better cartridge musically than the Ortofon.  And once you got the loading correct, now you can enjoy... You will have a break in time...don't forget. Before you quickly jump ship to another cartridge, you might want to do other things for the table, such as better tonearm cables or the Auditorium mat or WTL DPS power supply.  Just a thought.
Enjoy!

[DavidS]

thanks for the replies guys.

Its two+ months since I installed the 103R.  One of my big aha's is that this cartridge likes vta to be level or even tail a little bit down.  Played with this a bit earlier this week and clearly much more full bodied and realistic sound with neutral or even negative vta.

I have the DPS - a very nice upgrade and especially solved some humming problems I was having.

Also have very nice Wywire connects - is this what you mean by tonearm cables.

Been thinking about a tube upgrade for my minimax (pavane 12ax7's) but maybe the Auditorium mat would be better bang for buck at this point.  And still lusting after $1-2K cartridges but hard spending that kind of cash on a cartridge.  Still interested in hearing what cartridges others are using successfully with WT tables.

David

[threadkiller]

And still lusting after $1-2K cartridges but hard spending that kind of cash on a cartridge. 

Ok, now explain that bit to me..
Why do you feel like that? You have a great table, you improved the power supply even, the table/arm can easily accommodate the best( and more expensive ) cartridges...you have to realize, even as a self-proclaimed vinyl newbie, that your system will only be as good as your source...so why would you limit yourself so?
Of course, getting a better cartridge might mean upgrading your phono stage, but since that's part of the source, what's wrong with that? 

[Syrah]

Depending on the kind of arm you're using, try adding some mass to the headshell (eg blutack a penny on top) then adjust the tracking force.  The 103r needs a high effective mass arm.  It might improve the sound, or not, but the experiment will only run you one penny.

[threadkiller]

Nooooooo, don't do that... Sorry, but those ideas need to go away...

[DavidS]

Had thought of that - used to have a dime (when it was worth maybe a loonie so serious mass compared to today's dime) back in late 70's on my technics arm.  Have read the 103 likes to be mated with a high mass arm and don't think my WTA qualifies as high mass, so maybe a pea of bluetak does make sense..... 

Thinking a dynavector mc cart would be nice match with this table and arm (minus the bluetak) ... maybe something like the 17d.  Any experience out there?

[roscoeiii]

Having an XX-2 retipped  by Soundsmith. Will report back on the combo once I get it back (1-2 months from now most likely). But they are said to be a great combo. Also gonna benefit from synergy with my Dyna P75 most likely.

[threadkiller]

The 17d is similar in some ways to your 103... Very dynamic.  The XX2 is more refined, very harmonically rich.  An exquisite cartridge. 
But don't think your 103 is bad, for the money it's great... Much better than most else in its price range, like a Grado or Ortofon or Sumiko or....