This is a Denon 103R cartridge that has just been reworked by Sound Smith with their finest cantilever and finest diamond. Has the ruby cantilever and optimized line contact stylus. The stock cartridge body has been removed, and the cartridge is mounted in a Uwe wood body made of Ebony. The Uwe body sets the standard for which other bodies built for the Denon cartridges are measured by. It is arguably the best, and its benefits are quite noticeable. The body is tapped for threaded screws, and the metal inserts add an additional dallop of mass that the Denon cartridges react favorably to. This cartridge just came back to me two weeks or so from Sound Smith. I played it 30 hours to break it in and hear what it can do. This cartridge is perfect, both cosmetically and electrically. Cantilever is perfectly straight.
The strengths of this reworked Denon is excellent transparency and clarity. There is an in the room feel to the sound, and it brings an intimate presentation to the music. Also the noise floor of the cartridge is extremely low. I buy used vinyl and clean it on a VPI machine. But If find that the Sound Smith reworked Denon is quieter in the groove than many other cartridges, and tracks dynamic passages exceedingly well. The Uwe wood body adds another level of refinement to the sound, bringing improved tonal texture and reducing that lower treble glare the stock Denon has. This upgraded Denon also presents the space of a recording extremely well. One thing to remember though, due to the advanced stylus geometry, you have to get VTA set correctly to realize the full potential of this cartridge. Its not hard to do, but it does take some patience and effort to get it just right.
Cost to create a Hot Rodded Denon?
Cartridge $379 Uwe Ebony Wood Body $169 Labor for nuding cartridge and mounting in wood body $75 Sound Smith Rebuild $350 ***be prepared to wait 3 months to get it back***
Total $973 plus shipping costs.
Lets say you find a deal on a 103R like Comet Supply selling it for $179, but you might wait 2 months for it.....still an awesome price...that would make your total $773 plus a long wait. Ask me how I know this.
Sound Smith sells this basic package, with a slightly different looking wood body for $1499.95. Which makes $773 look pretty reasonable.
SELLING PRICE IS $550
The reason I am selling this cartridge? I enjoy the sound of the modded Denon, but want to move way up the cartridge ladder. So I am pooling my money and stockpiling cash for a ZYX/Koetsu/Mayijima or something along those lines. This is a great chance to buy an excellent cartridge for an attractive price. For the money there is no cartridge thats going to outperform it.
Oh one point to make. The cartridge does not have the sticker markings on the back for wire color codes. Its available on the Cartridge Data Base and I can print it off and ship it. Cartridge will come mounted in the clear plastic case that Sound Smith shipped it to me in. Due to the shape of the Uwe wood body there is no stylus guard, thats just the way things are with these wood bodies.
Pictures available upon request. However my digital camera is pretty primitive, and the picture sharpness isn't as good as I would like. But should be sufficient for you to see the straightness of cantilever and condition of cartridge. Paypal users please add 3.5% to cover their fees.
