Zu (Denon) 103 cartridges

[Zuk]

I've got some coming over - various grades available:

Grade1 - £500
Grade2 - £600
Grade2 Prime - £700

Anyone wanting one should let me know rather promptly...

Cheers:cool:

[Avonessence]

What is the performance difference between them?

[Zuk]

When we receive a batch of 103s from Denon we find them to vary quite significantly so we measure every one for channel balance/output and grade them according to the interchannel tolerance thresholds we set below:

Std - 2%
Grade 1 - 1%
Grade 2 - 0.5%
Grade 2 Prime - 0.1%

Grade 2 Prime are hen's teeth...:)

[Avonessence]

Forgive my ignorance where cartridges are involved, as I can probably write what I know in block capitals on a piece of confetti.

How does the channel/balance tolerance grades affect the sound?

[Zuk]

The tolerancing doesn't change the sound character at all - it just extracts the final 10% (for the sake of argument) of the 103's potential, a bit like blue-printing an engine.:)