Denon DL103

[guero]

anyone able to advise on the following?
I have bought a Denon DL103 as a temp replacement for my usual cartridge. Further along I intend to change my tonearm but for now I am using a Roksan Nima. I’m aware that at 10g the Nina is on the light side for the Denon. Is there any way I can improve performance prior to changing arms?
Cheers!

[Marco]

Hi Chris,

I got your PM. Just haven't had a chance to reply yet! I should do either later tonight or tomorrow, but in the meantime I'm sure you'll receive some good advice from others. Speak soon:)

Marco.

[Barry]

It is commonly received wisdom that the Denon 103 cartridges like arms having a high effective mass, or being fitted into headshells of high mass. Or if in headshell of moderate mass, a supplimentary lead shim or weight is fitted between the cartridge and headshell.

Now your Roksan Nima arm can counterbalance cartridges in the range 5 -12g. So the maximum cartridge weight that can be counterbalanced is 12g. The Denon 103 weighs 8.5g, so allowing 0.5g for the fixings, the maximum weight for the shim is 3.5g.

The effective mass for the Nima arm is 10g, and the dynamic compliance (at 100Hz) for the Denon 103 is 5.10-6 dyne/cm. At 10Hz the dynamic compliance will be raised by a factor of around 1.75, that is 8.75.10-6 dyne/cm. Thus the total mass is 10 + 12 = 22g, which with the cartridge compliance, will give a calculated low frequency resonance of

1/(2*pi*sqrt(22*8.75 .10-6)) = 11.5Hz.

This lays within in the accepted range of 8 - 12Hz.

Thus it ought to be possible to use a Denon 103 quite happily in your Nima arm.

[guero]

That Barry is quite possibly the answer to end all answers. Thank you! When you mention a shim I just want to clarify that you refer to a shim which is bought separately from the cartridge and sits between head shell and cartridge body adding extra weight? That makes sense to me and I think I have seen these on an auction site.

[Barry]

That Barry is quite possibly the answer to end all answers. Thank you! When you mention a shim I just want to clarify that you refer to a shim which is bought separately from the cartridge and sits between head shell and cartridge body adding extra weight? That makes sense to me and I think I have seen these on an auction site.

Yes, a shim or a metal spacer that will fit between the cartridge and the mounting platform of your arm. Often these are made of lead, but any high density material will do, but avoid steel, as this will affect the magnetic circuit within the cartridge.

There is this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VPI-Stainless-Steel-3g-Headshell-Weight/293025211244?epid=1165643358&hash=item4439a9e36c:g:cPAAAOSwX4BcnMGb , but it's rather expensive for what it is.

[guero]

I have had a look online for an appropriate weight/ shin and the one highlighted by Barry looks the best bet. It is however made of steel. Anyone know of a lead variant any or similar?

[Barry]

I have had a look online for an appropriate weight/ shin and the one highlighted by Barry looks the best bet. It is however made of steel. Anyone know of a lead variant any or similar?

The one I cited is made of stainless steel, so ought to be non-magnetic, but not all stainless steels are non-magnetic. I would ask the seller what grade of stanless steel he uses.

[johnN]

I have had a look online for an appropriate weight/ shin and the one highlighted by Barry looks the best bet. It is however made of steel. Anyone know of a lead variant any or similar?

Hi Chris,

I use an aluminium shim supplied by Isokinetic with my 103. It adds 3.3 grams to the weight and if glued gives a much better fixing.

[Barry]

Hi Chris,

I use an aluminium shim supplied by Isokinetic with my 103. It adds 3.3 grams to the weight and if glued gives a much better fixing.

That sound perfect for Chris's arm. :)

[guero]

I've ordered the shim so the Denon will be on trial fairly soon whilst the Transfig goes away for a possible re-tip. Thanks for the help guys!

[tlscapital]

I've ordered the shim so the Denon will be on trial fairly soon whilst the Transfig goes away for a possible re-tip. Thanks for the help guys!

If ever you get to love some your DL-103, later you can always try to add up temporary some more mass both on your headshell and counterweight. And hear the difference for yourself maybe. The cartridge/tonearm resonance calculation helps to match cartridges according to their compliance to tonearms according to their effective mass. But only that really. Not further up the possibilities.

For one to trust it's ear is much more significative IMHO. For example, gradually I have increased the effective mass of my tonearm to meet the low compliance of my DL-102 (no manufacturer's specs given there) and done this resonance calculation only last to see where it would put my ears preferences. If I was in the ball park at 8 Hz and later closer to 10 Hz I did hear the difference.

[alphaGT]

I recall seeing a kit at Music Direct, that consisted of several cartridge screws. They came in various materials, from nylon, to brass, aluminum and stainless steel. And each had a set with small screw heads, and another with very large, knurled screw heads. Maybe akin to placing a penny on the headshell? But, from the reviews I read people were very pleased at how they were able to tweak their sound to their liking. And, it was around $50 or less, guessing from memory. I’ve been saying I was going to buy this kit for years now, but haven’t gotten around to it.

Russell

[guero]

Well, I have fitted the Denon without the shim (it hasn’t arrived yet). I have been quite surprised at how decent it sounds considering it is brand new. It does lose out on some subtlety to the Spirit but I don’t think that is unreasonable considering the difference in price between the two. The Denon has a bold quality in my system which I have enjoyed. Once the shim arrives I will see what difference it makes. My MC phono in the Audiolab 8000C seems a good match for the Denon in practice but I will get the chance to mess about with a 1:10 ratio SUT and the MM stage soon.
All good fun!

[guero]

Well the shim arrived but I need some longer bolts so being impatient I popped a small bit of blutac on top of the headshell and attached the shim. The counterweight is hanging right off the back to get me close to 2.5g and that can’t give the best results. Just going to have a listen now and see how it has changed the sound. I might have to invest in a heavier counterweight or mod the one I have.
All very good fun. It didn’t sound half bad without the shim tbh.