Any Denon 103 fans here? I have one on the way to me...

[sondale]

Hi,

I have a DL103 which is housed in a Midas block (ally shell in a nice gold colour), this certainly adds weight to the cart - for more info search for Daiwok / Midas on the Lenco Heaven site. I have no connection blah, blah.

Alan

[The Vinyl Adventure]

although i didnt technically choose mine (what with the original coming on a turntable i bought and the latest one i have being a insurance claim) i am now exceptionally pleased with mine!
where about in the frequency response does this output level rise?

[Marco]

Hi Hamish,

although i didnt technically choose mine (what with the original coming on a turntable i bought and the latest one i have being a insurance claim) i am now exceptionally pleased with mine!

That's the bottom line, matey, and ALL that matters!

where about in the frequency response does this output level rise?

I'm crap at reading graphs (although it is clearly marked), but it looks like it starts to rise at approximately 13kHz.

If you want to see it for yourself, get hold of a May edition of HFW

Marco.

[DSJR]

In room, 13KHz is largely irrelevant to us, as most over 35 won't hear it easily and the room furnishings will absorb it to a large degree..

I'm not poo stirring, but I'd ask marco if the CD player "fails" in the same way as the OC9 does in his system. If that's the case and without having heard it (apart from a second hand comment on the Lockwood's balance at the recent show), I'd say that the Tannoy tweeter needs turning down a notch. I'm keeping an open mind (honest), but just gently trying to put a different and respectful viewpoint over.

The one over-riding memory I have of the 103 isn't the bass or mid, but the slightly "rounded out" treble.

Oh to have some more disposable income to test my lop-sided theory I think I'd rather have an A23 with the AT first...

[John]

I only really listen to a 103 once against a ZXY R100H The 103 had a bronze casing and to my ears beat the ZXY I think you will like a lot

[horace]

Thanks chaps - plenty for me to think about there.

Just in from work and there is a cartridge-sized parcel waiting for me. I have therefore banished all thoughts of alcohol, TV and other distractions and will fit the 103 tonight.

The only real shock is the recommended tracking weight - 2.6 g is like a ton of bricks compared to the 1.7 g my OC9 was set at!

Will report back as soon as I've got tunes to hear again.


Scrub up, it's time to operate!

Martin

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

In room, 13KHz is largely irrelevant to us, as most over 35 won't hear it easily and the room furnishings will absorb it to a large degree..

Perhaps, but I can clearly hear the effect and I'm 43!

I do have exceptionally good hearing though for my age, as has been tested in my medical reports.

I'm not poo stirring, but I'd ask marco if the CD player "fails" in the same way as the OC9 does in his system.

I know you're not "poo stirring", so relax. The OC-9 didn't 'fail' in my system - I could just clearly hear the treble peak and its associated high frequency emphasis (the same as HFW did) with the music I was listening to at the time. Its existence is beyond question, IMO, and I'm clearly not the only one who can hear it.

As for my CD player, no, it sounds absolutely sublime, and I listen to music for hours each day with no fatigue factor whatsoever.

What you should also know is that I listened to the OC-9 when I had my Spendor SP100s, not the Tannoys, and they weren't in any way toppy sounding (as indeed neither are the Lockwoods), and the OC-9's treble peak was clearly evident then.

I think both Hamish and you just enjoy the effect of the OC-9's added 'sparkle', and have systems to suit it. There's nothing wrong with that

If that's the case and without having heard it (apart from a second hand comment on the Lockwood's balance at the recent show), I'd say that the Tannoy tweeter needs turning down a notch. I'm keeping an open mind (honest), but just gently trying to put a different and respectful viewpoint over.

Lol! I'm afraid, Dave, none of that is relevant. If you're referring to Jerry's remark from Scalford Hall, then I believe it was nothing to do with my Tannoys sounding bright, or over-emphasised in the treble in any way, but rather a particular characteristic of the midrange which Jerry identified and didn't like, solely with classical music, although I'm unaware of it myself.

Also, remember that my Monitor Golds have been hard-wired in the 'flat' position, and the tone controls disposed of, so there's nothing to 'turn down'.......

When you eventually hear them for yourself, you'll realise that they're simply extremely revealing and as tonally neutral as is possible, therefore anything which deviates from that state of neutrality (recordings or the sonic signature of equipment) is shown up in all its glory, which is precisely what true monitors are designed to do.

The one over-riding memory I have of the 103 isn't the bass or mid, but the slightly "rounded out" treble.

Then you haven't heard one partnered and set-up optimally. The 103 isn't "rounded out"; it simply doesn't have as extended a high frequency response as most modern MC's, some of which go up to 55 kHz and above, in my view often at the expense of what happens further down the frequency range in the 'meat and bones' of the music, in an area where most of us can hear and appreciate what's going on.

Oh to have some more disposable income to test my lop-sided theory. I think I'd rather have an A23 with the AT first...

Nothing wrong with that - it would probably work very well! However, my advice would be not to make that decision until you hear what the 103SA/A23 combo sounds like first, which is something you'll be treated to when you visit chez-moi

Marco.

[horace]

Gratuitous nude photo.

I think she looks classy with no clothes on.



Martin

[Marco]

Nice one, Martin

When you've got it up and running, I'll be interested in what your ears pick up on most - the superior reproduction of high frequencies and greater detail retrieval of the OC-9, or the 103's more organic, less 'hi-fi' sound, prodigious bass and beguilingly addictive way of music-making, which hopefully the Tecnoarm and your phono stage will reveal................

We await the outcome of your analysis with much interest!

Marco.

[horace]

Don't distract me, I'm getting into the zone....

Lord, how I dread fitting cartridges - that constant fear that I am going to woollyjumper the bloody thing at any moment.

Maybe I should show solidarity with the 103 by fitting it in the nude, thus avoiding any possibility of ripping the cantilever off with a stray piece of cloth.

Focus....

Breath in....

and out again.

Nearly ready to begin.



Martin

Nice one, Martin

When you've got it up and running, I'll be interested in what your ears pick up on most - the superior reproduction of high frequencies and greater detail retrieval of the OC-9, or the 103's more organic, less 'hi-fi' sound, prodigious bass and beguilingly addictive way of music-making, which hopefully the Tecnoarm and your phono stage will reveal................

We await the outcome of your analysis with much interest!

Marco.