Denon 103 Pro and his step up

[Historicus]

Grazie Marco BUT you forgot our language, don't bother when I studied in Germany I did it too :-)
Anyway, corrected sounds it so (in one phrase about 6 errors, good rate!):
Quei biscari sono da vero proprio stupidi. Le cose che pensano loro non sono importanti! Sono sicuro che il A23 sia una cosa molto speciale.

The mentioned translator is UNIQUE

[Marco]

LOL. Grazie, Piero. I don't get much opportunity to write in Italian these days, so obviously I'm a bit rusty!

Marco.

[Marco]

The Shure SC35C scares me with it's 4.0 to 5.0 grams tracking. Does it really need that much tracking force?

Hi Dave,

You can get away with 3g, and it sounds pretty good at that. People get unjustifiably concerned about high VTF - the fact is there's more chance of a cartridge causing damage to records bouncing about and mistraking at a 1g (it happens) than snugly tracking grooves at 3 or even 5g. The worst damage of all is caused by a worn stylus tracking at anything! Worry not. The SC35C is superb for the money. Again, like the 103, you need a high-mass headshell and the right tonearm to get it to work properly.

That done, it's a 'beast from hell' into a good tube MM phono stage!

Marco.

[dmckean]

Hi Dave,

You can get away with 3g, and it sounds pretty good at that. People get unjustifiably concerned about high VTF - the fact is there's more chance of a cartridge causing damage to records bouncing about and mistraking at a 1g (it happens) than snugly tracking grooves at 3 or even 5g. The worst damage of all is caused by a worn stylus tracking at anything! Worry not. The SC35C is superb for the money. Again, like the 103, you need a high-mass headshell and the right tonearm to get it to work properly.

That done, it's a 'beast from hell' into a good tube MM phono stage!

Marco.

I might pick one up just to play around with then. For $35 including shipping how can you go wrong?

I recently picked up the Zu version of the 103R new for the same price as the standard Zu 103. I've got about 30 hours on it so it still has some breaking in to do but so far I've been impressed. I'll post more once I've had a few more weeks with it.

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

Keep us posted on what you think of the Zu as it beds in. When I heard one (admittedly at a show) it was good but I felt that some of the 'romance' had been stripped away from the 103, albeit it was better from a hi-fi perspective. It would be interesting to know if this was the intrinsic effect of the mods or an artefact of the system the Zu was demonstrated in.

Yep, you can't lose with the Shure, especially in the States! If you go for one let us know how you get on

Marco.

[Historicus]

My Auditorium 23 step up for the 103 Pro arrived and I'm impressed on how good it sounds now. It has a better high and bass output, great dynamics, very balanced.

For DIY Projects you can buy 2 MuMetal isolated Haufe capsules T-7883 for about 120 Eur and build your A23 by yourself.

The 103R, that needs more power, sounds better with Denon's AU 300.

[Marco]

Ciao Piero,

Nice one. I'm glad that you managed to fix your original problem

Interesting about the Haufe transformers - did you open it up to find out? I'm sure our resident DL-103 fans that are handy with a soldering iron will have taken note...

Incidentally, the A23 works just fine with the 103R. The 103R, in my experience, also sounds far better through the A23 than the AU-300. The AU-S1 though is a different matter

Marco.

[dmckean]

My Auditorium 23 step up for the 103 Pro arrived and I'm impressed on how good it sounds now. It has a better high and bass output, great dynamics, very balanced.

For DIY Projects you can buy 2 MuMetal isolated Haufe capsules T-7883 for about 120 Eur and build your A23 by yourself.

The 103R, that needs more power, sounds better with Denon's AU 300.

This isn't the first time I've heard A23s were Haufe transformers but this is the first time I've seen a model number.

[Marco]

Are you any good with a soldering iron then, Dave?

This is useful information for anyone into D.I.Y because the reason the A23 sounds so good is because the transformers match the DL-103, 'R' or 'Pro' so well.

Marco.

[Chris]

If anyone can tell me (technically retarded) how best to go about this, I think I´ll have a shot at it. Apart from a box and input and output terminals , what else would be needed.
Oh, and a source for these trannies, please.
Cheers