Denon 103 Pro and his step up

[anubisgrau]

OK i have to ask the following:

what impedance is auditorium 23 SUT made for? i have to ask this cause i can see both 103R and 103pro are mentioned and they are AFAIK 14 and 40 ohm which IMHO can't be run through the similar primaries succesfully?

can anyone clarify this?

[Historicus]

I think that the impedance is about 40 Ohm. The A23 step up is studied for the normal 103. Anyway the constructor doesn't tell the impedance but the Haufs are for 40 Ohm.

Another question about 103PRO: with which weight do you use it for better results. I know that someone uses it with more weight then the standard one.

[anubisgrau]

historicus, you have PM

[anubisgrau]

although my 103 is not pro, maybe it's worth of mentioning

if you have a chance to get any old westrex trannies, don't hesitate

as i'm writing this, i'm switching between the stock SUT in 834p and westrex (a friend stucked them in a nice wooden box) in a real disbelief.

so much more natural, airy, real, softer, sparkly..... a real music event in the room.

btw, i was trying to put weights both under and above the stock technics shell but i couldn't as bolts were not long enough, i need to get the new ones tomorrow. however i've used an opportunity of dismantling everything to check a trick someone described somewhere - that 103 needs such a loose coupling so it even benefits from placing a thin wire between the plastic body and the shell (or weight) so there's actually no contact surface anymore - except for the wire. i cut a small piece of an (invisibly) insulated transformer wire (don't ask me about a diameter, pretty thin, say 0.3mm or less) and shaped it so it follows a flat top of 103 around the holes for the bolts. i placed it exactly between the cartridge and the weight (under the shell), plus i added a tiny strip of thin plastic foil across the bolts (a part of stanton 500 package) between the wire and the weights.... and played the music....

very very pleased with what i've heard so far, definitely more overall control, tighter bass and more definitions in the mids. more speed, better transients too.

i'm listening to tchaikovsky's concert for violine and orchestra (DG, abbado) now and the violin of nathan milstein has never sounded so fast and natural

if i could only keep this bloody westrex trannies.....

[dmckean]

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.

I've had plenty of time with both now. The Zu 103R sounds a lot like the stock Denon 103R. I do notice a little less sibliance on the inner grooves. I wish I had another table and arm to try it on as I suspicion it was designed to work better on arms where the 103 isn't normally ideal.

As for the Shure, I like it! It's the best cartridge for playing old Sabbath albums I've ever run across yet. I like it in the same way I like my old Panasonic headphones. Not exactly hi-fi but sounds great to me.

[niklasthedolphin]

I have read on the audiocircle forum that Marco owns a Denon 103 Pro as I do.
A really great cartridge that has really more hights then the 103R and simply a better sound of another classe. I'm really happy about it (I use the 103Pro with a (japanese) Ortofon AS-309 S 13inch tonearm on an old Garrard 401 with a massive german plynth that sounds like a little Verdier!

I want to ask here if someone tried the step up of HIGHPHONIC HP-T5S with this cartridge and if it can compete with Denon's AU-S1 ?

Actually I use a twicked (better cables and cinches) Denon AU-300 that I want anyway to improve with a better product and that's why I'm asking your advice.

Ciao from Rome,

Piero

Ortofon happens to be danish.

"dolph"

[Prince of Darkness]

Although Ortofon is definately Danish, it appears that the AS-309 S arm is made in Japan by Jelco.

[Marco]

Indeed, Kevin - as are many arms from well-known 'prestigious' brands made by Jelco, and at a fraction of the price they sell at when supplied with the 'correct' badge!

Dolph, get a grip. Even if the Ortofon arm had been made in Denmark you're just being pedantic. If you've got nothing constructive to post other than nit-picking on small details (I presume you're familiar with that term?) then please post nothing and keep your 'pearls of wisdom' for other threads when you may add something of more value

Ciao Piero,

Sorry, I missed this:

I want to ask here if someone tried the step up of HIGHPHONIC HP-T5S with this cartridge and if it can compete with Denon's AU-S1 ?

Actually I use a twicked (better cables and cinches) Denon AU-300 that I want anyway to improve with a better product and that's why I'm asking your advice.

The Highphonic is a no-brainer with the 103Pro, as the two were designed together. It is an excellent combination and better than with the AU-300. The AU-S1 is even better but that's considerably more expensive.

You do know that Highphonic are the ones who redesign the 103 and make it into a 103Pro? 'Highphonic' are basically a small group of ex-Denon employees who've left and set up their own company manufacturing a range of products under their own brand name.

I've now moved on my 103Pro after buying a 103SA, which in my opinion is the 'daddy' of all the 103s. I would have kept it, but I simply have too many cartridges already to warrant having another.

Marco.

[niklasthedolphin]

Although Ortofon is definately Danish, it appears that the AS-309 S arm is made in Japan by Jelco.

Thank you for that info.

Didn't know.
Not that it has much of my attention..................but good to know.

"dolph"

[Historicus]

The more I burn in the Auditorium23 with 103PRO the better it sounds.
Now it sounds like a higher class cartridge as Koetsu or similar ones with a grace together with a great personality!

Grazie Marco per il tuo consiglio!