Bargains on ebay?

[Marco]

Looks to be a near-minter, though, and worth it for the sonic performance alone...

Adam, am I right in thinking that you've got a DL-103 in your cartridge collection? If so, try and get hold of a Lentek head amp (they come up pretty cheaply on eBay), and run the 103 through that and into the MM stage of the Sondex.

That's what I did with my (then) Ariston RD11S/Linn LV V combo (fitted with AT magnesium headshell), in 1982, and the sound was stunning...

Trust me, there's a very beguiling synergy between the Lentek/103 and the MM stage of the Sondex, which you won't believe until you hear it. If you use your Empire T/T with it, you'll be blown away!

Marco.

[Beobloke]

Cheers for the tip, Marco. I do have a DL103 and it's pretty much living in the Empire 598 which now sports a fully re-wired and Audio Origami-fettled Empire arm (Johnnie's still having nightmares about it, months later, apparently!). It's one of the decks i'll be bringing to Scalford Hall next year if I'm lucky enough to be allocated a room, so come and have a listen.

Always fancied trying the Lentek head amp so I'll keep an eye out for one. In the meantime, the Denon sounds pretty impressive through my Anatek MC1.

[Rare Bird]

I gave my S230 away last year..

[Marco]

Hi Adam,

Cheers for the tip, Marco. I do have a DL103 and it's pretty much living in the Empire 598 which now sports a fully re-wired and Audio Origami-fettled Empire arm (Johnnie's still having nightmares about it, months later, apparently!). It's one of the decks i'll be bringing to Scalford Hall next year if I'm lucky enough to be allocated a room, so come and have a listen.

Most defintely. I'll make a point of that!

Always fancied trying the Lentek head amp so I'll keep an eye out for one. In the meantime, the Denon sounds pretty impressive through my Anatek MC1.

I'm sure it does. I rate the Anatek very highly. The chap who designs it is a gent and really knows his stuff.

Regarding the Lentek, if you'd like to borrow my modded one, you'd be very welcome. Could be an interesting article for the classic section of HFW?

In the meantime, here's an interesting thread to read on the subject:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...entek+head+amp

Marco.

[walpurgis]

With all due respect, I did not find the Lentek MC head amp to be a great device. I had two brand new examples many years ago and tried them with many cartridge and system combinations and I found the sound rather two dimensional and grey. A reasonable MC step-up transformer with something like one of the Graham Slee MM phono stages would be a better move in my book

[The Grand Wazoo]

Marco's Lentek isn't just any old Lentek though!

[Marco]

Indeed... Pay attention, Geoff, and read the thread I've linked to!

I'm also talking about the Lentek solely in conjunction with a DL-103 (and Sondex amp).

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

The Sondex amps - snap one in two & it's got Radford written all the way through the middle like a stick of rock!

[walpurgis]

Indeed... Pay attention, Geoff, and read the thread I've linked to!

I'm also talking about the Lentek solely in conjunction with a DL-103 (and Sondex amp).

Marco.

Oh dear, should I be humbled?

Its not going to happen as I'm not really a humble person, although I always try to be pleasant (doesn't necessarily work though).

Yes, I admit I didn't follow your link Marco. Now having checked it, those mods do look impressive. Does this only work with the DL103? Surely some other MCs will be OK? It was amusing to note that your judgement of the standard Lentek was very close to mine.

The DL103 is a cartridge I have a soft spot for. My last was the 103R, not a bad MC at all and a bargain at the price. Just compare it to the now exorbitant Audio Technicas.

[Marco]

Yes, I admit I didn't follow your link Marco. Now having checked it, those mods do look impressive. Does this only work with the DL103? Surely some other MCs will be OK?

I've also tried it with an EMT TSD15, and it sounds superb. I guess that it would work well with some other MC carts, too. However, the point I was making was that, to my ears, there is a special synergy between the Lentek (modified or unmodified) and the DL-103. That synergy, however, is further improved when the Lentek has been modified, as described.

It was amusing to note that your judgement of the standard Lentek was very close to mine.

Indeed, which shows that we're both correctly hearing the sonic signature of the stock unit! Trust me, the mods virtually eradicate that and turn the Lentek into something with an entirely different level of finesse

The DL103 is a cartridge I have a soft spot for. My last was the 103R, not a bad MC at all and a bargain at the price. Just compare it to the now exorbitant Audio Technicas.

ATs, in general, appeal more to the head than the heart, whereas Denons are usually the opposite. For me, though, the Lentek and the 103 are a killer combo, providing you can put up with some clean hiss (no hum) when there is no music signal (a bit like recording onto tape without Dolby NR). It almost never intrudes on the music, though.

Marco.