Denon Dl-110 phono cart

Hi all,

Longtime Technics sl1200 owner here , with my Audio Techinica at440mla which I had upgraded about year and a half ago from a Shure m97xe. Just curious if anyone has any experience with this Denon dl110, still really like my AT but sometime I get the feeling only on certain recordings that it sounds a little thin and that the denon which still sounds very clear from what I have read but not as thin as the AT and not as dull as the Shure , like it's in the middle of these two? . Just wondering , I may not do anything for awhile yet .. Just thinking for the future .. Thanks for your thoughts guys out of curiosity...
Ps. I am also using a parasound zphono which I have used since 2008

 

As a long time former Technics owner (and wishing I still was!) I had great luck with the Goldsmith 2x00 series of cartridges. I had a 2500 on mine but have heard others in that family. If your interested in the Denons what about the DL103 or even a variation like the ZU version of it.

 

I currently run a Goldring 2500, and really enjoy it

-However-

A SAS tip on your Shure (assuming you still have it) will inject that little bit of extra top and detail to stop dullness and without thinning out the rest of the sound.

 

I use a DL 103R with a wood body and love the sound---especially considering the price. I don't think anyone would ever describe the sound as "thin". It is a low output cart so be advised that you need the right phono stage or SUT to make it sing. My next step will be to go with the ruby cantilever and paratrace stylus. That said, they sound very good right off the shelf. YMMV

 

I've owned all three carts, and that sounds about right. The Denon is also a excellent tracker (unlike the Shure).

 

Cool

thanks for the info and thanks guys that chimed in too!! So I may be looking at a denon 110 in my future. Is it awesome with IGD as well like my AT?

 

I experienced no IGD with my 110, an excellent cart and tracker!

 

It's very close. It was hard for me to notice much of a difference between the two.

 

You will be getting rid of the 440mla and picking up the 110 for all the right reasons, and you'll be very happy about it...100% sure of it.

 

The DL-110 has had a big jump up in price to about $300.

For another $80 you could get the DL-103R, but you'd have to have LOMC input capability, else drop some extra coin for an external pre or SUT.

 

After losing the diamond on my Rondo Bronze earlier in the week, I have just ordered a Denon DL 301 MK2. Really hoping I like the sound.
Will eventually get the Rondo re-tipped by Garrott Bros as it's a beautiful and expensive cart.

 

my parasound has MC input but not sure if it would be good enough for the 103R.. but i know i could use the MM input for the DL-110.... i need to save up some money for the 110... and try and convince the wife after just upgrading a year and a half ago to this new one.. i may have to wait a little longer.. but now the Denon 110 is now on my radar.. thanks guys.. !! I stillw ant to enoy my AT for a little while longer .. but now i know what i am hearing, you guys have confirmed.. too bad money doesnt fall from the sky LOL

 

I've gone through two of the DL-110 carts. I really love the sound, but I didn't feel like either had a really good lifespan. Now that the price has gone way up, I'm not sure I'll do it again.

 

I used the DL-110 for about a year and liked it. It has a 40 hours or so break in period before you really hear it's sound. I have to agree with the previous poster about it's life span, I was beginning to notice a change in sound at just under a year's use. When I bought mine it was only $130, a great bargain compared to it's current cost, but still a decent deal for a high output MC even today. I recently bought the Lounge Audio phono stage and plan on putting the Denon back on to hear how it sounds as compared to the phono input on my receiver as the Lounge is far superior for sure.

I used the cart while my higher end one was out of commission due to a mishap. That one's a Goldring Eroica H which I had repaired by the Soundsmith with his mid price a Ruby Cantilver and line contact stays option, it sounds wonderful.

I've also used a Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood v.1 MM cart and it does not compare favorably to the Denon or the Goldring MC carts.

 

Cool, that's good to know. I may hold off a bit on the denon and run my AT440mla until it dies and then probably upgrade! I actually checked out the lounge today at ThE show in Cali and I am impressed. I think it may possibly be a nice step up from my parasound zphono!

 

I'm currently running the DL-110 and really like it. Before that I was running a Shure M97xe with Jico SAS stylus. That was really good too, but slightly scooped out in the upper midrange with a bit of a lift after 10kHz. The DL-110 probably does not track quite as well asa the 97xe with SAS stylus, but definitely better than the 97xe with stock stylus. I think it tracks well enough though, and I don't notice any IGD when running it. The other thing I like about the DL-110 is it seems to minimize surface noise compared to a lot of other carts I've run. It sounds good with a wide variety of LPs.

At $130 the DL-110 was an absolute bargain. It's about $300 now, and when it comes time for me to replace I'll have to look at what else is available in that price range. But the DL-110 has been so consistently pleasing with a wide variety of LPs in varying conditions, I will have to think long and hard about moving on from it, even at the higher price.

 

I loved the DL-110 when I had it mounted up on a VPI Aries 1 - only cart I had around when I bought the 'table. Compared to a Dynavector 10X5, the DL-110 was missing some detail and depth, but it was a more "sins of omission" thing. This was with a pair of extremely resolving studio horn monitors so perhaps the effect wouldn't be heard on other systems. Shame they had to raise the price on the DL-110 since it is knockout performer in the budget realm.

At the $100ish+ price range, I recommend the Nagaoka MP-110.

 

Ok, i am trying to decide whether to get a a SAS stylus for my old Shure 97mxe or just buy a new Denon Dl-110.... i love the AT 440MLA clarity but now the brightness is starting to drive me a little nuts.. (i think becasue i upgraded my pre/pro recently and everything sounds cleaner) i would like to keep the parasound zphono...... I really dont know what to do.. i also thought about keeping the at440mla and uts upgrading to a vincent tube pho-8 or pho-700 phono pre and maybe that will soften things a bit.. i don't know.. some records with the AT400mla sound fantastic and some just sound really thin and bright.. its really weird... but i guess it just has lots of detail and sincei have had it the past two years or so it is just now breaking in getting brighter? i have to think about this .. i really don't want to spend a ton of money... maybe the SAS tip for the old shure cart is the way to go.. not sure how i would install it, does it come with instructions on how to mate it with the old 97 cart? i would assume either the the JICO SAS with the 97xe or the Denon would still be a great nmatch for my Technics sl1200 mk5.. its funny after having owned the Shure 97 stock mxe stock stylus for 5 years plus it was a revelation when i moved up to the AT and felt it wasn't as dull sounding etc but now i am going to the other extreme LOL....! What a crazy hobby this is....

 

Get the Jico for your Shure. I have a Technics 1210 Mk2 and both the DL-110 and the Shure M97xe with a Jico stylus. The SAS on my Shure tracks better than the DL-110. The sound is very balanced.

Installing the Jico is simple. You just slide the front of the cart off and remove the old stylus and slide the new Jico stylus in.

 

cool, ! Do i use the same installation instructions that came with the original shure cart to mount it on the turntable since it is basically the same piece? or does the SAS tip have new instructions? I saw that i could buy one from http://www.turntableneedles.com/N97xE-JICO-SAS-for-M97xE--our-Needle-77x3-Dsas-N97xe_p_3953.html

but i dont know if they are reputable...

 

I also found one on ebay ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/JICO-S-A-S-...69?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item235476b489#

 

and here too .. i think this is the correct SAS

http://www.lpgear.com/product/SHN097HESAS.html

 

Well , it looks like either will cost the same as the Denon DL-110 imported from japan on amazon.com is 199.00 or the JICO SAS stylus for my M97xe cart is about the same price.. decisions decisions... lol

 

Mike - I compared these two carts in this thread, through my old phono stage:, and found some key characteristics http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/shure-m97xe-jico-sas-vs-denon-dl-110-findings.350580/

And more recently tried the 110 through a new, adjustable phono stage: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...ng-with-graham-slee-ga2.446115/#post-12581145

If your stage is adjustable (or has higher gain for a MM) you're more likely to get the most out of the 110 - if you like how its delivery is described. If not I'd say the 97/SAS is probably a better all-rounder.

 

Once you remove the old tip on the Shure, you'll see exactly how the new one goes in. You don't have to unmount the entire cart to do it...

- However - (reprise)

I would still recommend doing a little fine alignment and re-balancing post change, just in case there are slight differences.

All I will say is that I went from AT440 to Shure+SAS, and got exactly what I wanted, which was the same exemplary tracking, the same amount of detail, but with a less "spotlit" treble range. The fine HF details emerge naturally with the Shure+SAS, rather than get thrown at you, as with the AT. The Shure has a more "real world" loading reqs of 47kOhm & 250pf, so less fiddling about with phonostages, cables or loading plugs.

I happen to prefer the Shure+SAS to my old DL-160, but others would prefer the opposite - you may find out down the road that the DL-110 is actually your pref - but unfortunately there's only one way to find that out.

Good luck whatever you decide