The Denon DL-103 Works Well on the VPI Scout
Conventional wisdom says that the Denon DL-103 "wants a heavy tonearm," not the likes of the JMW9 on the VPI Scout, which is a low/medium mass arm. Took me a while to do it but glad I did. It sounds fantastic. No distortion or resonance. Just the sweet full sound of the Denon. I believe the rest of the system is important too, primarily, I think, a high-gain phono stage is a must. In audio one always has to try out and see if "conventional wisdom" holds. Another such "wisdom" is that conicals lack detail. I believe the Denon in this set-up disproves it. The cart before this was a Dynavector DV20XL. For now I will enjoy the Denon on the VPI Scout. Settings: VTF 2.5 grams, neutral/minimal anti-skate Phono stage: Jolida JD9 at 100 ohms, 47pf, gain setting 2, hi output, Sovtek Mullard reissue 12ax7s Cambridge CXA60 used as pre-amp, Conrad Johnson MV55 power amplifier LSA Tower 2 speakers Cables: VPI phono, Ecosse Maestro, Audioquest Red River, Rega Duet