Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Soundsmith DL-103 Suspension Rebuild Phono Cartridge by EdAInWestOC

Model:	DL-103 Suspension Rebuild
Category:	Phono Cartridge
Suggested Retail Price:	$350-550 Approximately
Description:	Suspension rebuild service
Manufacturer URL:	Soundsmith
Model Picture:	View

Review by EdAInWestOC on February 09, 2013 at 17:24:13
IP Address: 24.35.51.206 Add Your Review
for the DL-103 Suspension Rebuild

My well loved and used Denon DL-103D was retipped by SoundSmith over two years ago and I have had the pleasure of listening to the combination of a Denon DL-103D with the SoundSmith top of the line retip...the Optimized Contact Line stylus on a ruby cantilever.

I had the displeasure of seeing that cartridge's suspension abruptly fail about three months ago. One moment it was spinning normally and the next it was bottomed out and stuck in a groove. At first I did not know what was wrong. I looked carefully at the cartridge for things like lead wires hanging down or something blocking the tonearm.

It was none of those things and the cartridge's cantilever and stylus bottomed out with very slight pressure. I have heard of a suspension failure in a cartridge before but this was my first experience with the problem. I contacted SoundSmith, got a RMA and sent the cartridge up to Peter.

It wasn't long at all before I got the bad news that it was a collapsed suspension. Peter sent me an email and left a voice message on my cell phone letting me know the bad news. It was worse than I thought because Peter told me that he could not help me.

Up to that point in time SoundSmith did not do suspension work so I was looking around at other options. I was almost at the point where I was going to use a different cartridge. That's not a big deal to most people but I have used a Denon DL-103D, almost exclusively, since 1979. This was a game changer in my audio life.

To make the story short, I received a follow up email from Peter about 3 weeks after the bad news message and he let me know that my DL-103D was fixed. It turns out that Peter had been contemplating suspension repair work but had not offered that kind of cartridge repair until my DL-103D.

Peter told me that he is now offering suspension repair work on DL-103 cartridges (to begin with) and that this work will be about $350 depending on the level of work required. Since this is above what most people have into a DL-103 cartridge I suspect that only those of us who have modified DL-103 cartridges will be utilizing the suspension repair service.

Before you dismiss the suspension work Peter is offering let me offer up a little more info. Peter let me know that the resulting suspension in my repaired DL-103D should easily last a lifetime and that it will result in a higher compliance cartridge. This means a cartridge that is compatible in more tonearms and tracks at a lower VTF.

Since I have had my DL-103D back from repair I cannot find any fault in the cartridge's sound, but I'll get back to that subject in a little bit. The 103D tracks at 0.5 gm less to achieve the same tracking ability. The cartridge can track 3 of the 4 anti-skating torture bands on the HiFi News test LP and gets a little "hairy" sounding on the fourth track.

I own quite a few audiophile pressings. These include several pressings where the peak recording levels exceed what is normally found in commercial pressings. I regularly listen to these LPs and a cartridge that cannot track these LPs is not acceptable.

The repaired DL-103D tracks everything in my collection and does it without sounding the least bit strained. My DL-103D was a good cartridge stock but my first retip job, performed by VdH, transformed that cartridge into a much better cartridge with increased resolution capabilities and a more relaxed presentation.

The SoundSmith suspension repair/upgrade improves on the results achieved by a good retip job and results in a cartridge that never sounds challenged. At this point I have not heard any passage on any special pressing that this cartridge fails to track easily. Those of you who have had a cartridge retipped with better cantilevers and stylii know the type of improvement I am talking about. The suspension upgrade/repair is the better than the retip improvement.

The SoundSmith suspension repair/upgrade service definately improves the performance of my DL-103D. I have been spinning MFSL UHQRs, Classic Records 45RPM Clarity Vinyl 45 RPM box sets and every special pressing I own with superb results. Needless to say the cartridge handles commercial pressings with ease.

Here is a VBR MP3 of the title track from Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms . This was recorded using the SoundSmith retipped and suspension repaired DL-103D. Refer to the equipment below for the rest of the gear used to record this track.

I did not post the source file from which the MP3 was made. The original file is a FLAC file recorded at 24/192. This is a very large file but it more closely resembles the performance available from the SoundSmith rebuilt DL-103D.

If anyone would like to hear the 24/192 of this track please contact me through the forum and I will post the file.

If you own a hot rodded DL-103 cartridge and were wondering what to do next this might be worth considering. This can make a DL-103 or 103R more compliant and will result in a silky smooth cartridge that tracks very well. The sound quality improvement that this new suspension upgrade/repair adds is a big plus. In my opinion it is worth considering the suspension alteration for the sound quality upgrade alone.

As of this review SoundSmith does not advertise the suspension repair/upgrade option on their website. You will have to ask Peter about what can be done to your cartridge. Peter is hesitant to offer the suspension work on working cartridges due to a chance that the suspension repair may fail. Apparently this is very detailed work and Peter is limiting this to DL-103 models which seem to be good candidates for whatever Peter is doing.

The recording chain for the MP3 was as follows:
1) Denon DL-103D (SoundSmith retipped and repaired)
2) OEM RB-300 tonearm w/Michell Technoweight and Incognito wiring
3) Riggle VTAF w/teflon upgrade
4) Custom cut acrylic armboard
5) Denon DP-62L (modified)
6) Acoustech PH-1P (modified)
7) Audible Illusions L1 (modified)
8) EMU 0404 Digital Audio Interface
9)All ICs were Kimber Hero Cu w/WBT044 connectors

Product Weakness:	None
Product Strengths:	Repairs a collapsed suspension and improves cartridge performance.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Adcom GFA-555II (modified)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Audible Illusions L1 (modified)
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Denon DP-62L (modified)
Speakers: Magnepan MGMC1
Cables/Interconnects: Kimber Hero
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (Stan Ricker mastered reissue)
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Acoustech PH-1P Phono Preamp<br>EMU 0404 High Resolution USB Digital Audio Interface<br>Sony SoundForge Audio Studio SW
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Adcom GFA-555II (modified)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Audible Illusions L1 (modified)
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Denon DP-62L (modified)
Speakers:	Magnepan MGMC1
Cables/Interconnects:	Kimber Hero
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (Stan Ricker mastered reissue)
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Acoustech PH-1P Phono Preamp<br>EMU 0404 High Resolution USB Digital Audio Interface<br>Sony SoundForge Audio Studio SW
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner