Головки звукоснимателя — Denon DL-301II

The DL-301II is an MC phono cartridge with low output made by Denon, the Japanese company founded in 1910. It was released in February 1984 as an improved version of the earlier DL-301, priced at 22,000 yen at launch, and it has stayed in the range for decades - the Japanese price reached 25,000 yen around 1996 and 38,000 yen by 2016. On the US Denon website it now appears in the archive of discontinued turntable products, where the model is listed as a reference moving-coil phono cartridge.

Key specs that matter

Output is 0.4 mV and the internal coil impedance is 33 ohm, with a recommended load of more than 100 ohm. The quoted frequency range runs from 20 Hz to 60 kHz, and channel separation exceeds 28 dB at 1 kHz. Compliance is 13 x 10-6 cm/dyne. Denon specifies a tracking force of 1.4 g, plus or minus 0.2 g, and channel balance within 1 dB at 1 kHz. The cartridge weighs 6.0 g and is finished in gold and black. The stylus is a special elliptical solid diamond with a rectangular cross section of 0.07 x 0.14 mm.

Engineering and use context

The moving system combines a double-layer tapered cantilever of aluminium alloy, taken from the more expensive DL-303, with a cruciform armature and the minute solid diamond tip. Tapering keeps the moving mass low while the cantilever remains stiff. A samarium-cobalt magnet drives the generator. The magnets and terminal pins are integrated into a high-strength plastic frame, which is then enclosed in a precision case of light alloy. The aluminium alloy body carries four stops that let it sit firmly against the headshell, improving the rigidity of the join. A two-way damping system is used to limit changes in behaviour caused by temperature, and the light vibrating system is intended to trace grooves at a low tracking force to reduce record wear. Stylus replacement in Japan was priced at 16,300 yen around 1996 and 24,695 yen in 2016.

Pairing

The low output requires a phono stage with a proper MC setting, a head amplifier or a step-up transformer, with the load set to the recommended value. The medium compliance and the light body suit tonearms of medium effective mass fitted with a standard half-inch headshell mount. Owners of an MM-only phono input will need a step-up device between the cartridge and the preamplifier.

Alternatives

The Denon DL-103 is the long-running moving-coil model originally developed for broadcast use, with a spherical stylus and a lower 0.3 mV output.