Legendary Denon DL-S1 enroute

Gullwing? Off to Google I go 😂

Benz Gullwing SLR-

www.analogueseduction.net/benz-cartridges/benz-slr-gullwing-mc-cartridge.html

Very good cartridge, one of the best I've heard. Although so is the Kontrapunkt so I'm not expecting you to hear any 'night and day' improvements. At this level I suspect it's all about personal preference rather than better or worse.

You'll have to let me know where you are and I'll see if it's do-able. Needs to be soon before I go into hibernation for the winter!

No I mean your actual address - by PM obvs.

Then I can see if I can get there without too much aggravation.

Now that’s more like it. Bet that one doesn’t sound like a rice cake!

A few days with the DL-S1

A little more after day one of pretty much uninterrupted listening and a complete setup.

The DL-S1 reminds me of the weeks i spent wishing the AT33PTGII had better bass. Not because the AT33 didn't have bass, it didn't have articulate bass. The Denon is quite adept at delivering an extremely detailed bass line whilst having sufficient "beef" to sound full and well formed. The reason it reminds me of the AT33 is the resolution and tonal balance. If in a blind test, i would wager them being from the same stable. What the Denon does better is soundstage. It is huge. Left to right extend way beyond the speakers and its got excellent scale. All of this is on par with the Kb mind you. What i haven't managed to tease out of it yet is depth to the same degree as the Kb. Marco says the DL-S1 isn't quite run in just yet, so i am hoping to see some improvement in that area. What i will say is that it has slightly improved as the day has gone on.

Resolution & Transparency is excellent with this cartridge, every little bit of detail is apparent. Double tracking, harmonies, 12 string guitars are very easy to identify. This area has surprised me a little as i *think* it's slightly better than the Kb although i will be checking that to be sure.

Dynamics, I had been told that this cartridge would probably outdo the Kb for dynamics, but as of yet, i don't hear it that way. The Kb has a little more weight and impact at the moment but as the Denon relaxes that may change. As of right now, the kick drums definitely hit harder on the Kb. That's not to say the DL-S1 doesn't hit hard because its does.

Channel separation is better on the Denon. It's quite clear too. The sense of motion this gives is a little unnerving. I've found myself looking between the speakers for something there. 3D images that pan across the speaker really clearly and obviously. The lick at the start of lucy in the sky with diamonds pan incrementally from left to right with each note. This is an obvious difference between the DL-S1 and the Kb. The Kb does it just not quite as obviously but again, i need to double check this.

Vocals are richer with the Kb and slightly more human sounding but the Denon feels like its a little raw or less refined which on certain tracks, particularly ones with Kurt Cobain, is a real bonus. The Kb sounds very polished and refined but there is a bit of grit about the Denon, in a really good way. It may also be a little less richness which is allowing the Denon to portray less than perfect vocals in a more blatant way. At the moment, i still "feel" vocals a little more with the Kb according to memory but again, its nip and tuck all the way.

The Denon makes the Kb sound a little veiled at times. the DL-S1 is definitely ahead in resolution.

I know its WAY too early to be drawing any conclusions but i thought it'd fun to log the process and how i get to my final decision. I'll make some more notes when i get some more hours in!

I am currently listening to the Rod Steward album "Gasoline Alley". It's actually a really good album to dissect what a cartridge is doing. There are a lot of great guitar riffs and its an album i enjoy immensely. It sounds great !!!

Day two with the DLS1:

I spent a few hours listening from around 09:00 until around 12:00. What strikes me most about the cartridge is it's unyielding approach to detail. It is merciless in its quest to dredge the groove and it really does find things that, although I've heard them before, they werent as defined. The payoff is in the decay and transients. It's been a surprise to hear the amount of detail in the decay of piano notes.

What I still can't conjure up is depth I get from the Kb. I've spent a large part of the afternoon fiddling with VTA, Azimuth etc but it just isn't available. Whilst the DL-S1 does have an outstanding soundstage, I know there's depth available and I'm missing it slightly.

The presentation therefore can only be described as more forward than the Kb. The bass is also incredibly detailed and what I presumed was a lack of bass transpires as a drier bass with more leading edge detail. It's very good and also, whilst might it may not be a 'bass monster' it has perfectly sufficient bass to keep all but the most bass hungry listener content.

Tonally, I'm struggling a bit. It's not as rich as the Kb and that was something I liked about the Kb. It wasn't coloured but it had a richness. Out of interest I plumbed the Kb back in and instantly wondered why I Was F#cking with cartridges 😂

It's not that one is better than the other, the DL-S1 has the edge in resolution and leading edge which i love, but the Kb sings to my heart strings.

I put the DL-S1 back in and again, all the qualities were there and it's got such great channel separation that it's exceptional and portraying the soundstage width. I really like how dynamic it is too. There's no doubt in my mind that his cartridge would battle well in the £3k cartridge market. It's an unbelievable bargain at £900 so the £620 I paid is just taking the P!!

Ultimately, the Kb is where my heart lies but that's partly because I have a plan for it rather than there being a clear winner, which there isn't really to discernable a difference. The Kb will be going to Killian Bakker for the Vienna mods. If funds allow going forward.

The Denon is now sold and will be on its way to the new owner on Monday.

When you are certain which one you’re keeping, it’s always a smart move to get the one you are parting with on its way ASAP.

For one thing, you’re putting fewer hours on it, so it’s value is maintained. You’ve only really ran it in and people actually pay for that!

Secondly, loads of people have followed your purchase and so you have a ready potential market.

I like the fact you’ve had the balls to step up and try what you fancy, as well as the foresight to act as soon as you had made your decision. Lots of others would still be sat wondering.

As far as I’m concerned you can’t trump personal experience of an piece of kit, nor can you argue with it.

some people seem to find it really hard to accept he like the KB beter than the denon,why i dont know?

They all thought you were wasting your money on that Krell too. 

What they are struggling with is the fact they don't rate the Kb and the fact the DL-S1 is a legendary cartridge. You can pick up a Kb for £500 and the Denon is usually around £900. They cant accept it.

There is no explaining away the Kb was my preferred cartridge. I would have kept the DL-S1 if i'd have preferred that.

Plus, the phonostage is outstanding. Would cost about £600 to buy and it hung with every phonostage at the bakeoff until we got to the VAS phonostage. I though that was a stunning phonostage but lets be fair, its £1600 + a SUT. 

just to clarify,i meant 'why' as in why they cant accept his decision

Lol, that's completely the opposite of what I heard. I liked the Aqvox but no, when the valve stages went in, I thought the while performance moved up a level, even with the Vincent PH700.

Strangely enough, Alan is working on a Solid staglte phonostage that I think could be something special. I also have another project in my sights involving the schematic for a phonostage with the lowest distortion, EVER. I am trying to make a deal to acquire the rights to it and get a PCB made. The Aqvox won't stand a chance 🤣