Phonocraft - A Dutch specialist in cartridge repair

Phonocraft cartridge repair.
Situated in Meppel, the Netherlands, resides Phonocraft, a one-man-company specialised in cartridge repair. The owner's name is Rik and he is reachable using email only (see below), no website. I wrote about him some time ago as well about a rebuilt Supex.
He repairs cartridges of any brand and/or type for a long time now. Restores these to original specification and does so meticulously. This repair most often consists of replacing the cantilever and/or needle, the damper and aligning the whole shebang. Since about a year or so he developed a way to rewind coils as well. This is very precise work using delicate thin copper wire. One thing leads to another and now he is building his own cartridges reusing yokes, magnets and other parts of broken cartridges as well. Using this concept I got a rebuilt cartridge using the remains of a failed Denon DL103R. This impression is about that cartridge..

Sapphire.
The first time I heard this cartridge was at Wilking's. Rik had delivered a repaired Koetsu Rosewood to original specification sent along with this rebuilt Denon. The Rosewood played convincingly and was acquired by Wilking, the Denon caught my attention as it played very livelike on Wim's system. When I asked for details I was told that this cartridge was equipped with a sapphire cantilever and Ogura tip. As all systems are different I asked if I could take it home for an impression in my own system. Rik explained that specs were about the same as an original DL103R, meaning around 0.3mV output using 2.25mN tracking force. Nice!

Only sapphire?.
No. As Rik explained he rewound the coils as well. As you can see in the pictures this is really a difference compared to the original windings. Now this is no choque.. We all now that the price of a new Denon Dl103 is actually a real bargain. Of course these are made in series. As you can see in the video below, time to wind one is limited..



Some pictures show the difference. Remember that the copperwire has about 1/10 diameter of a hair. Very fragile, needs a steady hand and tremendous patience ..and looking constantly through a microscope..


Windings by Denon laboratories..




Windings by Phonocraft..

The sapphire cantilever looks intriguing, shiny as it is..



Perfectly aligned..

Play it!
In my system it was mounted on a Wilking Black Miracle tonearm featuring magnetic bearings and a titanium armtube. This tonearm withstood competition of a Schröder CB, so no small player. As compliance is low, Rik said, a moderate to heavy tonearm, which the Wilking is, should be a good match.
After aligning it, it was ready for playback. It took just one song to confirm the livelike character heard at Wim's place. A real joy to listen to and most certainly different to the Dava and Koetsu. These are more "correct" where the Phonocraft displayed a very vibrant and energetic sound which was very addictive..




The Phonocraft in action..

Was? Yes, past tense as the plastic body was still in use. All known mods to DL103's consist in replacing the body as well. So that had to be the next step.

Bodies.
Searching for replacement bodies, Stanley Engineering stood out via eBay. Looking for a suitable one I contacted Stan and asked for the closed apple wood version where the cartridge slides in from the top. Also a spacer was ordered to keep the height about the same as in its original body.
Secondly I contacted Uwe, also known for his replacement bodies for DL103. I was lucky as he is retired but had a few on hand. The green Malachite rang my bell (matter of taste) and ordered that one as well. So now two bodies could be auditioned as well.


Both bodies next to each other on the table.

I started out with the Stanley apple wood version.



Nice looks, a bit hard to align.

This was a huge step compared to the plastic body. More tone, less sibling highs, perfect soundstage. A bit less livelike and rounder on the base, more easy going and friendly. Actually the interesting character was a bit sacrificed, also this one is a little bit hard to align because of the round front. But looks are stunning!

Next the Uwe malachite was mounted.



The green one is easy to align.

This one completes the livelike sound of the Phonocraft! The same energy and livelike character as with the plastic body remains but becomes more dense and quick. In my system this combo is a winner for sure. When sent back to Rik, he was curious about the influence of the body, for his system this combo was a bit too vivid to his taste. So be aware that the perfect combination might be system specific and needs careful audition.

Some more pictures of modded and hot rodded Denon DL103R's by Phonocraft. Just contact him for an inquiry..

Conclusion.
For me the go-to-address for cartridge fun is Phonocraft. Not only perfect repairs but new designs as well. Also very affordable compared to the upper class cartridges. Does he have a listing? You can check Marktplaats, a Dutch auction site and search for Phonocraft. But why not contact him and ask if he has anything interesting, or ask for something special. No long waiting times.. You can expect an honest reaction and maybe something is available to your liking.
His email address is rikjans -at- home -dot- nl, you know what to replace..