Dev's cartridge shoot out.

My disclaimer: none of the cartridges below are bad, they are just different flavours and this is just me so take everything with a sprinkling of ear-wax.

I have been wanting to post about cartridges in a long time since I have quite a lot to say about them and have tried and heard quite a few since June 2003 when I got bored my Arkiv B (which is a great cartridge BTW, but can be bettered) or perhaps it got bored with me.

The background to Arkiv leaving chateau Dev's RIP was that getting my 52/SuperCap serviced and recapped at Naim exposed some nasties and fierceness and tirednesss in the top end of that cartridge that my system was revealing, so it went and in came a Dynavector XX-2. Now I know this is loved by many and for a few records I was seduced. Voices were more emphasised compared to the Arkiv and it was more revealing, however I didn't like how this was being revealed, and there was this really tight bass (...and my system has bass that is tighter than a badgers arse so it didn't need that!). Also it didn't like flow, I mean join everything up to make everything flow like music should. But I persisted, fitted the heavier counterweight on the Aro and adjusted it with fanatical precision, and then I got a good sound. The bass came back and I quite liked it...bit the XX-2 is very clean not bright though and if you system is wooly dowm below it might just work. Anyhow, the XX-2 went and the new owner loves it totally! I told Mr new owner that I didn't really "get it" but I did suspect that he might and he does which is great! I didn't like the 17D2 Mk1 either when I had it before so at least I am consistent.

OK lets move on, I wanted to hear a bit of the classic Linn sound and remember what my old Troika was like so I got an original unmodded Karma and really liked it, it made bass guitar sound just like I remember it, but it didn't have much resolution but it gave me a feel. Then I got a redone Troika which didn't work at the beginning, then I learnt something about moving coils is that they take time to work i.e they need hours under them and they have to be set up like a bastard, and also the bass is the thing that comes good over time and they loose a bit of fierceness. Anyway the Troika came good and was like a better Karma, although it didn't have the scale of the Arkiv or Dynavector, but I preferred it for it's bass and timing qualities, but it didn't have the grandeur or lushness or scale that I wanted.

So move over to my three way cartridge shoot out, very kindly hosted by Richard Dane of Naim (big thanks guys for the hospitality) while I was picking something up...so in the left corner was a Clearaudio Accurate , in the right corner was a Ortofon SPU Royal N (which was installed in their Linn) and the referee was my Linn Troika. It was a half serious test...I mean this is me and I don't do the critical listening thing (sitting naked, glasses off and stoned) anymore...but was clear enough to work out which I preferred, and for me I didn't really get on with the Clearaudio, I mean it was super clear and transparent and all that but my musical taste is more than flamenco guitar, so it was a no go area. The Ortofon SPU was a revelation, I mean this thing does bass and it does scale and it flows, it blew me away...it is warm, big, powerful, evenhanded and really dynamic but dynamic in every way I mean top and bottom. The biggest thing is that it sort of makes the Linn sound like a Linn with all of it's charms in tact, but some of the others make the Linn sound a bit like a Roksan or Rega P9.

Anyway enough rambling, gotta go. Happy new year to you all!

regards

Dev