cartridge survey

Joe

Simon

Sounds rather nice, too

Chris L

[This message was edited by Chris L on THURSDAY 10 May 2001 at 15:31.]

[This message was edited by Chris L on THURSDAY 10 May 2001 at 15:32.]

Next time around I probably pop for an MC, probably a Dynavector, and finally get a phono stage pre-amp.

Arthur Bye, Rega P-9/RB900

Townshend Rock III/RB 300/Denon 304

regards,

Mark

quote:

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What are you using and in what?

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Like Joe I am also using a P9, and I am on my forth cartridge with this deck.

I started off with a Lyra Lydian B which is a fabulous cartridge. It has excellent timing and dynamics, though is a little strident in the upper mid and top, and is not the quietist tracker. I considered it a little over sharp balance wise for the rest of my system. Put it in an LP12 and a slightly warm system and it is really good.

I then tried a Dynavector 17D2, this tracked superbly, but was very pinched and small sounding compared to the Lyra, it also was lean to the point of non-existence in the bass. I decided not to buy it.

Next was the Dynavector XX1L. In comparison to the 17D2 this had more weight, though sounded dull and undynamic to me. I started to get really disillusioned with my whole vinyl playing front end. My system was simply not working, the tune and timing was flawed. I stopped playing records and started to look at ways to ditch the P9.

As phase one of my P9 ditching plan I decided to swap the XX1L with someone I know who really wanted one… I got a Ortofon MC10 Supreme and a nice 1987 Nait 1 for it. My logic for changing was purely that the MC 10 Supreme was a bit lighter and I could use it in a wider variety of arms.

Ortofon MC 10 Supreme: To say it blows either Dynavector into the weeds is a true understatement, this cartridge rocks big time. I now have a really powerful, dynamic sound with unbelievably good timing. Bass notes are deep, solid and can turn on a sixpence. It also tracks far quieter than the Lyra. With the MC 10 Supreme I am now delighted with my P9, it is doing all the things that sold it to me in the first place.

I honestly could not believe the difference between the Ortofon and the XX1L - the MC 10 Supreme makes the XX1L sound like a valve amp with a reflex port… pure soft and stodgy round earth. Should carry a Audio Research badge.

I have sent some long mails to Joe trying to persuade him to re-audition the XX1L against another cartridge (the MC10 Supreme for instance), as removing it from my system is honestly the best upgrade I have done in years. Joe and I seem to have very similar priorities in audio, so I am convinced he will agree when he hears for him self.

Tony.

PS For any hi-fi mags out there, that is how you write a bad review.

cheers

Nigel

Very interesting comments about the 17d2. Although it bass light, it does have a very tunefull bass, and the mid/treble is superb.

The bass lightness is one of the reasons I am thinking about replacing the 17d2.

Anybody know of a cartride usable on an Ekos, that has all the mid/treble abilities of the 172d but a lot more kick ass bass ?

Simon

quote:

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Very interesting comments about the 17d2. Although it bass light, it does have a very tunefull bass, and the mid/treble is superb.

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It does have a tuneful bass as you say, which is more than its more expensive brother can boast. My main gripe was the small sound and lack of any punch or slam. From my perspective the MC 10 Supreme or Lydian B take it to the cleaners, though neither is as smooth. Personally I think the Dynavectors are over smooth.

Word on the street is that the new Ortofon Kontrapunct B is a real stunner.

Tony.

a real cheap K9 tweak for you, and one that to my ears makes the K9 far more musical. Put a AT93 or AT95 stylus in it. It fits easily (albeit it looks odd when installed) and gives the catridge some 'balls'. Try it. It'll cost about £15.

Sounds great, even if my CDSII is my primary source and I don't play vinyl that much.

Timo

Sounds eh. Wouldn't mind selling and replacing with 2nd-hand P9, new P3, Mitchell, or Well Tempered.

- GregB

Insert Witty Signature Line Here

Any suggestions for replacement ( overdue ) without breaking the bank ? I have not followed cartridges in years.

mykel

Perhaps not the last word in groove, it's a pretty good all-rounder - musical enough, round-earth enough, sufficient slam, sufficient poise, good enough flat-earth balance, pretty good trackability etc... and even plumbs the depths of those '80's EP's with aplomb - witness New Order's 'Perfect Kiss' (12"). All this, and no probs with S boards! Rather good at the price - most people seem to miss this one.

Perhaps in the future when I get it all back together, on a Mana wallshelf, and the Ekos installed, I'll look for something better - say a rebuilt Troika or something similar.

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

i am also warming up to any of the good ortofons -- its hard to audition cartridges side by side these days so i am actually going to lean rather heavily on comments from people who appear to have the same musical priorities as mine.. so, i look fwd to reading some more views, especially on dynavectors vs ortofons vs lyra's vs arkiv b

many thanks and

enjoy...

ken

three impressions nag me about the ortofon vs the dyna that I'm not sure I want to risk a Kontrapunkt over a DV XX-1L. The first is that the dyna tracked a hell of a lot better. High frequencies tend to break up in the first and last songs of sides with teh ortofon. Narry a squeak out of the dyna. You don't notice this until you realize how good it can be. Two, to me, the ortofon sounds really really hollow in the midband compared to the dyna. When I first got the ortofon, used it to replace a Grado platinum. The change in midrange character was staggering. The grado sounded much more full or realistic in the midrange than the ortofon. It is this aspect of the cart that makes it sound to me really "hi-fi" like. The dyna sounds much more natural. Finally, the ortofon's bass is much much better. The ortofon sounds more dynamic and punchier than the dyna does.

I'm on the edge between a DV-XX-1L and the Kontrapunnkt B from Ortofon. To me the ortofons really kind of groove, but the dyna sits in the groove better and makes better midrange. I can't decide.

Judd

I've had excellent service too from Goldring.

Ian

I think it is a great little cartridge and very good value for money.

This is my second 304, the first replaced a Troika which my daughter trashed, and when I changed to the Denon I also swapped to S boards.

It will need replacing shortly and if I don't go for another 304 I'm thinking of having the Troika rebuilt.

Chris

Quite a number of Naim and FM users in Singapore swear by this cartridge so all of you might want to check it out.

Please be careful for those using 2-way speakers as this cartridge is highly compliant and might affect your mid-range stability if your phono stage does not have a warp filter.

It takes about 25-50 hours before the cartridge starts to break-in.

Apparently, some years ago KRELL tried to get into the cart market but soon decided to pull out. Most likely, their short-lived offering(s was outsourced to one of the bigger cart makers, but I don't know for sure.

Not that I was not particularly interested in Krell stuff to begin with. I am pretty heavily into Naim with some Linn: 52/super, SNAXO/HI, 2* 135's, 1 * 250, NAT-02, Karik/Numerik. The turntable is LP12/Circus/Valhalla/ARO/prefix.

What happened is that just after upgrading my TT with Circus and Prefix, some two years ago, I broke the cantilever of my Audio Technica ART-1. I then decided to look for a cheap cartridge, as a temporary measure until I could make up my mind on which "serious" one I should buy.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The KRELL turns out to be pretty darn good in my system. It manages to be fast and detailed without any harshness; good tuneful bass. So much so, that I have not felt any compelling urge to spend more money on carts in the last two years. I am not making any big claim about the KRELL cart: just that I like it a lot in my current setup. I find myself spending lots of hours listening to my vinyl collection.

Of course, I do also wonder, sometimes, how much better any one the favorites of this forum (the high-end Dynavectors, Linns, etc) would prove to be in my system. Or perhaps I should check what Expert Stylus can do with my Koetsu Rosewood Signature or my ART-1 (both with broken cantilevers)?

-- Pierre

-- Pierre

Andy