Entry level Transfiguration cartridges: Spirit III, Axia S, Aria?
- Thread starter Rosewind
- Start date
palasr
>>>...<<<
I'll be very curious as to your observations. I sent my Lyra Skala to Soundsmith for a rebuild and it is quite distinctly NOT the same cartridge. Going from the original boron to a ruby cantilever really changed the nature of the cartridge - while it's not bad per se, it has nowhere near the transparency, speed or dynamic snap so typical of Lyras. That said, I've heard both excellent and poor examples of Soundsmith rebuilds - I hope yours falls into the former camp.
DimitryZ
pfm Member
It's an experiment to see if Transfiguration can be rebuilt. But I have only Axia S to compare it to.
yeti42
pfm Member
I had this reply yesterday from Ana Might Sound regarding rebuilding my Proteus.
“Dear Christopher,
The evolution of the Transfiguration Proteus were of two kind :
- new damper
- higher priced version with diamond cantilever
We can provide you with the new damping system but we cannot provide you a diamond cantilever.
Transfiguration is alas out of business as the owner died last year. We do offer Mutech cartridges which are in fact the original manufacturer of Transfiguration cartridges.
Price for a full repair of your cartridge with original parts + damper mode is 1450€ VAT in. “
I’ll be sending mine off soon once I’ve worked out the best way to send it with some sort of insurance, what value is there on a worn out proteus? I paid £3k when it was new so my guess is about a grand but LaPoste might need more than my say so.
“Dear Christopher,
The evolution of the Transfiguration Proteus were of two kind :
- new damper
- higher priced version with diamond cantilever
We can provide you with the new damping system but we cannot provide you a diamond cantilever.
Transfiguration is alas out of business as the owner died last year. We do offer Mutech cartridges which are in fact the original manufacturer of Transfiguration cartridges.
Price for a full repair of your cartridge with original parts + damper mode is 1450€ VAT in. “
I’ll be sending mine off soon once I’ve worked out the best way to send it with some sort of insurance, what value is there on a worn out proteus? I paid £3k when it was new so my guess is about a grand but LaPoste might need more than my say so.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
You'll need a weighty arm, even for the Tacumi. Most Miyajimas need way above 20g to properly funtion.
They asked me to put a nominal value on it. The work is done in Hungary so you don't send it to them in France.
Rosewind
Lost in Translation
Ok. I found and bought a Decca Gold in a wooden house with three prongs. Will see how well I like it and whether it needs tender care or not.
If it is no better or different to me than the Maroon I already have, I am open for a swap with a Transfiguration if they can be found in good used (original?) condition.
If it is no better or different to me than the Maroon I already have, I am open for a swap with a Transfiguration if they can be found in good used (original?) condition.
DimitryZ
pfm Member
I have never heard a DECCA. It seems they have a very special sound.
My Soundsmith rebuild of Phoenix is definitely a very good. I am waiting on a Funk Achromat as my previous Grubgebuster mat was a little thin and VTA on the Phoenix was a little off (Rega P9).
First impression is that's it's very refined and "in-family" with Axia S. Further mat refinements and more critical listening will tell me more. It may be that a retip will bring some large fraction of the original sound, but not all (and I don't have the knowledge of the cartridge's original sound).
Transfiguration and I think, Lyra,, have exclusive rights to maybe the best stylus available - rectangular shank hyper-hyper elliptical Ogura.
My Soundsmith rebuild of Phoenix is definitely a very good. I am waiting on a Funk Achromat as my previous Grubgebuster mat was a little thin and VTA on the Phoenix was a little off (Rega P9).
First impression is that's it's very refined and "in-family" with Axia S. Further mat refinements and more critical listening will tell me more. It may be that a retip will bring some large fraction of the original sound, but not all (and I don't have the knowledge of the cartridge's original sound).
Transfiguration and I think, Lyra,, have exclusive rights to maybe the best stylus available - rectangular shank hyper-hyper elliptical Ogura.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
I didn't know that, Dimitry, whatever it means.
. Okay, I've hears of the Ogura profile, but with Transfig. gone, exclusivity is further narrowed; possibly to 'unique'?
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Interesting, Peter, esp. as you've already sampled a Decca. I do believe the Maroon is lower down in the pecking order, though, and as I've had an itch to try another (my one and only London or C4E; can't remember, was in 1975 on Decca unipivot) on my Ace Anna before I sort out my arm/cart. situation, if I ever get round to it. That Gold, with 3 pins, must be of some vintage.
DimitryZ
pfm Member
Apparently, it is made from a rectangular, instead of square shank diamond and is supposed to have the lowest mass in the business.I didn't know that, Dimitry, whatever it means.
Ogura makes a unique shape, a highly biased elliptical, with an edge the same as the best MR and ML shapes. But being an eliptical, it's likely easier to setup.
I have dealt with Ana Mighty sound, they are expensive but good, I had a Lyra which I sent to a repairer in Surrey and It did not sound anything like the original, when I sent my Lyra Titan i to Francois at AMS they did a fantastic job. In my opinion if you cannot buy new they provide the most sensible option.
Only downside is that I believe that LaPoste are linked to Dpd who are good for delivery but highly suspect with insurance conditions
Rosewind
Lost in Translation
Yes Mike. I have found that I can dial a Decca in pretty good on the Fidelity Research FR 24 tonearm - no use of antiskate, so I am not afraid of Decca carts.
I had just sold my DIY Emerald phono stage to a friend and had a little cash. As this thread indicates, I was first looking at lower end Transfiguration cartridges but on the basis of the posts here, I became wary of buying a rebuilt one. Then I just checked for my usual suspects - EMT, Ortofon (Kontrapunkt B) and Decca carts. This Decca Gold had been advertised for sale both on Marktplaatz and Audio-Markt for a good price. I checked the seller out, got his address and phone number, and decided to go for it. It came well-wrapped without its box but protected by the red cover over the bottom of the cartridge.
I will have to see how I deal with the three prongs with my four cables ...
I had just sold my DIY Emerald phono stage to a friend and had a little cash. As this thread indicates, I was first looking at lower end Transfiguration cartridges but on the basis of the posts here, I became wary of buying a rebuilt one. Then I just checked for my usual suspects - EMT, Ortofon (Kontrapunkt B) and Decca carts. This Decca Gold had been advertised for sale both on Marktplaatz and Audio-Markt for a good price. I checked the seller out, got his address and phone number, and decided to go for it. It came well-wrapped without its box but protected by the red cover over the bottom of the cartridge.
I will have to see how I deal with the three prongs with my four cables ...
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Mike Reed
pfm Member
Ah, yes; common ground; you might get away with simply attaching one ground but you may get a hum, depending on arm wiring. Otherwise you'll need to connect the two ground wires somehow; maybe with fuse wire or similar, sufficient to allow enough connector to go over the pin. Tricky !
If you work through the maths, you would not have to add much weight at the headshell. Changing effective mass was a feature of a few older tonearms and still is with at least one Brinkmann? Thales? - I forget which.
Wrong again - Vertere
Rosewind
Lost in Translation
I got hummm and no sound from the Decca Gold when using three pins and three leads.
Hmm. Took the Decca out of its wooden pod and its top has been removed - see photos. I have no way to tell if it is a Gold or not. I will clean the connections and play with the headshell wires - one or two to ground etc. - but if I can't tame the hum, I will send it over to John Wright for a service. It looks like it could do with some TLC anyway.
Hmm. Took the Decca out of its wooden pod and its top has been removed - see photos. I have no way to tell if it is a Gold or not. I will clean the connections and play with the headshell wires - one or two to ground etc. - but if I can't tame the hum, I will send it over to John Wright for a service. It looks like it could do with some TLC anyway.