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3 Cartridges that have really given you the wow factor - past or present

Lyra Skala Beta on Moerch 4 and 6 ( both of which were on a Notts Analogue Spacedeck that I didn't get along with. Though it could sound really fab when the mood took it. Apheta and Planar 8. A serious jump up from my previous Rega flirtation - which was P25 with DV 17 (what a great match they were).
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Denon DL-103. My first MC. Ran it with CineMag 3440a SUT. A revelation at the time. The midrange tonality made it great for jazz and guitars. Great midrange clarity, dynamics and "musicality" for the price. Put it in a aluminium body that cleaned up the bass and treble. Will not go back to conical tips now though.

Technics EPC-U205CMK3 with Jico SAS stylus. Best MM I've had. Preferred it to the Nag MP500. Superb tracking and channel separation (100um and 35dB). Very refined and balanced. Properly set up just gets out of the way of the music. Especially on good recordings/pressings.

Ortofon MC Jubilee. Technically the best cartridge I've owned. Current successor must be the Cadenza Black? Particularly the bass is amazing with this MC. Overall very impressive but I tend to listen more with the brain (than the body) with this one. But detail, dynamics etc. for days.
 
Sure V15 111 in a SME 3009 on my Hydraulic Reference unbelievable tracking sounded good with any music.

Linn Asak in a Syrinx PU2 it was improved with the addition of Syrinx optional 3 point bearing brace deeper bass more musical treble. it was not perfect but better than some now say.

My current Cartridgeman Musicmaster In a Hadcock 242 silver with XTC counterweight the Sapphire cantilever with small complex stylus drags so much information from the groves I genuinely got a new record collection, as I have written before, after having used several iterations of Len Gregory's Musicmaker cartridges I bought upgraded Mk3. However Len used me as a Guinea Pig for his then new as yet unnamed Musicmaster It has all of the best attributes of a Decca without the feeling of being on the edge, with parallel resistance & correct SRA/VTA with its natural presentation my musical Nirvana.
 
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I used a Linn Asak in an Ittok LVII, then an Asak'T' after the dealer broke my Asak by over tightening the cartridge bolts. A nice cartrige, but I always found it to sound a little heavy, so tracked it quite light around 1.65g and then the tracking was marginal. The Troika is much better, but obviously you have to use get one rebuilt or re-tipped because the originals will be shot by now.
 
Ultimo 10x (showing my age!)
Mission 773 (on 774 arm)
Pickering make over by The Cartridge Man (cannot recall number)..still not heard a better mm
 
Mr Pig said:
Really? I thought Soundsmith cartridges were more or less identical to B&O ones?

I'm intrigued by these cartridges. I like the Grado Green but it lacks dynamics and extension and I figure the Musicman carts are probably like hot roded Grados?
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The only similarities to Grado relate to moving iron cartridges being unaffected by capacitance it is not a moving magnet having a little piece of iron the end of the cantilever much less mass than moving magnet or moving coil therefore responded quicker. I have over 25 years become friends with Len Gregory though I have no financial interest. Len bought the rights to the Grado for the body only.The internals are entirely Len Gregory I think the Sapphire cantilever is bought in the stylus he grinds/shapes himself he winds the silver coils himself the internal damping is also LG. This cartridge has no lack of dynamics or lack of detail, bass is there beautiful mid-range what it does lack is the artificial treble of most all moving coils that I have heard, I think this Stereo Times report gets it just about right, you will note I put my 4 penneth at the end re arm and parallel resistance Len agreed with my comments. Listen to one in the right arm you will be pleasantly surprised. It doesn't just do classical brings Floyd alive, on Transformer, Walk on the Wild Side the "coloured girls" come so far out they brush my cheeks.
I undeservedly forgot my Ultimo 10X

http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/cartridge-man-musicmaster-phono-cartridge
 
I've not owned all these, but anyway.

Ortofon MC30 supreme. My first serious MC, and, through an AI series 1000 transformer never sounded less than amazing.
AudioNote io Gold. Opened my eyes to what a top MC very low output sounded like. Careful matching needed but!
Lyra Etna SL...best cartridge I ever heard.
 
Mr Pig said:
Really? I thought Soundsmith cartridges were more or less identical to B&O ones?
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That's the theory, but to my ears they have a different and brighter tonal balance to the original, and I'm not personally a fan.

Plus, far more importantly, they're uglier than the originals...
 
Ortofon 2M Red is wonderful on heavy rock LPs. And cheap.

Benz Glider SL for everything else.... I prefer it to their more expensive models.

Denon DL-103R is pretty good all-rounder at not silly money. The R bit makes a huge difference from the original.
 
Rockmeister said:
I've not owned all these, but anyway.

Ortofon MC30 supreme. My first serious MC, and, through an AI series 1000 transformer never sounded less than amazing.
AudioNote io Gold. Opened my eyes to what a top MC very low output sounded like. Careful matching needed but!
Lyra Etna SL...best cartridge I ever heard.
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Etna has just been upgraded to Etna Lambada the latest in the Lyra line, your cart can be used for the upgrade but they are now crazy money.
 
Currently going through a MM phase but here are my 3 MC wows
Transfiguration Axia. Good all round but jazz and electronica were fabulous.
Benz Ebony LP. First heard at a friends then got to own one and worth the wait.
Allaerts MC1B. First top MC I owned and blew me away. Even after the 2 above when I put it back in it was like a long lost friend. Most natural my system ever sounded.
 
Linn K18 (in an Ekos)
Linn Troika
Lyra Evolve 99 That replaced the Troika, by some way. Do Lyra rebuild carts? As I still have the 99 and would like to have it re tipped.

Jury still out on my Kandid
 
bossjw said:
Ultimo 10x (showing my age!)
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Ye gods but you are! My first m/coil, recommended as the one for my ill-fated and expensive journey through quadraphonics, circa 1976/7. It did all the formats, including CD4 discrete. Think it was made by a well-known Jap firm. Went from a Decca too.

Mashman said:
Benz Ebony LP.
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Snap. lovely cart, only surpassed by the LPS, I'm told.
 
Big John said:
Len bought the rights to the Grado for the body only.The internals are entirely Len Gregory...
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I only found this out relatively recently. I long assumed the carts were Grados with a small tweak or two. I guess it made sense to use an existing body that gave you what you wanted but it must have cost sales. Not just because the cart does not look like an entirely different product but because the Grado body looks dated, cheap and ugly!

I don't think I've read a bad review of the carts though and I can live with the looks. Definitely interested.
 
T
Mr Pig said:
I only found this out relatively recently. I long assumed the carts were Grados with a small tweak or two. I guess it made sense to use an existing body that gave you what you wanted but it must have cost sales. Not just because the cart does not look like an entirely different product but because the Grado body looks dated, cheap and ugly!

I don't think I've read a bad review of the carts though and I can live with the looks. Definitely interested.
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The Musicmakers are very good however the Musicmaster is in a different league, I was also a guinea-pig for the Isolator though I was aware as I had to fit it. I was not expecting the results needless to say it stayed on. Len thinks outside the box then gets other ears to test providing they will tell the truth & tell him if the item is shite. The Isolator on the Musicmaster is thinner different material but works.
 
9designs said:
Linn K18 (in an Ekos)
Linn Troika
Lyra Evolve 99 That replaced the Troika, by some way. Do Lyra rebuild carts? As I still have the 99 and would like to have it re tipped.

Jury still out on my Kandid
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Still have a Evolve 99 had it retipped by Esco years ago, Lyra will charge about £1950 for a rebuild. In my view the Evolve is now down the list of lyra carts, you will possibly get more for an exchange price with lyra than the value of the original Evolve. So much will depend on what you want to spend. Esco and Goldring will almost certainly do a retip for you.
 
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