When you decide that you're going to buy a new cartridge, what process do you use to make your final choice?
-I assume most will read reviews to get some kind of initial impression...but maybe not?
-Do you listen to a number of different carts on the same system at a dealer's showroom? If so, how hard do you try to match the demo system to something like you have at home?
-Do you always require an in-home audition?
-Do you find that the essential "character" of a cartridge displays relatively consistently across different systems and in different rooms? In other (very simplistic) words, if Cart A exhibits more bass resolution than Cart B in Room 1 with Phono Stage X, is Cart A likely to exhibit more bass resolution than Cart B in Room 2 with Phono Stage Y?
What other practices have you used successfully in choosing a new cartridge?
Thank you!
-I assume most will read reviews to get some kind of initial impression...but maybe not?
-Do you listen to a number of different carts on the same system at a dealer's showroom? If so, how hard do you try to match the demo system to something like you have at home?
-Do you always require an in-home audition?
-Do you find that the essential "character" of a cartridge displays relatively consistently across different systems and in different rooms? In other (very simplistic) words, if Cart A exhibits more bass resolution than Cart B in Room 1 with Phono Stage X, is Cart A likely to exhibit more bass resolution than Cart B in Room 2 with Phono Stage Y?
What other practices have you used successfully in choosing a new cartridge?
Thank you!