Benz Micro LP S

[mtemur]

Back to Benz LP-S, I’m not sure but maybe the ebony case is partly responsible for pleasing sound that I’m hearing with LP-S. I always liked ebony pieces added to setup up to a certain degree. Personal preferences at play. Maybe Gullwing with it’s naked body is even better I don’t know.

 

[tony22]

I’ve been tempted to get a Gullwing, if only because George Counnas (he and his wife Carolyn are lovely people, BTW) has used this cart at as many shows as I can remember, with the result (to me) always being among the best analog sounds I get to hear at shows. I imagine his gear may be part of the explanation.

I remember at one show (either a RMAF or an AXPONA) I was wandering the halls early and his door was open. George was kind enough to invite me in, and we had maybe 45 minutes of just the two of us listening to glorious analog sound. Even then I was using the LP-S, and asked him why he chose the Gullwing. He praised both carts, but said that he felt the Gullwing gave him a sound that was more to his liking. Synergy and personal preference, but I guess I’ll say George has demonstrated to me that he’s among the best at doing synergy.

Plus, the Gullwing is a whole lot easier to set up!

 

[Dogberry]

As an experiment that is relatively cheap, I'm sending my old Ruby 3 off to Steve Leung for a new stylus and mono conversion. He sent me a photo from a Lyra carton that explains what he does and it fits my requirements perfectly: rotate the armature 45º and disconnect—or remove—the coil that is now vertically sensitive, and then connect the other coil—now horizontally sensitive—to both outputs. Will it be better than the Cadenza Mono?

 

[Solypsa]

Have you been pleased with the Cadenza Mono?

( I have not heard one. On paper seems like quite a bargain. Just curious )

 

[Dogberry]

I have indeed. I really like its ancestor, the Kontrapunkt C, but find the Cadenza Bronze rather unexciting. The sibling to that, the mono version is really nice, and given that I have but one ear and can't hear stereo, I even wonder if I should use it all the time. The thing is, my wife has two ears and is musical...
Now as the LP-S is better than the Kontrapunkt C, will a mono Ruby 3 be better than a Cadenza Mono? It's just an experiment.

Chris

 

[Be Quiet...Listen]

I’ve been tempted to get a Gullwing, if only because George Counnas (he and his wife Carolyn are lovely people, BTW) has used this cart at as many shows as I can remember, with the result (to me) always being among the best analog sounds I get to hear at shows. I imagine his gear may be part of the explanation.

I remember at one show (either a RMAF or an AXPONA) I was wandering the halls early and his door was open. George was kind enough to invite me in, and we had maybe 45 minutes of just the two of us listening to glorious analog sound. Even then I was using the LP-S, and asked him why he chose the Gullwing. He praised both carts, but said that he felt the Gullwing gave him a sound that was more to his liking. Synergy and personal preference, but I guess I’ll say George has demonstrated to me that he’s among the best at doing synergy.

Plus, the Gullwing is a whole lot easier to set up!

I have owned a Benz LP & Gullwing SLR at the same and to my tastes preferred the Gullwing. I know that I don't stand alone on that determination.

 

[tony22]

Thanks, but the LP-S is something of a slightly different beast, so there’s still that question…

 

[Be Quiet...Listen]

I have heard both the LPS and Gullwing in the same system. Don’t discount the Gullwing.

 

[tony22]

Believe me, I’m not! Can you give us your thoughts regarding how they compared?

 

[Be Quiet...Listen]

I’ve largely touched on this within this thread already.
In the context of my system these are my assessments.
Might be best for you to audition these cartridges yourself and perhaps then we can compare notes via messages ??

 

[tony22]

I should take a look again at this whole thread.

I did, and I guess I’m confused. It seemed like your detailed post of the two carts was of the LP, and not the LP-S. Confused.

 

[Be Quiet...Listen]

I should take a look again at this whole thread.

I did, and I guess I’m confused. It seemed like your detailed post of the two carts was of the LP, and not the LP-S. Confused.

The differences between the LP & LPS are negligible in comparison to the LP & Gullwing SLR.
It’s an easy terrain to navigate from there.

 

[Dogberry]

A long (but I hope worthwhile) wait, and the Ruby 3 has been converted to mono and will be heading back to New Scotland from New Jersey. You can't tell too much from the iPhone video that Steve sends, but I think it's going to be good.

 

[Dogberry]

Just played Sibelius 2nd, Tauno Hannikainen, Sinfonia of London, 1959. Sounds delightful, and definitely quieter than playing this old mono record with a stereo cartridge. Now onto Furtwangler's Beethoven 9 from 1951. This is a bit warmer than the Cadenza Mono, and the family resemblance to the LP-S is clear. Running them both through a VAS transformer now, and neither is overly rich or lush.

Wife is home today, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to try out some Satchmo (looking forward to his W.C.Handy album and the joint efforts with Ella.)

 

[tony22]

It only just occurred to me now to ask - what VTF is everyone using for their LP-S? I settled on 1.9g and like it there.

 

[Dogberry]

2g for me, too.

 

[tony22]

I fat fingered before my edit. I’m actually running 1.9g.

 

[mtemur]

I usually set VTF in the middle of recommended. I haven't experimented yet but during summer lower VTF value might be better due to softening of damper from heat. Did anybody try that?

 

[Lagonda]

1,9 g, but the LP-S is not that critical.