Is there a "World's Best Cartridge?"

[Lee]

A good review from Roy Gregory talking about the Lambda advantages:

Lyra Etna Lambda and Etna Lambda SL Phono Cartridges - The Audio Beat - www.TheAudioBeat.com

read audio reviews, ratings, and user opinions on audio equipment before you buy an audio system

www.theaudiobeat.com

 

[DasguteOhr]

Last thoughts and I’ll bow out.
1. You can’t buy a new V15.
2. Are the measurements done with damper up or down?
3. Does its mass and compliance match your arm?
4. And then there is the synergy or lack of synergy with the room and system.

I owned several. I loved them. I gave them away as presents to budding would be audiophile friends when they were $250 per unit.

I would not argue that those old cartridges weren’t wonderful for their day (3 to 4 decades ago).

But most people have moved on. And I have to admit that in my systems, the moves on were improvements.

YMMV

1.
With alot of luck you get jico needles mr or sas sounds not so bad
2.
orginal shure mesasurements
3.
sounds good in infinty black widow tonearm i would call it a perfect match. 50k 270pf with tonearm wire
4.
of course you develop further and that doesn't just apply to the cartridge. synergy is a catchphrase some cheaper carts from the past sound better than new ones from today. Back then there were cartridges that sounded better than today. Just listen to a shinon red or a supex 909. I have two healthy ears and I like listening to music, but neglecting technical data is like amputating one leg. You run better with two legs.

@godofwealth
I have a titan i love it too
Maybe i find a used clavis d.c.t for a upgrade to olympos. a dream cartridge...problem money

 

[godofwealth]

Another recent review of a Lyra cartridge in HFN/RR — the Lyra Kleos SL. Sadly, the Lyra tradition of rising top continues unabated. I’m waiting for Lyra to design a ”flat” cartridge. Will they?

Lyra Kleos SL Cartridge Lab Report

Lab Report Following the Lyra tradition – after the Delos [HFN May '13] and Etna [HFN May '18] – this rigidly-constructed MC offers an almost ideal combination of extended response, low distortion, generator uniformity and secure tracking. Its 326µV output (re. 1kHz at 5cm/sec into 100ohm) is...

www.hifinews.com

 

[Lee]

Another recent review of a Lyra cartridge in HFN/RR — the Lyra Kleos SL. Sadly, the Lyra tradition of rising top continues unabated. I’m waiting for Lyra to design a ”flat” cartridge. Will they?

Lyra Kleos SL Cartridge Lab Report

Lab Report Following the Lyra tradition – after the Delos [HFN May '13] and Etna [HFN May '18] – this rigidly-constructed MC offers an almost ideal combination of extended response, low distortion, generator uniformity and secure tracking. Its 326µV output (re. 1kHz at 5cm/sec into 100ohm) is...

www.hifinews.com

View attachment 110569

What about Koetsu? When are they going to design a cartridge that doesn't roll off at 2K?

 

[godofwealth]

Agreed, you have a valid point. I think Koetsu is engineered to roll off highs but in a way that’s not too destructive to the music. It’s a personal preference — I’d rather have rolled off highs than exaggerated treble. Someone else might have the opposite preference. All said and done, I’d like flat response, superb tracking and low distortion, but that’s going to be a Shure V15, which are hard to get (but not impossible!).

 

[godofwealth]

Paul Seydor of TAS did a recent review of the Shure V15 xmr, which in my book is the best cartridge ever made for the price Shure asked for it. Its performance is stunning compared to the vast wasteland of vinyl cartridges. Everyone should try to acquire one just to calibrate your ears (just as everyone should own a Quad ESL 57 to remind oneself what a low distortion loudspeaker sounds like)

Shure V15 Type VxMR Phono Cartridge - The Absolute Sound

Shure V15 Type VxMR Phono Cartridge - Paul Seydor looks at the rich legacy of the iconic Shure V15 phono cartridge and reports on an upgraded stylus assembly that will extend the life of this venerable pickup.

www.theabsolutesound.com

Folks complain the Shure sounds “dull”, just as they complain about the Quad 57. Yes, neutrality can be boring compared to the “excitement” of a Lyra with rising treble or one of those hyper bright B&W’s with metallic tweeters (I owned a pair for several years — wincing treble!). . But even if you prefer that, it’s good to remind oneself what tonal neutrality sounds like.

 

[mtemur]

I owned many Shure V15 Type III cartridges or Type IV with original VN35E or VN35HE stylus. I never used an aftermarket stylus and got rid all vintage V15s in 2009. V15 is a very good cartridge but after all it’s MM. I never wanted to go back after being introduced to MC+SUT+Tube Phono.

IMHO If you want a great MM cartridge for a reasonable price try AT-VM95C or SH. Forget about the old cartridges which most certainly has a deteriorated suspension that won’t do it’s job on suspending cantilever and producing an artificial openness with the expense of tight bass.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Paul Seydor of TAS did a recent review of the Shure V15 xmr, which in my book is the best cartridge ever made for the price Shure asked for it. Its performance is stunning compared to the vast wasteland of vinyl cartridges. Everyone should try to acquire one just to calibrate your ears (just as everyone should own a Quad ESL 57 to remind oneself what a low distortion loudspeaker sounds like)

Shure V15 Type VxMR Phono Cartridge - The Absolute Sound

Shure V15 Type VxMR Phono Cartridge - Paul Seydor looks at the rich legacy of the iconic Shure V15 phono cartridge and reports on an upgraded stylus assembly that will extend the life of this venerable pickup.

www.theabsolutesound.com

Folks complain the Shure sounds “dull”, just as they complain about the Quad 57. Yes, neutrality can be boring compared to the “excitement” of a Lyra with rising treble or one of those hyper bright B&W’s with metallic tweeters (I owned a pair for several years — wincing treble!). . But even if you prefer that, it’s good to remind oneself what tonal neutrality sounds like.

A shure ultra 500 also knows how to inspire, then people divorce what sounds better. in the end a question of taste.
a quad esl 57 is still the best midrange driver on the world market. with the new mylar foils from stein ,germany, the bass level is significantly more stable. i mainly only listen to tubepre + sut for my ears it's the most fun. nevertheless, there are also new mm cartridges because you have to spend a lot of money for mc cartridges to really get more music out of the groove. example ortofon beethoven,vpi zephyr

 

[Solypsa]

A good designer ( and I do consider @jcarr to be in a rare circle of such ) can voice a cart as they wish. He must then be making conscious choices. Have you asked him why?

Here is a measurement of a cart purposefully voiced in honor of such Koetsu type profiles.


A lot of research indicates this to be nearly ideal for perceived proper balance in home audio, although some would advocate for the speaker to be the place this sort of response is achieved.

 

[sbo6]

A year and a half later and back on topic. This? https://www.theabsolutesound.com/ar...-master-cartridge-and-grand-master-equalizer/

 

[Zeotrope]

I would not say it’s the best. I think the optical technology is clever and creative; but in my opinion with analog reproduction, simplest is usually best. Converting mechanical movement to light and then reading that light adds steps that are unnatural. Think of how the sound was created in the first place: with the mic membrane moving in a magnetic field. This is exactly what a traditional cartridge does, in reverse.

 

[sbo6]

I would not say it’s the best. I think the optical technology is clever and creative; but in my opinion with analog reproduction, simplest is usually best. Converting mechanical movement to light and then reading that light adds steps that are unnatural. Think of how the sound was created in the first place: with the mic membrane moving in a magnetic field. This is exactly what a traditional cartridge does, in reverse.

Curious if you've heard it?

Also, there are benefits, some synonymous with going MM to MC via less weight post - cantilever.

IME, it's not just about simplicity, it's about the best approach.

 

[Zeotrope]

I have not heard it. It’s all so highly system dependent at this level, that even if I had heard it, it would have to have been in my room.

 

[Young Skywalker]

The question posed by this thread is akin to asking, “is there a world’s best gearbox for a car or a world’s best speaker driver for a loudspeaker?”

Of course, the implementation is critical to the outcome.

A high-fidelity phono cartridge (one that strives for accurate transduction) requires an extremely quiet tonearm to deliver its best. It goes without saying that an extremely quiet turntable (bearing and platter) is also essential. Then comes the manufacturing tolerances and the setup parameters (azimuth, overhang, stylus rake angle, zenith, tracking force, etc.).

 

[sbo6]

The question posed by this thread is akin to asking, “is there a world’s best gearbox for a car or a world’s best speaker driver for a loudspeaker?”

Of course, the implementation is critical to the outcome.

A high-fidelity phono cartridge (one that strives for accurate transduction) requires an extremely quiet tonearm to deliver its best. It goes without saying that an extremely quiet turntable (bearing and platter) is also essential. Then comes the manufacturing tolerances and the setup parameters (azimuth, overhang, stylus rake angle, zenith, tracking force, etc.).

Most things are part of a system, that is expected, and the parts of that system determine the experience. A cartridge being part of analogue system = experience is no different. And one can infer based on experiencing that system and others that include, in this case a cartridge whether it is considered, to their ears the best. Net - the OP's question is valid.

 

[Young Skywalker]

Most things are part of a system, that is expected, and the parts of that system determine the experience. A cartridge being part of analogue system = experience is no different. And one can infer based on experiencing that system and others that include, in this case a cartridge whether it is considered, to their ears the best. Net - the OP's question is valid.

High compliance cartridge on a high mass tonearm = not good. Same high compliance cartridge on a low to medium mass tonearm = better. The point being, it is impossible to ascribe an absolute to something that is SO dependent on other variables. It's horses for courses. But if people are fishing for an opinion on my idea of the "best" phono cartridge it would be the Lyra Olympos. Since I sold that cartridge, I have been happily using an Acoustical Systems Archon MC mounted in an Acoustical Systems Axiom tonearm and with a Jeff Rowland Cadence RIAA EQ/preamp.