All of the 103's that I have heard distorts the high frequencies. All of the cartridges I have heard with "upgraded" stylus/cantilever assemblies do the same.
I would have gone this rout with my Signet if this wasn't the case.
Most Musical AND Refined vintage cartridges
- Thread starter SoundMann
- Start date
All of the 103's that I have heard distorts the high frequencies. All of the cartridges I have heard with "upgraded" stylus/cantilever assemblies do the same.
I would have gone this rout with my Signet if this wasn't the case.
I am well aware of that cartridge. Soundsmith currently supports it which is a good thing, but it doesn't sound the same with his styluses.
Anyway, I have upgraded my tonearm to a Micro Seiki, which I will be using with a Shelter 201 for a while. I may still get a Grado Platinum when they are back in stock.
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I’m not sure if Raul’s article will be helpful, but he sure does enjoy writing. Writing a lot.
I couldn’t find his original study, but he gathered up nearly every MM cartridge ever made and tested them on two turntables, each with two arms, using all + different head shells and altering impedance levels with each until he found the combination that presented each MM at its best, then rated them into three groups, best sounding, good sounding and not so good sounding. I bought a Nagaoka MP-50 as it was in the first category (and I was very pleased with its performance).
Yes, he writes a lot (maybe on the autistic spectrum), but (perhaps as a result) he performed the best (least biased/most scientific) written evaluation of a category of audio equipment that I have ever come across during my 51 years in the hobby. Maybe you can find his original study, it would definitely be helpful.
Apart from the debate that whether MP-50 offers a good value or not (I truly believe it does) with all those variables it is impossible to reach a solid conclusion. I could understand if it had been limited to two or three cartridges and tonearms but with all the variables and cartridges in play it is difficult. Which cartridge performs best with which tonearm, headshell, phono, settings, amplifier, speakers, room etc? Simply impossible and probably YMMV on most of his conclusions.
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Each MM cartridge at its best (as far as impedance load, tonearm and head shell build/weight and turntable), played over the same amp, cable and speakers. Then each in its best arrangement compared to each for final ranking. Having Asperger’s myself, I do not think that reaching a solid conclusion from such is impossible, quite the contrary.
I am no stranger to the Grado's, and had the low output Platinum on the list of potential cartridges.
I had a BlackHeart back in the early 90’s , a nice cartridge … however I seem to recall that if was a tad trixy on set-up with azimuth having to be spot on .
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I also bought a MP-50 based on Rauls advise.
It's average at best. It sits in my drawer with a few other mm's of Rauls recommendations.
That said the Audio Technica AT-25 is a superb cartridge and kills the MP-50.
Cool thread takes me way back. When I had a Grace 707Mk2 (1976?) I owned four cartridges in this order and to me improvement each time Grace F-9E, Denon DL303, Supex SDX1000, and Accuphase AC-2. I upgraded my arm to an ET2 also while I had the Accuphase to great effect. Through my Threshold FET 10HL/PC there was a slight rising top end with the 1000 and AC-2. Never bright to me though YMMV. My mother being Japanese I was fortunate to buy the three MCs in Akihibara myself. Memories...
Can you still buy Audio Technica AT-25’s new?, Do you know of any MM cartridge that “kills” the MP-50 that is available new for sale now?
