Orotofon MC Anna Diamond cartridge

[Ron Resnick]

i have no real conclusions.......but here is how i view my thinking.

as i inferred earlier, after i spent 3-4 years really deep into sorting out the digital direction and invested all the way into my dac, server and network, the performance has been very satisfying. adding streaming with Tidal and Qudoz over the last couple of years really expands the musical world access to an infinite level, and the internal PCIe drives of the Extreme server takes files to a level beyond. it's so easy to listen to the digital and it's so good i tend to let it rip.

the last year or so of my digital efforts i could see i was hungry to take another step forward with my analog. obviously i committed to the AS-2000 with that in mind, and added another Studer A-820. i did re-think the turntable choice for a multitude of reasons, but was very curious and hungry to explore vinyl reproduction choices more widely. this past year starting with the Durand Tosca tonearm in May, i've added pieces and have been sampling them, and now i'm near the closing point of this effort......just adding a few last ancillary pieces. the Etsuro Gold addition did gobsmack me and caused me to re-assess things a little. i'm coping with that now.

probably an outside influence these last 6-9 months or so while i have been adding vinyl pieces has been that my work stress has increased and so my residual energy for vinyl listening has been lacking. and as a side issue when i have gear that is in a state of change i tend to listen to something else wanting to hear it 'complete'. real life does rear it's ugly head and intervene in our feelings. i have been thankful i can just load a playlist and let it wash over me. hopefully this level of work stress is backing off now......but i'll just have to see how that goes. at 68 years old i do appreciate that i have my work energy limits and need to portion it correctly. i still work 6 days a week and am always on call. the price i pay for all my toys.

next comes the re-focus on the media side of vinyl like the streaming did with the digital.

Ron; what do you conclude?

Thank you for this thoughtful and introspective chronology, Mike.

Even if I am playing armchair audiophile psychologist, I am nonetheless viewing your statement of facts through the prism of my own analog bias/preference. With that disclaimer, onto my diagnosis!

It seems to me that you achieved a high level of satisfaction with your digital playback efforts, maybe even a higher level of digital satisfaction than you expected or even thought possible. Maybe that high level of satisfaction prompted you to want to reach the next level of nirvana on the vinyl playback side.

I suspect that you believe in theory (maybe in philosophy? Maybe I am projecting?) that state-of-the-art analog should always provide a greater suspension of disbelief than state-of-the-art digital, and perhaps you wanted to make sure that your analog playback capability remained the source which affords your highest emotional connection to the music. So after achieving SOTA digital playback you wanted your vinyl playback to regain its lead.

Of course you have a natural curiosity to figure things out, and you wanted, simultaneously, to scratch a couple of different analog playback topology itches (belt drive, idler, linear-tracker, new brand of cartridge) along the path to achieving the next level of vinyl playback nirvana.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Ron,

when we come to our personal daily decision point for what we do with our free time, i submit that it's rarely so deeply considered as you suggest. and how our accumulation of 'pretty things' relate to what we do, is highly variable. we all have an element of 'collector' and 'trophy' components in our reasoning's too.......but when i want to just chill i chill. when i'm eagerly anticipating listening to something exciting it does push me to bother a little more.

if i never heard analog again my life would be very finely lived anyway. but i love my analog.

 

[jazdoc]

if i never heard analog again my life would be very finely lived anyway. but i love my analog.

I don't know you anymore

 

[Ron Resnick]

Ron,

when we come to our personal daily decision point for what we do with our free time, i submit that it's rarely so deeply considered as you suggest. and how our accumulation of 'pretty things' relate to what we do, is highly variable. we all have an element of 'collector' and 'trophy' components in our reasoning's too.......but when i want to just chill i chill. when i'm eagerly anticipating listening to something exciting it does push me to bother a little more.

if i never heard analog again my life would be very finely lived anyway. but i love my analog.

All very fair enough, Mike!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I don't know you anymore

sometimes i don't know myself.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

sadly, i did sell my Anna Diamond. i will miss it. and highly recommend it.

my wife is happy. i still have my much loved, trusty, GFS.

thank you to those who inquired.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Yep, at Mike’s place “just one more cut” is easily followed by “just one more cut.” My recent visit, we ended with a Stevie Ray cut played on the CS Port with the Etsuro cartridge. I think we both were transported to another dimension, ‘cause when it finished we were both gobsmacked! It was so real I wanted to reach out and thank SRV for playing for us.

Ha, which SRV tracks? Next time you are there have Mike play Dean Martins "If you were the only girl". I had to open my eyes because I thought I smelled cigarettes and Bourbon and expected Dean to be standing there. Even with my eyes open I was still looking for him. That track on that kit is hauntingly real and in perfect proportion, it tingled my spine!

Any time SRV comes on I stop and listen and will usually sush those around me.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Ha, which SRV tracks? Next time you are there have Mike play Dean Martins "If you were the only girl". I had to open my eyes because I thought I smelled cigarettes and Bourbon and expected Dean to be standing there. Even with my eyes open I was still looking for him. That track on that kit is hauntingly real and in perfect proportion, it tingled my spine!

Any time SRV comes on I stop and listen and will usually sush those around me.

'Tin Pan Alley' on 45rpm was just out of this world amazing. you think you heard the bass as good as you could ever hear it, then it enters a realm that is just in another dimension. i was sitting behind Bob, who was in the sweet spot, and it was a compelling musical moment for me. and i know how much more involving it is from up there.

come on over and we can do it again. i just emailed Joe Pittman about putting together a session soon.

note; if you are coming to this thread blind, these last 2 posts relate to the Etsuro Gold in my system, not the Anna Diamond.....it could be confusing.

 

[audioguy1958]

I was wondering if you could comment on differences between the A95 and the Anna Diamond? Is there much of a gap in performance?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I was wondering if you could comment on differences between the A95 and the Anna Diamond? Is there much of a gap in performance?

short answer; yes.

i've personally not owned an A95, only heard it at shows.

i did own -2- A90's back a few years, then two different regular Standard MC Anna's over a 6-7 year stretch. i would place the A90, A95 and Standard Anna all in a similar level of performance. the A95 is a bit more full sounding A90, and the Standard MC Anna is more tonally and textually rich than either of those.

the Anna Diamond and Century are on a whole different level of performance; in terms of the combination of speed, detail, bass weight, space, and dynamics; while being at least as rich as the regular Anna. the Anna D plays at the highest level. it took my Etsuro Gold to surpass the Anna D, in my experience. the GFS is different but at the Anna D. level too.

 

[audioguy1958]

Thank you for your impressions, I own the A95 now and use it with a custom tube phono stage. It sounds very rich to me, extremely detailed and tonally very beautiful. It's almost overwhelming. However it doesn't have as wide a soundstage as other cartridges in that price range, nevertheless it is a keeper.

The Anna Diamond will have to wait for at least a few years for me. Or perhaps the Goldfinger you've discussed above.

 

[dkrm]

I just received my Anna Diamond today. It is everything what been said here and I am very pleased with it. It is so much diff from original Anna. It is almost came from completely different family. I was sceptical originally to go for anna diamond when someone in my household broke the cantilever of the original anna. After weeks of more ‘restraint’ listening to Madake (it is a good cart, i love it too), i decided to get the Anna Diamond and I could not be happier. Thank you for all the review..

 

[Ron Resnick]

Congratulations, dkrm!

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

from what SRV album is that 45?
Tin Pan Alley is on several different SRV albums
it´s both on couldn´t stand the weather and in the beginning which I have on tape..

 

[audioguy1958]

Beauty!

 

[hbsry2001]

I too was nervous about the diamond cantilever's potential fragility, but after running Koetsu Diamond since March I've relaxed a whole lot about that. No experience with "blows" to diamond, but I'm not sure boron models have much of a practical advantage there. The only accident I've had with a Koetsu (getting slammed into the spinning record and bounding across it) was an Onyx boron; the stylus popped right out, never to be seen again, with the cantilever visibly unharmed - so any hypothetical strength advantage of the boron was for naught in that case.

The only downside is that they tend to be a little shorter and harder to see/align with the naked eye (tough on a SMARTractor; Mint LP should still be good). It absolutely raises the level of performance of the cartridge, as Christian writes, and it's pretty striking. Much better than boron.

I havent had the joy of hearing either the Koetsu or Anna D but do have one of the few Transfiguration Proteus D carts released before the owner died and the family closed the business (what a tragedy). I must say the diamond cantilever seems to allow an openness and air in the mids and highs that Ive not experienced before. Bass is tight and good definition. I wonder if either Koetsu or Ortofon would consider retipping mine when I need it?

 

[kodomo]

I just received my Anna Diamond today. It is everything what been said here and I am very pleased with it. It is so much diff from original Anna. It is almost came from completely different family. I was sceptical originally to go for anna diamond when someone in my household broke the cantilever of the original anna. After weeks of more ‘restraint’ listening to Madake (it is a good cart, i love it too), i decided to get the Anna Diamond and I could not be happier. Thank you for all the review..View attachment 74414

I may sound weird in this forum as I do have the forum favorite VdH MS Sig Strad but prefer the Miyajima Madake and keep the MS in its box. Madake sounds and measures really good in my setup, no hype, no show off, transmitting what is in the groove. I almost went for an Anna diamond before too (ordered and cancelled after getting the surprise Madake).
I would very much like to hear what are the differences you hear on Anna D vs Madake. I would also like to hear more in depth about your setup.
Enjoy!

 

[BruceD]

I may sound weird in this forum as I do have the forum favorite VdH MS Sig Strad but prefer the Miyajima Madake and keep the MS in its box. Madake sounds and measures really good in my setup, no hype, no show off, transmitting what is in the groove. I almost went for an Anna diamond before too (ordered and cancelled after getting the surprise Madake).
I would very much like to hear what are the differences you hear on Anna D vs Madake. I would also like to hear more in depth about your setup.
Enjoy!

Yoh, Ah at last someone who also likes the Madake--It replaced the Jan Allaerts in my setup the Miyajima MC is super smooth and glorious in its nuances when mounted on the 4point--I can listen for hours !.

It is not as outright dynamic as my Ortofon A90 ( I also considered the Anna but happy with best of both worlds-ha!)which trend to be more vivid-great for attack on say Modern music genre . My Shindo 301 SPUA settles in between both--for when I seek the Idler moment !

Good Listening,

BruceD

 

[Hamburger]

Sorry to go off tangent from the Anna D., but where is the MC Century positioned in the scheme of things within the Ortofon family? Thank you.

 

[kodomo]

Yoh, Ah at last someone who also likes the Madake--It replaced the Jan Allaerts in my setup the Miyajima MC is super smooth and glorious in its nuances when mounted on the 4point--I can listen for hours !.

It is not as outright dynamic as my Ortofon A90 ( I also considered the Anna but happy with best of both worlds-ha!)which trend to be more vivid-great for attack on say Modern music genre . My Shindo 301 SPUA settles in between both--for when I seek the Idler moment !

Good Listening,

BruceD

My Madake is also mounted on a 4 point. I think it is a very good match. It may not sound as extended in highs but when I measure it actually is but it is balanced and not hyped. It was after a forum suggestion that I removed the trough from my 4 point and everything got even better so you may like to try that.

Now, I wonder how the new Miyajima Destiny is