Ortofon A90

[MylesBAstor]

Agreed, and it’s for the exact reason I stated in my first post. Anything above 1K and you are unloading the cartridge so you really aren’t going to hear much change with most cartridges.




You lost me here with your comment that “relative to the 100 ohms, the SS does lose more bass control.” Do you mean above 100 ohms SS loses bass control? As the cartridge edges past the point where it becomes unloaded, the bass will become looser because you have lost your braking action. If you prefer the sound of bass that is not being reproduced optimally with tubes more than SS, I really don’t know what to say.




That sounds like an intelligent statement, but David Wilson’s knowledge extends beyond how to build speakers. I’m not saying he knows more about cartridges than J Carr, I’m just saying he wrote a great article about loading MC cartridges and why it matters.

Let's just say Dave and Jonathan are acquainted with each other. When I was out in UT years ago, Dave had Jonathan build him a one off Parnassus that was supposed to be ruler flat

 

[bblue]

This has me curious and confused... With the ASR Basis I tried it at 100 ohms and didn't care for it. 100 ohms didn't work well with the Boulder 1008 I had on loan either. Everything was bleached out. I settled on 48 ohm for about a year but experimented a bit with the impedance settings in the ASR a couple of weeks ago and found that 57 ohms was the trick.

This is pretty consistent with my findings.

The DC resistance of the A90 is 4 ohms, so maximum load should start at around 40 ohms. Then increase slowly from there to get a proper HF balance with good LF damping. I was at 51 ohms for awhile which is the flattest with my preamp (Pass XP-15 SS), compared to 88k and 192k masters of the same album. When an album is a little too dull at this setting, I bump it up to 71 ohms, which is a significant jump with a rising high end. I also fine tune VTA during this cycle to match the general character and detail of the digitals.

I can't imagine using this cartridge at loads over 100 ohms unless your system somehow benefits by the extended HF. The cartridge sure isn't flat at those settings, unless something in the preamp is loading it further!

I too adjust VTA for each record unless it's just for background. Using an ET2 LT arm. Very easy to do and hear on this setup.

--Bill

 

[pbthal]

Hi, I have just acquired a new a90, it is mounted on a Terminator linear arm and has about 12 hours on it. Love the sound but am noticing a rumble when the tonearm fluctuates up or down in the least. On perfectly flat records there is no issue but almost no records are perfectly flat. Yes I could clamp but I am moving away from clamping, has anyone else experienced this?

 

[TheAudioAssociation]

Hi, I have just acquired a new a90, it is mounted on a Terminator linear arm and has about 12 hours on it. Love the sound but am noticing a rumble when the tonearm fluctuates up or down in the least. On perfectly flat records there is no issue but almost no records are perfectly flat. Yes I could clamp but I am moving away from clamping, has anyone else experienced this?

I have to say I have not experienced this type of behavior with the A90. Is it safe to assume The you have all of the settings within the ballpark range? (VTA, VTF, SRA, Azimuth, etc?)

 

[pbthal]

VTA looks right to me, about level, VTF is 2.2, SRA, don;t have a microscope as of yet but using my lighted 7x lense it looks allright, azimuth is level across the plane of the LP tho I have not done any measurements for crosstalk to verify.

I can make an audio sample this evening along

 

[TheAudioAssociation]

It would be interesting to hear the rumble that you speak of..... Thanks!

 

[HBA]

I am using an Audio Note Step Up S5 adjusted to the A90's internal impedance ( 4 ohms ) connect to an AN M5 Phono ( MM ) + Rega Rp10 ( RB 2000 tonearm ) and the sound that came from this combination is OUTSTANDING...the A90 is very sensible to any small adjustment...by my experience the best is to combine it with a proper Step Up ( high quality one )

 

[ack]

Welcome!

 

[HBA]

Thanks ....

 

[wbass]

Anyone still using the A90 here in 2022? I saw reports on a separate thread that it's hard to get re-tipped, or that Ortofon doesn't do it.

 

[jtinn]

Anyone still using the A90 here in 2022? I saw reports on a separate thread that it's hard to get re-tipped, or that Ortofon doesn't do it.

I know many A90 users who are all enjoying their cartridge. You are getting bad information. Ortofon stands behind every cartridge they make with excellent customer service. It might be wise to avoid getting info like that from anyone other than the manufacturer themselves.

Great cartridge.

 

[XV-1]

The Ortofon A90 on the Thales Simplicty II. as I thought, the A90 needs to a retip as it's sounding a little soft.

 

[tony22]

The Ortofon A90 on the Thales Simplicty II. as I thought, the A90 needs to a retip as it's sounding a little soft.

Do you have an estimate as to how many hours it has on it?

 

[XV-1]

Do you have an estimate as to how many hours it has on it?

Around 1500 give or take. The replicant 100 stylus doesn't last as long as say the line contact that Lyra use.

 

[mtemur]

The Ortofon A90 on the Thales Simplicty II. as I thought, the A90 needs to a retip as it's sounding a little soft.

There can be many telltale signs of a worn stylus, but I don’t think softness is one of them. On the contrary, a cartridge with a worn-out stylus typically starts to sound harsh, overly bright, and—most importantly—sibilant. The increase in moderately high frequencies and decrease in high frequency extension occurs due to mistracking, as the worn stylus can no longer accurately follow the high-frequency undulations of the groove. As a result, it slips at high speeds, which eventually translates into high-frequency peaks and sibilance.


IMHO/IME, the softness you’re hearing is almost certainly related to the Thales Simplicity II. The Statement is a little better in this regard.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Around 1500 give or take. The replicant 100 stylus doesn't last as long as say the line contact that Lyra use.

I'm more likely to believe that the cantilever's suspension has become soft. I've had an Ortofon MC 30 Super II with a replicant diamond in operation for over six years. I had it checked by Axel Schürholz, and there was no significant damage to the diamond.

Have you ever performed a tracking test? Ortofon systems can easily drives 80um grooves with a good tonearm. If it vibrates strongly to the left and right, it's usually the suspension.

 

[mtemur]

I used to have an Ortofon MC 30 Super II. Its damper deteriorated over time. In my experience, damper deterioration was fairly common with Ortofon cartridges back then. I don’t know if that’s still the case today.

 

[XV-1]

There can be many telltale signs of a worn stylus, but I don’t think softness is one of them. On the contrary, a cartridge with a worn-out stylus typically starts to sound harsh, overly bright, and—most importantly—sibilant. The increase in moderately high frequencies and decrease in high frequency extension occurs due to mistracking, as the worn stylus can no longer accurately follow the high-frequency undulations of the groove. As a result, it slips at high speeds, which eventually translates into high-frequency peaks and sibilance.


IMHO/IME, the softness you’re hearing is almost certainly related to the Thales Simplicity II. The Statement is a little better in this regard.

I can't say that has been my experience. The cart generally starts to lose focus and its clarity and extension at both ends and begins to get a bit fuzzy. This is what has happened with the A90. Doesn't quite track as good and I am hearing more sibilance than normal playing familiar music.

That said, I am comparing it directly to my Atlas SL Lambda which is what I exclusively use on the Simplicity and it is the better cartridge in every respect. the A90 does look cool thou.

I keep hearing about the politeness of the Simplicity II, but with the Atlas I have never heard such. It has a purity in musical delivery I luv. The A90 is a more laid back polite cart in general.

I have had the Statement in my system and it did have better bass extension however the high frequencies were pretty much the same. I couldn't justify the doubling of the price. I also did not like the manual freeform finger lift system.

@DasguteOhr
You may be correct as the cart is 15 years old - how time flies.
I would have to try and find my old hifi news test record

Anyway, next cart to try on the Simplicity over the weekend will be the Phasemation PP2000.

 

[DasguteOhr]

I used to have an Ortofon MC 30 Super II. Its damper deteriorated over time. In my experience, damper deterioration was fairly common with Ortofon cartridges back then. I don’t know if that’s still the case today.

I had a lot of problems with EMT cartridges, and less so with Ortofon. I have a lot 20-30 year-old Ortofon MC cartridges, and none have had this kind of problem. When not in use, they go into a dark drawer UV light not good for suspension material.
@XV-1
If you are looking for a highly musical replacement cartridge, the new dynavector series is a hit. 10 thumbs up.

Phono Cartridge XX-2A | Dynavector International Site

An excellent vibration system is inevitable for a high-performance MC cartridge. The cantilever, coil, damper and rigid body are all important elements to ensure outstanding performance. But we strongly believe that the magnetic circuit in the cartridge is also a crucial element that should not...

www.dynavector.com

 

[XV-1]

I had a lot of problems with EMT cartridges, and less so with Ortofon. I have a lot 20-30 year-old Ortofon MC cartridges, and none have had this kind of problem. When not in use, they go into a dark drawer UV light not good for suspension material.
@XV-1
If you are looking for a highly musical replacement cartridge, the new dynavector series is a hit. 10 thumbs up.

Phono Cartridge XX-2A | Dynavector International Site

An excellent vibration system is inevitable for a high-performance MC cartridge. The cantilever, coil, damper and rigid body are all important elements to ensure outstanding performance. But we strongly believe that the magnetic circuit in the cartridge is also a crucial element that should not...

www.dynavector.com

Thanks. I already own a Dyna XV-1s. Had the XV-1 series for over 20 years from the original.
The XV-1s is on my LP12/ Naim ARO - very musical.