Seven reasons to listen to Vinyl!!

[Roydrage]

Dre,

Awesome Collection!

Please Compare the ETNA and The AirTight PC-1 Supreme for me. I've been sitting on the Fence for 6 Months with Cash in Hand!

I want the Cartridge to Rock, and have Punch, But I favor Warm And Sweet... I've heard the Supreme enough that I'm pretty sure it's the one, But I can't Find anyone AT ALL to conferm it mates well with the 12" VPI 3D Arm

JV states that the Supreme does Not like Uni-Pivots so I'm hesitant, I'm afraid the ETNA will still have the Lyra analyitcal charactor, But I know for a Fact it and the Atlas for that matter will work perfectly in the the arm... Harry's Cart of Choice.

This Classic Direct Drive & 3D arm Need New Shoes!!!

Thanks,

R

 

[DaveyF]

Dre,

Awesome Collection!

Please Compare the ETNA and The AirTight PC-1 Supreme for me. I've been sitting on the Fence for 6 Months with Cash in Hand!

I want the Cartridge to Rock, and have Punch, But I favor Warm And Sweet... I've heard the Supreme enough that I'm pretty sure it's the one, But I can't Find anyone AT ALL to conferm it mates well with the 12" VPI 3D Arm

JV states that the Supreme does Not like Uni-Pivots so I'm hesitant, I'm afraid the ETNA will still have the Lyra analyitcal charactor, But I know for a Fact it and the Atlas for that matter will work perfectly in the the arm... Harry's Cart of Choice.

This Classic Direct Drive & 3D arm Need New Shoes!!!

Thanks,

R

Something to ponder....the last time someone I know went on the aural advise of another a'phile and bought without using their own ears; the results were an unpleasant aural experience all around

 

[MadFloyd]

Something to ponder....the last time someone I know went on the aural advise of another a'phile and bought without using their own ears; the results were an unpleasant aural experience all around

I think when it comes to cartridges that's all you can do. How does one hear a cartridge (with your own gear) without buying it?

 

[Mosin]

I think when it comes to cartridges that's all you can do. How does one hear a cartridge (with your own gear) without buying it?

It's a real problem; it's difficult. Inside connections help, but not everyone has them.

There are extremely good reasons why you should try your best to play them on your turntable before pulling the trigger. A cartridge that sounds wonderful on one turntable may sound even better on another, or it may be unacceptable. In high-end audio we are talking about a difference of a scant few percent, right? That few percent equals an epic fail in some cases, though.

I built a turntable a few years ago for my personal use that I thought was quite good. One cartridge I used with it was musical, yet detailed, so it quickly became my favorite. Naturally, that was the first cartridge I tried when the prototype for the Saskia turntable was completed. Much to my surprise it sounded incredibly bright to the point that I couldn't stand it even for a minute. However, there was another cartridge that sounded okay, but pretty much lackluster on the first table. It came to life in spades on the new turntable. It was as if a veil had been lifted. Both turntables had the same tonearm, by the way. The first turntable was far more colored than I had believed, so my take is to find the cartridge that best matches. If that won't work for you, getting a cleaner sounding turntable may be the answer.

I have come to the conclusion that buying a cartridge without hearing it with my equipment isn't even a consideration.

 

[MadFloyd]

It's a real problem; it's difficult. Inside connections help, but not everyone has them.

There are extremely good reasons why you should try your best to play them on your turntable before pulling the trigger. A cartridge that sounds wonderful on one turntable may sound even better on another, or it may be unacceptable. In high-end audio we are talking about a difference of a scant few percent, right? That few percent equals an epic fail in some cases, though.

I built a turntable a few years ago for my personal use that I thought was quite good. One cartridge I used with it was musical, yet detailed, so it quickly became my favorite. Naturally, that was the first cartridge I tried when the prototype for the Saskia turntable was completed. Much to my surprise it sounded incredibly bright to the point that I couldn't stand it even for a minute. However, there was another cartridge that sounded okay, but pretty much lackluster on the first table. It came to life in spades on the new turntable. It was as if a veil had been lifted. Both turntables had the same tonearm, by the way. The first turntable was far more colored than I had believed, so my take is to find the cartridge that best matches. If that won't work for you, getting a cleaner sounding turntable may be the answer.

I have come to the conclusion that buying a cartridge without hearing it with my equipment isn't even a consideration.

Interesting story. Not that I disbelieve you in any way, but I have trouble wrapping my brain around the notion that a turntable (without the arm or cartridge) can be colored in some way.

 

[Mosin]

Interesting story. Not that I disbelieve you in any way, but I have trouble wrapping my brain around the notion that a turntable (without the arm or cartridge) can be colored in some way.

I could show you. Alternately, I could explain why, but that's probably a subject for another thread.

 

[audioarcher]

Interesting story. Not that I disbelieve you in any way, but I have trouble wrapping my brain around the notion that a turntable (without the arm or cartridge) can be colored in some way.

IME the biggest coloration from the TT itself is the platter. This is why there are so many different platter mats out there.

 

[Mosin]

IME the biggest coloration from the TT itself is the platter. This is why there are so many different platter mats out there.

I agree. Unfortunately, the platter seems to be the part that gets the least attention by some makers. All the parts should be thought of as a system, not a mere collection of parts, in my opinion.

 

[audioarcher]

I agree. Unfortunately, the platter seems to be the part that gets the least attention by some makers. All the parts should be thought of as a system, not a mere collection of parts, in my opinion.

Yes, ideally the customer should not have to mod the table to get where they want.

The worst is when the manufacture uses a felt mat to cover up how crappy the platter is without it.

Sorry Dre, this is way off topic. I will start another thread.

 

[PeterA]

Thanks audioarcher. Great idea for a new thread. There is a lot of lively discussion over on Audiogon about the sound of plinths, skeletal structures versus solid plinths etc. Then there is drive type, materials, mass, etc.

Cabin Fever is setting in big time here outside of Boston. I plan to switch cartridges this afternoon to take a break from snow blowing and listening to music. AAARRGGGHHH.

 

[audioarcher]

Thanks audioarcher. Great idea for a new thread. There is a lot of lively discussion over on Audiogon about the sound of plinths, skeletal structures versus solid plinths etc. Then there is drive type, materials, mass, etc.

Cabin Fever is setting in big time here outside of Boston. I plan to switch cartridges this afternoon to take a break from snow blowing and listening to music. AAARRGGGHHH.

Link to new thread. http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?16841-Sources-of-coloration-caused-by-a-turntable&p=305618#post305618

 

[Dre_J]

Dre,

Awesome Collection!

Please Compare the ETNA and The AirTight PC-1 Supreme for me. I've been sitting on the Fence for 6 Months with Cash in Hand!

I want the Cartridge to Rock, and have Punch, But I favor Warm And Sweet... I've heard the Supreme enough that I'm pretty sure it's the one, But I can't Find anyone AT ALL to conferm it mates well with the 12" VPI 3D Arm

JV states that the Supreme does Not like Uni-Pivots so I'm hesitant, I'm afraid the ETNA will still have the Lyra analyitcal charactor, But I know for a Fact it and the Atlas for that matter will work perfectly in the the arm... Harry's Cart of Choice.

This Classic Direct Drive & 3D arm Need New Shoes!!!

Thanks,

R

Roydrage,

I think you have already made up your mind because you are leaning heavily in one direction. You just have to take the leap.

Dre

 

[DaveyF]

I think when it comes to cartridges that's all you can do. How does one hear a cartridge (with your own gear) without buying it?

Well, that's a great question. OTOH, Win's and my advice is still applicable. BTW, this problem applies not just to carts, but also arms ( perhaps even more so) and to a lesser extent TT's. However, I can say from personal experience that the cart that one buys ( on the advice of a dealer or otherwise) may be totally inappropriate for one's system. In my case, many years ago, i bought the original Benz Ruby, unfortunately due to the lack of output from this cart, my system was very noisy and not dynamic. The phono stage was mismatched to the cart, yet my dealer was convinced that the cart was right for me. I lived with this mismatch for a year and then changed up to a higher output Ruby...BIG difference. I think the answer has to be that one gets some sort of return privileges IF the cart isn't to ones liking, which BTW given the pricing of carts these days, makes sense IMHO. ( Probably NOT to the dealer/seller, however).

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

This may sound like a really dumb question, but I don't mind. People look to match their tonearm and cartridge, which makes sense. Do people also look to match their cartridge based on whether it is a straight tonearm or an S-shaped or curved arm?

 

[Dre_J]

Something to ponder....the last time someone I know went on the aural advise of another a'phile and bought without using their own ears; the results were an unpleasant aural experience all around

Sounds the same as when one makes a decision without input from 'phile friends or without getting the device of choice into their systems before purchase. Not much different than other choices from that point of view. Something to ponder....

Seems the same results you point out can happen in any of those cases without getting the device into the system.

Dre

I think when it comes to cartridges that's all you can do. How does one hear a cartridge (with your own gear) without buying it?

If possible, it could be helpful to scout out a variety of setups with the cartridge of choice to get a feel for it. However, there is never a guarantee the cartridge choice will hit every mark the purchaser has set for it. Of course, a good relationship with a dealer or friend could help alleviate some of the worry but I don't think anyone can get a complete self-induced guarantee the cartridge will be perfect.

With that said, I've had several orders of magnitude more hits than misses with cartridge recommendations and installs for those that I've helped but this process of coming to a suggestion is very long and involved. A web suggestion generally isn't going to be sufficient, which is why I don't generally do it.

Dre

 

[DaveyF]

Sounds the same as when one makes a decision without input from 'phile friends or without getting the device of choice into their systems before purchase. Not much different than other choices from that point of view. Something to ponder....

Seems the same results you point out can happen in any of those cases without getting the device into the system.


Dre

I guess that depends on whose ears you trust the most, yours or someone else's?

 

[audioarcher]

Test.

 

[Dre_J]

View attachment 19279 Test.

Nice photo Sean.

 

[BobM]

Very colorful cartridge. It's got a racing stripe (sort of)

 

[number95]

Green elder brother