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The Soundsmith Otello, what to say?

Here's the thing, and this all kind of revolves around my change of direction over the last few months. I've owned a lot of carts over the years, ever looking for the best value, best sound, cost and so on. In no particular order these have been and continue to be my favorites, the Goldring E3 and 1042, the Ortofon Quintet Blue, the Denon DL103-R, the Grado Opus3 and my benchmark, for better or worse, the Hana SL.

That's been my quest, a Hana SL without the Hana SL price and or long term cost. That's a tall order and for the most part when trying carts I've been able to pull out the differences between X and the SL.

But here's the thing with the Otello, while I know there have to be some differences in the sound, I can't pluck those out of the air like I usually can. I would have to hear them side by side and then, obviously, I could hear where the differences are. And THAT is all I need to know about the Otello.

The Otello was described like this to me from the vendor (Not Soundsmith), "If you like Grado cartridges, the Otello is like Grado on steroids" and I gotta say, it's a dead on accurate description. I haven't quite hit 20 hours on the Otello, but I don't need to. I've been enjoying album after album without even thinking about the cartridge, I'm not looking for what it's lacking in comparison to anything, it delivers an amazing sound, warmth, full of detail, smooth tight bass, depth and fullness that rivals, and excuse the marketing hook, cartridges 2, 3 4x more expensive..............Pete wasn't wrong.

Now take that part of the formula and add the cost, at $400 ( a little less if you poke around), BANG FOR YOUR BUCK all day long. Add the long term cost of $100 to re-tip, and I struggle to find any down side as I'm listening to this cartridge.

Soundsmith-Otello.jpg

Is there "better"? There always is, but taking everything into consideration, and not feeling like I'm compromising on the sound, I'm at a good end-game. With it being an MM cart and easy to match to just about any pre, I'd recommend it whole heartedly.
 
AnthonyI said:
The Soundsmith Otello, what to say?

Here's the thing, and this all kind of revolves around my change of direction over the last few months. I've owned a lot of carts over the years, ever looking for the best value, best sound, cost and so on. In no particular order these have been and continue to be my favorites, the Goldring E3 and 1042, the Ortofon Quintet Blue, the Denon DL103-R, the Grado Opus3 and my benchmark, for better or worse, the Hana SL.

That's been my quest, a Hana SL without the Hana SL price and or long term cost. That's a tall order and for the most part when trying carts I've been able to pull out the differences between X and the SL.

But here's the thing with the Otello, while I know there have to be some differences in the sound, I can't pluck those out of the air like I usually can. I would have to hear them side by side and then, obviously, I could hear where the differences are. And THAT is all I need to know about the Otello.

The Otello was described like this to me from the vendor (Not Soundsmith), "If you like Grado cartridges, the Otello is like Grado on steroids" and I gotta say, it's a dead on accurate description. I haven't quite hit 20 hours on the Otello, but I don't need to. I've been enjoying album after album without even thinking about the cartridge, I'm not looking for what it's lacking in comparison to anything, it delivers an amazing sound, warmth, full of detail, smooth tight bass, depth and fullness that rivals, and excuse the marketing hook, cartridges 2, 3 4x more expensive..............Pete wasn't wrong.

Now take that part of the formula and add the cost, at $400 ( a little less if you poke around), BANG FOR YOUR BUCK all day long. Add the long term cost of $100 to re-tip, and I struggle to find any down side as I'm listening to this cartridge.

View attachment 152019

Is there "better"? There always is, but taking everything into consideration, and not feeling like I'm compromising on the sound, I'm at a good end-game. With it being an MM cart and easy to match to just about any pre, I'd recommend it whole heartedly.
Click to expand...
Sort of wondering if I go this route for my next cart. I like my Grado a lot but it's in need of replacement soon. I want to get a new preamp for my secondary system at some point as well...would this work well with the Jolida? I have toyed with getting an Insight for my main system and replacing the LX-LPS with the Jolida. The secondary system is what I'd need the new cart for....

I'm assuming Soundsmith retips this themselves? If so, wondering if I could just drive there and drop it off when I needed it to be re-tipped...maybe I'll give em a call...
 
MikeH said:
Sort of wondering if I go this route for my next cart. I like my Grado a lot but it's in need of replacement soon. I want to get a new preamp for my secondary system at some point as well...would this work well with the Jolida? I have toyed with getting an Insight for my main system and replacing the LX-LPS with the Jolida. The secondary system is what I'd need the new cart for....

I'm assuming Soundsmith retips this themselves? If so, wondering if I could just drive there and drop it off when I needed it to be re-tipped...maybe I'll give em a call...
Click to expand...
With it requiring 47K and 45 on the gain, it should be no problem for the Jolida or any other pre-amp. As for the Grado thing, I was truly taken a back, by Soundsmith's own admission, the Otello is "slightly warmer" than their other offerings in their line.

I would be surprised if they didn't take drop off, although I don't think it'll change the turn around time ;)
 
AnthonyI said:
With it requiring 47K and 45 on the gain, it should be no problem for the Jolida or any other pre-amp. As for the Grado thing, I was truly taken a back, by Soundsmith's own admission, the Otello is "slightly warmer" than their other offerings in their line.

I would be surprised if they didn't take drop off, although I don't think it'll change the turn around time ;)
Click to expand...
I might reach out to them/swing by sometime and check some stuff out...
 
@Baby thee Diaper

Since I can't post message pics, here's a couple that pretty accurately show the colours. The blue has a bit of a aquamarine tinge to it that I really like. And the orange is a fairly muted burnt orange color. But definitely go and see them in person because who knows what the monitor or phone screen is doing to the color. I know I looked at a zillion pics and they still looked different in person.

20211209_114319.jpg20210916_133426.jpg
 
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Mather said:
@Baby thee Diaper

Since I can't post message pics, here's a couple that pretty accurately show the colours. The blue has a bit of a aquamarine tinge to it that I really like. And the orange is a fairly muted burnt orange color. But definitely go and see them in person because who knows what the monitor or phone screen is doing to the color. I know I looked at a zillion pics and they still looked different in person.

View attachment 152039View attachment 152040
Click to expand...
Love that blue. I did see some reviews mention that the orange is more muted than photos would let on.
 
Baby thee Diaper said:
And, I believe, you're not likely to find them in stock anymore.
Click to expand...
They're still around up here somewhat surprisingly. Most places got a small allotment but I don't think they flew off the shelves. But my local had a pair and I ALMOST went for it after seeing them in person but decided against it.
 
Mather said:
Yes the teak anniversary is the nicest. But it's a lot of extra cash for esthetics and a slight woofer upgrade and bi wiring. But they are damned pretty. Also only come with black grille to my knowledge.
Click to expand...
They are also matched pairs by JBL.
Ultimate Boujie with cognac.
 
AnthonyI said:
The Soundsmith Otello, what to say?

Here's the thing, and this all kind of revolves around my change of direction over the last few months. I've owned a lot of carts over the years, ever looking for the best value, best sound, cost and so on. In no particular order these have been and continue to be my favorites, the Goldring E3 and 1042, the Ortofon Quintet Blue, the Denon DL103-R, the Grado Opus3 and my benchmark, for better or worse, the Hana SL.

That's been my quest, a Hana SL without the Hana SL price and or long term cost. That's a tall order and for the most part when trying carts I've been able to pull out the differences between X and the SL.

But here's the thing with the Otello, while I know there have to be some differences in the sound, I can't pluck those out of the air like I usually can. I would have to hear them side by side and then, obviously, I could hear where the differences are. And THAT is all I need to know about the Otello.

The Otello was described like this to me from the vendor (Not Soundsmith), "If you like Grado cartridges, the Otello is like Grado on steroids" and I gotta say, it's a dead on accurate description. I haven't quite hit 20 hours on the Otello, but I don't need to. I've been enjoying album after album without even thinking about the cartridge, I'm not looking for what it's lacking in comparison to anything, it delivers an amazing sound, warmth, full of detail, smooth tight bass, depth and fullness that rivals, and excuse the marketing hook, cartridges 2, 3 4x more expensive..............Pete wasn't wrong.

Now take that part of the formula and add the cost, at $400 ( a little less if you poke around), BANG FOR YOUR BUCK all day long. Add the long term cost of $100 to re-tip, and I struggle to find any down side as I'm listening to this cartridge.

View attachment 152019

Is there "better"? There always is, but taking everything into consideration, and not feeling like I'm compromising on the sound, I'm at a good end-game. With it being an MM cart and easy to match to just about any pre, I'd recommend it whole heartedly.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an interesting option once my Opus 3 is done... But damn, it seems to be 600€ over here
 
Anyone have experience with the Nagaoka MP-300 and MP-500 to weigh in on the differences?

I bought a used MP-300 to upgrade to a MP-500 when the stylus had worn out, but now I have reservations. The MP-300 replaced an Ortofon 2M Blue and was a smidgen better on my PLX-1000, but I was not wowed by it.

Is the jump to MP-500 worth it?

Edit: I can get the MP-500 stylus for $250-$300.
 
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Joe Mac said:
Has anyone had experience of the PS Audio Stellar Phono? Seems like an interesting piece.
Click to expand...
I've had a Stellar Phono since April 2020 and it replaced a Parasound JC3 Jr.. I wasn't seriously looking to replace my phono preamp at the time but the Fremer review had just come out and then PS Audio was offering a discount.

With their in-home trial thing, I thought it'd be worth a listen. I think like 10 seconds in, I decided to keep the Stellar Phono, haha. Not sure how much the hype impacted my decision, but I haven't regretted it all (and honestly haven't even thought about replacing it). From what I remember between my JC3 Jr. and the Stellar Phono, the Stellar Phono has more detail and a lot more grunt. Like it has this authority and confidence that I noticed right away. Keep in mind though, I haven't listened to or owned a lot of phono preamps....

I do wish some of the controls weren't so dependent on the remote though. Speaking of the remote, for such a well-built piece of equipment and considering the reliance on the remote to control most things, it would've been nice if it didn't feel so cheap, but I know remotes can get expensive to make.

Re: reliability, I never turn mine off and I listen to vinyl about 20-30 hours a week and I haven't had any issues with it, but I'm my own sample size of 1.
 
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