Angsty
Well-Known Member
One down - three to go! It was an aluminum cantilever - I wanted to blame "the housekeeper"!
Phono Cartridges - Your favorites and least favorites?
- Thread starter imajindat
- Start date
Mather
Unknown Member
Every time I drop the needle off the edge of the record I blame the housekeeper.One down - three to go! It was an aluminum cantilever - I wanted to blame "the housekeeper"!
I do not have a housekeeper.
I have a P77i, but only one stylus. It will be the last cartridge for me, when I'm on the final stretch.
But, but, but...I might just prefer the K3 all around. It was my go-to for yars, before it strangely was broken in a move, and same - have only one more stylus for it.
The JICO SAS cart/stylus combo is what I'm running now (since the move & Garrott stylus distaster), hard to fault. Just wonderfully organic, flowing sound. Very special.
Another for folks to consider, not made anymore but still can be found, is the NAGAOKA JT-555, which has a black cantiveler and Shibata stylus. Not every Shibata is equal, but this one is good (although not in the league of a Garrott Shibata).
Angsty
Well-Known Member
Back to researching and re-discovered Vessel - had forgotten about them. The A3SE was well-received on its introduction, but I have my eye on the AS3V instead, with a nude line contact stylus. I've had good success with line contact styli in the past, but in MC cartridges.
Anyone have an opinion on the Vessel AS3V based on use? Starting to get the itch to move off the Ortofon 2M Blue to something more engaging.
Anyone have an opinion on the Vessel AS3V based on use? Starting to get the itch to move off the Ortofon 2M Blue to something more engaging.
Depending on phono stage and wiring, you might want to consider the A/T 540ML.
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
Someone on Reddit suggested a Grace F9 and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it.
Of course Grace is long out of business but you can get custom replacement styli from Soundsmith.
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
Yep, though they were apparently one-time manufacture. That said, an F9 cartridge sans stylus is not *terribly* expensive. It would be a very interesting option for while the Soundsmith is being rebuilt, and it seems to be a good compliance match for the MoFi.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
Interesting to learn that the Garrott Bros., the Vessel, Shelter 201 and the Sumiko Pearl all have the same basis on a design from Excel Sound, the company who makes Hana cartridges.
I’m starting to think a lot of the info generally used today regarding arm/cartridge matching is irrelevant. You might want to check the Korf Compliance calculator. I’ve found a fair bit of difference between accepted norms on paper vs. real life experience. The Korf appears to be far more representative of real life results.
Examples:
Both the Grado Gold 2/3 and the IPT RigB500 (A/T 540ML) worked great on the MoFi. The Grado in particular should have been a disaster. It wasn’t. Hell, MoFis own cartridges are a bad match to their own turntables according to the graphs. On paper, Soundsmith, Hana, Denon 103/103R and Ortofon Quintets look good for the MoFis. You have far more suitable choices than the graphs would have you believe.
On the Technics GR, I’ve seen it said that Grados are at the edge of suitability. The Gold3 works fine, but I’ll admit it’s even better with fluid damping.
Compliance/Effective Mass Calculator
I think this just talked me out of the Garrott Brothers. The Sumiko Pearl isn’t anything to brag about and the only thing good about the $99 Vessel is the price. Yes, the Vessel can be upgraded with a different stylus, but at $230 and up, I think I’d stick with safer bets.
I love the Hana MCs. Their MMs that I’ve heard aren’t remotely in the same class. Same difference as between a Dodge Dart and a Hellcat. Same manufacturer, but worlds apart.
Jbraswell
Well-Known Member
How should one determine the compliance number to input?
It should be in the cartridge manufacturer’s published specs.
Jbraswell
Well-Known Member
Japanese Compliance spec is not useful
5 x 10-3 m/N (Using a 100 Hz record)
I think I found a lateral spec online at 13 from Paul Miller's site.
Does this look correct?
Looks correct, but looks like your acceleration at the headshell is close to the limit. Here’s mine with a Grado.
Jbraswell
Well-Known Member
It cut off y axis on the graph.
"Empirically, it doesn't seem to matter much whether the chart for your combination is at the bottom or at the top of the green zone. Stay below 0.05g, and you'll be fine."
I'm in a good spot it seems.
zombie.modernist
Well-Known Member
Which cart / tonearm is this? Usually Japanese dynamic compliance is listed in x10-6 m/n? Converting to Eastern compliance for Western calculators (cu or um/nm same thing) is a shot in the dark without proper measurements. Not sure if the 13cu measure you reference is calculated by independent testing, if so that would be the best cu value to insert into the calculator.
Honestly I wouldn’t stress it. Looks like you have a medium mass arm that should mate with most carts on the market. Unless the res fq is dangerously low, not a major issue. Headshell weight can be used to optimize.
Jbraswell
Well-Known Member
That is the copy, paste spec from Denon on a DL-103R.
The tonearm is stock for the DP-300F (Denon does not give a mass spec); 13.5 seems to be regularly used on various forums.
13cu (lateral) was calculated by Miller audio. It looks like they did calculations for several carts and that report is floating around on the internet.
zombie.modernist
Well-Known Member
Duh, I should have remembered Denon likes an even weirder stat from my time with the 110. Yeah that should work for the formula then, Miller is obviously a legit test site. Still technically two assumed values into the formula, that’s the reason I don’t really like these calculators, they present themselves an an empirical solution but you’re honestly better off with your ears and eyes as soon as you start dealing with Japanese carts.
For a more accurate result you should add headshell and mounting hardware weight (you can weigh the whole assembly and subtract the cart weight spec). But another easier way is to spectrum analyze a quick and dirty needle drop and look for a resonance peak in the neighborhood of what the formula told you. No need for test records. But just with the Miller stat we can guess you’re in the “green zone” with that tonearm. I’m usually pretty insistent on objectivity in the hobby but these calculators have lead me to more confusion than help over the years haha. You usually know if you have a bad match just by seeing the cart track.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
I think the problem becomes that when you're new to this hobby, you don't know exactly what a "bad match" sounds like. Calculators are a substitute for that kind of experience, but it does invite for more individual testing to deliberately create a bad match and hear the consequences.