I’ve an Ortofon Black 2M cartridge on my VPI Classic 2 turntable, It’s a moving magnet type cartridge with a Shibata stylus and cost about $700 when purchased. I could easily be wrong, but am under the impression that the Ortofon 2M Black is about as good as it gets with MM cartridges and if I wished to upgrade I’d need to be thinking about moving into a MC, moving coil, type.
So I’ve been trying to learn something about moving coil cartridges and what differences or improvements in sound quality might be obtained by using one. My integrated amp, a Luxman 507uX Mk2, has a built in phono stage and can play either type,
Generally speaking, how much more would need to be spent on a MC cartridge before a noticeable, or significant improvement, might be heard in sound quality over the Ortofon 2M’s performance? What improvements in performance might you obtain using one a better quality MC over the Ortofon 2M Black? And third, what MC cartridges might you recommend that would fit in performance and budget wise with a system composed of the above equipment plus Magico A3 speakers. My other equipment is a Marantz Ruby CD/SACD player and a Shunyata Denali Hydra power conditioner.
I’ve never heard a MC cartridge in use so would be interested in following your advice and recommendations to see if I can find a dealer or someone that might be able to demo one so I can hear what the differences might be in performance. Thank you for any responses or suggestions
Tommy I did purchase the Fatboy and a Lyra Kleos cartridge at the same time. It's still nice to not have to fool around with the Unipivot's propensity to move about so much while placing it on a record. Since I installed both on my VPI Classic 2 simultaneously, I can't differentiate what improvement came from the tonearm and what came from the cartridge. I'm happy with both though especially with the overall clarity and detail to the sound with that combo. If you do upgrade just your tonearm and stay with the came cartridge I'd be interested with your impression of the Fatboy versus your current tonearm.
Sandthemail. Thanks for your response. When I do get a more expensive cartridge I think I’ll get a professional to set up the installation for it this time. I’m a DIY type guy and worked hard at trying to get all the settings correct for the Ortofon 2M Black on my VPI Classic 2, but who knows how well I succeeded. I’d never done this before and had no baseline to know how well or not it was set up when I was finished.
I found an individual about a couple hours away in Charlottesville, Virginia who specializes in VPI turntables and their set up. I’ll be contacting him. It’s impressive you were able to figure out all you did to gets yours to perform as well as you have.
I just made a jump from MM to MC. I have a Technics 1200g and have been running Audio Technica VM740ML and VM750SH. These are great sounding MM carts that track well and are quiet in the groove.
For my foray into MC carts, I intended to go right to the ART 9 but decided that I’d like to travel up the line and start with the AT33PTGII.
I was a little disappointed at first. But I ordered various size mats get the tonearm level and I gotta say, this is a great cart to start with...YIKES! Getting the VTA spot on made this thing come alive.
I now have this cart slightly tail down on thicker 180gram vinyl and dead level on standard vinyl. Can’t wait to try the AT33SA as I’ve heard this has more detail.
Enjoy trying different carts out. And pay special attention to set up.
Thanks Eric. You're most likely right. I did buy a second hand Shunyata Denali Hydra power conditioner a couple years ago and that's worked out well. Usually I stick with new though.
Jim, your posts are so encouraging. If the Lyra Kleos and Soundsmith’s "The Voice" sound as similar as you say, maybe I’ll go with The Voice. It’s priced a fair amount lower than the Kleos plus Soundsmith has an economical rebuild program if the cartridge ever needs it.
I called Soundsmith today. They recommended The Voice too out of their product line, as it would work on the Luxman 507ux MkII amp’s SS setting, while their LO cartridges wouldn’t work on its’ MC settings. Another person I spoke to elsewhere today about both these cartridges happened to be a Sussorro owner. She recommended the Soundsmith Voice as well. It’s interesting you mentioned they are similarly constructed.
I’ll drop the Koetsu Rosewood as a possible choice for the reason you mentioned. Maybe I’m starting to get this wrapped up. Thanks again,
@skyscraper, I have a Voice and it is a great cartridge. It is a wonderful tracker, is very quiet as it has a great stylus and is beautifully put together. Most people given an AB between the Kleos and the Voice would not be able to tell the difference as long as the volumes were matched. The Koetsu is the outlier. It will not track as well as the Voice or Kleos and is colored. There is not one Koetsu cartridge I am interested in. My next cartridge is likely to be the Lyra Atlas Lambda SL in combination with the Channel D Seta Plus transimpedance phono stage. Lyra is special. Johnathan Carr's cartridges routinely measure better than any other moving coil cartridge. This actually says a lot about the Voice. It is a lot of cartridge for the money. It is the exact same cartridge as the $5000 Sussurro with a few more windings on it's coils. They are priced differently because they exist in different markets. I got the Voice because the phono stage I currently have just does better with higher output cartridges. It is an ARC PH3 SE and it is killer with high output cartridges. It got me through my child rearing years and it is just about time to move on. I will undoubtedly get more than I paid for it. At any rate I think you have landed on two great choices and which way you go depends more on money than anything else.
Anybody have a thought on Soundsmith’s "The Voice" High Output Moving Iron cartridge. I was informed today that "The Voice" would work with my Luxman’s integrated amp’ using it’s MM phono stage setting. It’s at the low end of my price range at $3000 and is well reviewed. I’m wondering how it might compare with the Lyros Kleos, or another possible choice, the Koetsu Rosewood at $3995, the high end of my price range..
I’m not absolutely sure that the Koetsu’s specs match up to work with the MC settings on the Luxman, but was told they would. If anyone could confirm they would or would not, that would be helpful. Thanks,
Ericsch- It would be nice to have more options and flexibilty than the Luxman MM/MC settings provide. But I’d prefer not spend the amount it would take to get a good quality separate phonostage. I only buy new and that would likely take a $1000 plus out of my budget, not too mention whatever the extra wires to it might run. I’m much too cheap for that.
Thank you for your suggestion though. It’s a sensible option. I’ve already two or three good cartridge choices within the limitations of the Luxman’s built in phono stage, so it should work out.
Johnnymics- glad you like your Hana ML. Seems like they manufacture some exemplary cartridges.
Jim, Thanks for the feedback the Lyra Kleos will work with with my integrated amps moving coil input. That’s good news. I’m working on a new list of MC and MI cartridges that fit my budget and will work with with my Luxman 507uX’s built in phono stage. The Kleos has moved to the head of the class now. I’ve an email in to Soundsmith and will contact Uptown Audio see if either sell any other cartriges that will fit the bill.
Big_greg, thanks for sharing your friend has your old VPI Classic 2 with both the dual pivot mod and a Lyra Kleo cartrige. I was reading up on the Kleos on the Lyra site. yesterday. They seemed to be recommending a steadier tonearm than the unipivot might be without the mod. So I’ll take your experience as a confirmation VPI’s dual pivot mod might be just the route to go. That’s more good news.
Again, anybody with MC or MI cartridge recommendations that fit my budget of $3000-$4000 and meet the specs of my Luxman 507ux MKII phono stage listed above, I’d very much welcome your suggestions. Thanks each and everyone of you for your input thus far.
I sold my VPI Classic 2 with a Classic 3 tonearm and dual-pivot to a friend. I was at his house last week and he recently acquired a Lyra Kleos and it sounded fantastic. Seems like a great combination.
@skyscraper, if you can afford a Kleos go for it, it is a fabulous cartridge and will work perfectly with your moving coil input.
You have to pardon Raul. He can sound a bit harsh due to the language barrier. He always means well. He is a realist and generally hits the nail on the head but many people do not want their nails hit.
I have the Hana ML and I love it. I think the retail on it was $1200, but I was able to get a break at my local hi-fi shop. I absolutely love it. It’s on a Debut Pro and powered with the Parasound JC3 Halo jr. I think it sounds amazing. I would feel confident with any Hana cartridge based on my experience.
Does it look from the specs above the Lyra Kleos has the same theoretical optimal load of 91 ohms? I don’t know how to read the specs with any degree of certainty. It would be nice it would work like Jim’s Lyra Delos does.
been giving you hints….a Delos and the pivot kit upgrade for your arm will run circles around a Kleos in your unipivot…. i run a Delos in a $7 k Triplaner…. save the Kleos $, fall back ( which will really be forward ) to a Benz or Delos or Dynavector at $2 k…..
Mr._m, I will do just that and have already started.
Tomic601, The Lyra Kleos has the same 91 ohm optimal loading. If your Delos can run at 100 ohms loading perhaps I’ve identified one potential candidate for purchase in the Kleos. Music Direct carries both.. The Kleos fits my budget at Music Directs price of $3695. Thanks.
Anyone know of a reason or spec that might lead you to believe the Kleos might not work witn my Luxman 507uX integrated amp or VPI Classic 2 turntable?. Below are the specs for the Lyra Kleos listed on the Music Direct site.
Lyra Kleos Specifications
Type: Moving Coil, coil and flux field centered design
Output voltage: 0.5mV
Frequency response: 10Hz - 50kHz
Channel separation: >35dB
Diamond stylus: 3x75µm Lyra designed Ogura long footprint Line Contact
Overhang Alignment: 0.12mm Locator Hole Precisely Aligned over Stylus Tip
Magnet(s): Dual disk neodymium
Coil Former: 5N iron core & 6N copper coils
Cantilever: 0.3mm Diameter Ogura Solid Boron Rod
Tracking force: 1.7 - 1.8 grams (1.75 Optimum)
Dynamic compliance: 12 x 10-6 cm/dyn
Internal impedance: 5.4 ohms
Inductance: 9.0 uH
Recommended Impedance: 91 - 47kOhms
Weight: 8.8g
Why don't you search out MC carts with a 100 ohm load? Don't know how many carts are rated that low, but might be worth researching. Im not shilling for Hana ML, but it is a cart that works nicely with a 100 ohm load. I'm sure there are other fine carts out there at 100 ohm loading, I just haven't searched for them.
And to Raul. You don't have to tell me my analog knowledge is limited. I already know that...lol
426hemicuda. that sounds very interesting what you accomplished with your Denon 103 plus cost effective. If you were living close by I’d like to see how you did that. I admire anyone with the skill level and. know how to accomplish something like that.
Dover- thank you for your explanations and offering alternative cartridges to consider. This is a difficult subject to understand for an end user not conversant with electronics. So I appreciate you taking the time to try and explain some things. I’ll research all the alternative cartridges you recommend.
Raul, I don’t know much about the nuts and bolts of electronics, but should be able to figure out with some help an appropriate higher end cartridge compatible with the rest of my system. At the least, t am trying to learn so I don’t make too bad a mistake, so bear with me.
I’ve somewhere between 1300 to 1500 vinyl albums. I haven’t counted them in years. It varies, but I usually divide my listening time about equally between vinyl and CD’s. I’ve considerably fewer CD’s but their all newer to my collection and easier to use, so they get more use per capita. I’ll generally play two or three albums or CD;s per day on average.
2channel- thanks for your input and sharing your journey through the cartridges you’ve owned. At this point maybe I should just be soliciting recommendations on cartridges that fit my price point ($3500 range) that would be compatible with my Luxman integrated amps specs and my VPI Classic 2 turntable. I’m a bit disappointed both the Paua and Van den Hul LO won’t work. Thanks for the link too. I’ll check it out.
Mike
I copied the specs from the Luxman manual below for anyone who might be following along and interested and trying to learn about this subject and the specs under discussion.
I.ve never heard the Orfofon. Mt reference for an MM is the Sure V15 RS with a Jico SAS stylus, which is/was quite highly regarded. When I upgraded to MCs I went through the following progression on my Oracle Alexandria MK III/rewired Sumiko Premier MMT through a Musical Musical Surroundings Phomomena II phono stage:
Denon DL-301 II
Dynavector 10x3 (I was just curious)
Hana EL
Hana SL
Audi-Technica AT33PTG/2
The sweet spot for me (and the best of the lot by a large margin) is the Audio-Technica. Cheaper than the Hana SL and just a more profound, realistic, musical device. I recommend it highly and so do all these people.
If it's too costly or you feel you need to invest in a phono stage and scrimp on the cartridge for now, I definitely think the Denon is a no-brainer. You'll find more folks in the DL-103 camp, but I went for the 301 for it's balance and refinement, but that was based on reviews I read; not A/B comparison.
Dear @skyscraper : " The 470 ohm setiing is available as the MM phono amp (phono stage) setting on the Luxman 507uX MK II. So I should be good there if I end up going with the Paua. "
You have a big problem and is that your knowledge level is not low but non-existent at all. Your Luxman MM stage has not the gain need it to handle the LO SS cartridge.
I already told you that for that PAUA MK2 can run in you unit a Technician need to change the stock 100 ohms resistor for a 470 ohms. That’s all what you need it.
Btw, how many LP’s do you own?
Sorry to say this but if I was you with your non-existent know how I just be steady with my 2M Black till I learn because analog is extremely demanding in knowledge levels that you just unknow at all. You not even know what to know about.
Sorry - I have listened to the Paua extensively - it requires a load of around 470ohms to 1k. Optimum is around 800-1000ohms - therefore it will not match the Luxman. It needs the gain of a moving coil phono, but your phono loading is limited to 100ohms on the MC input - too low for the Paua.
The high output Soundsmith range - Voice/Aida/Zephyr mkIII. are designed for MM input at 47k and may suit. The output is low at 2.12mv, but your MM phono inputs specs out at 2.5mv - you might have to turn the volume up a little.
The van den hul Frog/MC One Special require minimum load of 200 ohms - again will not suit the phono in your Luxman.
However the Van Den Hul MC Two is a high output version that will run into your ?MM input - it has 2.25mv output recommended load 47k
If you are looking at moving coils - the following have recommended loads of a minimum 100ohms
Audio Technica ART9 series
Dynavector
Koetsu
Ortofon Cadenza series
Check out Air Tight PC7 - in you price range and very good match - they make the Luxman MC cartridge.
Coming back to the Paua - it is an outstanding cartridge - if you purchased the matching Soundsmith MCP2 phono you would be very happy. I have compared the SS MCP2 phono to the Lamm LP, Linn Uphorik and other more expensive phonos with the Paua and the MCP2 holds its own. From what I can see from owners who have compared the phono stages in the Luxman integrated amps to separate modest priced phonos the Luxman phono is average.
For a number of years I sold wood bodies for the Denon DL-103 and 103r cartridge, on Ebay. For a couple of years I used a Ortofon 85th Anniversary SPU moving coil cartridge. If you can even find one, a lovely sounding cartridge, but pricey. Ranging anywhere from $2,500-$3,500. I have had a number of Soundsmith Ruby Cantilever / Optimized Contour Nude Contact Line Diamond Denon 103r cartridge's, and when I purchased a Pete Riggle "Woody" tonearm, he suggested I just try the factory Denon 103 on his arm, with no modifications. I nuded a new Denon 103, inserted it into one of my Panzer wood bodies, potted with beeswax and what I heard made my jaw drop. I ultimately sold both of my Ortofon cartridges and never looked back. So, do yourself a favor, purchase a Denon 103, nude the cartridge (very easily done) insert it in a nicely made wood body, pot it (not mandatory) and give that a try before spending a sizable amount on one of those boutique type cartridges. If you properly setup your tonearm, I am confident you will be quite please with what will amount to a $400-$450 cartridge, and I can assure you, it will stand up to virtually any cartridge several times or more the cost you will have invested in the Denon in wood.
I emailed Soundsmith to get an answer on the compatability of the Paua mk II MI cartridge and the Luxman integrated’s phonostage. I’ll post the answer from them for anyone interested.
Erichsch- this is getting increasingly confusing. If the loading impedance for the Soundsmith Paua MI cartridge is 470 ohms, is that different from the listed 47 k input resistance listed in the Luxman 507uX Mkii specs? The electronics terminology may be lost on me. When I saw the 47 in both I thought it must be the same figure. Maybe not. Somebody please steer me straight. Thanks,
Until recently I might have agreed with the conventional wisdom. I have used an Accuphase AC2 MC cartridge into a Counterpoint SA-2 Headamp into an ARC SP-6 preamp for years, because it sounded about as good as you can get. But recently in my second system I installed my old ADC XLM with a new ZLM original manufacture's Shibata cartridge feeding the phono preamp stage of an Accuphase BT-2 preamp (which equals the SP-6 phono stage) and get equal/better sound. Since you already have the Shibata stylus'ed cartridge, try carefully and painstakingly adjusting the Vertical Tracking Angle of the cartridge. Very small differences change the sound a lot. Get it right and then judge your satisfaction. If it sounds very good and "right" to you, then stay with it.
Mijostyn, like you I do prefer a flat uncolored response, so a Soundsmith MI cartidge should be just the ticket in that regard. Thanks for describing the attributes of their cartridges. I watched a couple of Youtube videos by Soundsmith owner Peter Lederman last night, who was describing how he designed his cartridges to address the things you mention about them. Quite interesting. I’ll do some more research on the Lyra and My Sonics you mentioned as well. Thanks.
Raul, I spent considerable time last night studying the impedance issue you mentioned in your earlier post in regards to the Soundsmith Paua impedance requirements. Not even knowing what impedance is, that took some doing. Here is what I found out. The Soundsmith Paua currently available operates at the standard 470 ohm impedance commonly used for mm cartridges. Looks like some redesigning has been done. Here are the specs listed for the Paua on the Uptown Audio site: Look at the last spec listed.
Specifications:
Stylus: Contact Line Nude, 0.100mm SQ
Radius of curvature: Nude Contact Line SELECTED
Cantilever: Telescoping Aluminum Alloy
Recommended Tracking force: 1.7 to 1.9 Grams
Effective tip mass: 0.30 mg
Compliance: 10µm/mN (low compliance)
Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB
Channel separation (stereo only): 1000 Hz >34 dB 50-15,000 >25 dB
Channel difference: <0.5 dB (Stereo)
Output Voltage: 0.4 mV
DC Resistance (DCR): 10-11 O each channel
Coil: 2.75 mH each channel
Suggested Preamp Gain: 58-64 dB
Soundsmith Recommends: MCP2 Variable Loading Preamp
Cartridge weight: 10.25 grams
Recommended Loading: 470 Ohms
The 470 ohm setiing is available as the MM phono amp (phono stage) setting on the Luxman 507uX MK II. So I should be good there if I end up going with the Paua. I’m only in the early stages of research however, so we’ll see.
I do recall you mentioning the VP 3-D bi-pivot option, now that you mention it and wondered what that was, but didn’t realize that it was a mod, rather than a separate tonearm. I am paying close attention to your posts, so please be flattered, And I do admit to never having had much short term memory, especially when it comes to remembering person’s names, I take a lot of notes, write things down, and bookmark lots of sites as I research to compensate.
Dear @skyscraper : You have really short memory. When I touched the unipivot issue I gave in the same post the VP 3-D bi-pivot option and way before that I posted a warning with SS cartridge due that can't be handled directly by your Luxman and now you are thinking in the LO PAUA MK2 that needs at least 470 ohms as loading impedance when your Luxman has fixed 100 ohms and if you want that SS cartridge you or a technician needs to change that stock resistor inside the Luxman.
I'm very sorry to hear that. I do not know what I would do without my wife. If buying stereo equipment keeps you from drinking yourself do death I am sure your wife would tell you to buy away.
The Soundsmith is one of the best tracking cartridges you can buy. Very few MC cartridges can track at their level given the same type of stylus and cantilever. Sound wise the Soundsmiths are very balanced. Their amplitude performance across the frequency spectrum is dead flat and their resonance point is way up above the audio spectrum. Because of their very low moving mass their resonance point is much higher than any MC cartridge I know of except perhaps the low output Lyras and My Sonics. They have no sonic character which for some people is their downfall. Many people prefer a cartridge with character, more bass or more treble. Some distortions can give a cartridge a euphonic character. IMHO these distortions, in most cases interfere with proper imaging.
Thank myjostin. Is there anything particularly identifiable in the sound of MI’s you know of that might distinguish them from MC’s, or make some folks prefer MC’s for some reason? I’ll study up on the ones you mention tomorrow. Appreciate your assistance,
I know what you mean about your wife’s input. My late wife would have killed me by now if she knew of all my spending on stereo equipment since she passed away four or so years ago. Appreciate yours while you’ve got her. Thanks,
@skyscraper, of all the cartridges you just mentioned the only one I personally would consider over a Soundsmith Voice is the Lyra Kleos. Lyra really makes measurably better cartridges than most MC companies. The only other two that I care for are Ortofon and My Sonic. These cartridges are fabulous but require expensive arms and phono stages to perform a their best. The monetary commitment is much greater. If you can afford them by all means go for it. I myself am hanging out with the Voice until I am ready to go for broke again. Pick a direction and head there. I always know way in advance what my next move is going to be. I have to go in baby steps to not piss off the wife. My last move cost me $20K in furnisher.
Let me post another and different question than one on unipivots, that may be less controversial. At the worst I can probably solve that issue with the VPI dual pivot mod mulveling suggested.
Mijostyn mentioned early on this thread, and above, there is a substantial monetary premium to pay for selecting a MC type cartridge, due to the popularity of MC’s. So today I began researching MI cartridges as suggested. With a budget in mind of three to four thousand dollars, do you think I should categorically be able to purchase a substantially better cartridge going the MI route? Or might it rather be more a matter of preference due to how each sounds.
The Soundsmith site lists a well reviewed MI cartridge called the PAUA MK II ES at $4000. Do any of you know how might compare with similarlly priced MC cartidges such the Hana Umani Red, Lyra Kleos, Van den Hull Frog, Charisma Audio Signature, Koetsu Rosewood Standard, Benz Micro Ebony. or others similarly priced. If MI cartridges are relatively speaking a much better value without a built in markup, it appears you could get much better cartridge at the same price with an MI. What do you think? Is that overly obvious or too simplistic? Any advice and guidance would be appreciated. Thanks all,
@safebelayer, here we are with ears again. In reality what something sounds like is unrelated to how something performs. Just because the moving coil market is different than the high output market means you are going to spend much more for similar PERFORMANCE. You can get a Gyger S stylus in $600 GOLDRING, a $2000 Clearaudio Charisma, a $5000 VDH and a $17K Goldfinger. There is a lot more to a cartridge's performance than the stylus but still.
If you believe what any one individual says a piece of equipment sounds like is an indication of it's performance...well, good luck to you. Most people, audiophiles included have absolutely, incontrovertibly no idea what they are listening to which means their opinion of what something sounds like should be suspect. It only applies to the individual. Usually, whatever they just bought sounds best.
Jasonbourne is right on the money. The Hana is fantastic; virtually nothing to compare to those overrated Ortofon's, especially a 2M ( kind of plodding and boring really ). An Audio Technica at half the price of a 2M would at the very least be its equal, if not better. I'm done spending thousands of dollars on a cartridge. When my Dynavector dies, the Hans SL low output is where I'm heading. at a third the price.
expecting universal agreement isn’t gonna happen…given you don’t want to change arm and TT, you got good advice to seek out magico owners running your phono preamp…..
The Graham Phantom is really more like a hybrid - greatly damped and stabilized by the lateral magnetic "bearing". I agree - in setup and use the Graham is as easy and comfortable as it gets in high-end analog!
The original VPI unipivot is an example of the wobble-fest that a lot of people hate. Even the unipivot bearing itself is not comparable to the Graham's, which is made of much higher quality materials and damped with a silicon bath.
The VPI dual pivot does help (at the slight expensive of another friction surface) and I've found the 3D arm equipped with it to be quite usable and nice sounding.
Certainly you are not but neither those gentlemans that posted is ok with unipivots, no matters what .
I never claimed to be an expert, just an end user, I left the expertise to Bob Graham (an actual engineer) ;-)
The matters is know-how and common sense not if we like it. Btw, the Graham was a copy-cat of Audiocraft unipivot AC3000: @tobes do you know Audiocraft changed it by the 3300?
There are certainly similarities, but also important design differences. So what?
The point of my statement above was simply that not all unipivot designs feel unstable - they certainly don't "jump all over the place" - nor are they all difficult to use (even with no experience). Setup and use of the Graham arms was a 'piece of cake'.
Analog playback is imperfect by nature, different designs make their choices in dealing with the imperfections. In practice there is 'more than one way to skin a cat' ;-)
Raul, I went back and found your post on this thread where you explained how unipivots create too much unstabillity for the cartridge/stylus in the record groove. I missed that entry somehow. Appreciate your explanation there and just above. Thanks.
Sokogear, I’ll have to make do with the unipivot for the foreseeable future, since I’m now wanting a pricey cartridge that will stretch the budget a bit, plus not being wealthy. I’ll also be going with the phonostage built into my Luxman 507uX Mk2 integrated amp.
Dear @skyscraper : " But I am certainly no expert... ""
Certainly you are not but neither those gentlemans that posted is ok with unipivots, no matters what .
I posted why unipivots are wrong tonearm design and @mijostyn that understand perfectly the why's posted too about. This is not if what we listen through we like it or not that's not the main issue the main issue is deeper than that and has to do with the task that any cartridge must does at microscopic and macro levels and that unipivots are unable to hold the cartridge to fulfill its needs at those levls. Yes, unipivot can works but in wrong way and this is the issue.
The matters is know-how and common sense not if we like it. Btw, the Graham was a copy-cat of Audiocraft unipivot AC3000: @tobesdo you know Audiocraft changed it by the 3300?
If you are OK with the unipivot and it sounds good to you, I wouldn't change it just because it is a unipivot, spend on a cartridge and phono stage. If I had no arm, I probably wouldn't buy one.
Tobes, ghdprentice, and sokogear- I’ve not noticed any problems with the VPI’s unipivot arm other than it being a little jiggly right when placing it on a record. However this doesn’t appear to be any big deal once you get used to it as ghdprentice indicates, But I am certainly no expert. Just someone who’d rather not go to the expense of a changing tonearms unless absolutely necessary. Buying a pricey cartridge is quite enough expense by itself.
Unipivots are just a pain to handle-they jump all over the place whenever I’ve demoed one. I guess you can get used to it, but gimbal arms are a breeze.
This is a gross exaggeration. I owned the Graham 1.5T and then Phantom II unipivots for a total of 28yrs and found them supremely stable and easy to use - excellent sounding too. The 1.5T replaced a SME-V and was easier to setup and more adjustable.
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