edgewear
Fantastic reference on the Halcro Hear my Cartridges thread. Crazy chock full of data! Thank you.
Fantastic reference on the Halcro Hear my Cartridges thread. Crazy chock full of data! Thank you.
At what price point do I run into diminishing returns on an MC Cartridge?
I need to replace my MC cartridge. I've had limited experience with them but I have certainly noticed a dramatic difference in performance. My first 3 were priced at $500 Sumiko, $900 Ortofon and $5000 Linn Kandid. The difference between my first cartridge and second - nearly double in price, was a very noticeable improvement. Then I took the plunge and spent $5000 (after tax) for my Linn Kandid cartridge. The difference and improvement in the quality of sound was startling. The soundstage was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Coupled with my newly acquired McIntosh MP 1100 phono pre-amp and I was hearing things in LP's that quite frankly I had never heard before. Amazing! So here's the question: At what price point do I run into seriously diminished returns on a cartridge investment? I rather doubt I'm going to have "double" the quality of sound that I received with my Linn Kandid cartridge if e.g. I went up to a $10K cartridge. So, my question to you audiophiles with loads of experience, what is your opinion on what price point (neighborhood) would take me to a place where every dollar spent thereafter would yield only micro returns. Said another way, what is the best price point to take anyone to the the same neighborhood as a person with "money to burn" on cartridges? BTW, I realize there are probably some pearls that don't cost nearly as much - and that money doesn't always buy you love. If you KNOW of those do tell.
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With all my respect to our Halcro i would never chose a cartridge based on other people system by listening to it over youtube mp3 sound video link. It may help a bit, but i think you can also go to the wrong direction if your reference is his (not your) system and mp3 file recorded with a mic in his untreated room. If this way of choosing a cartridge could be the best them life of audiophiles could be much easier. His cartridge in your system will be completely different and it depends on your tonearm, phono stage, your speakers and your room. Also your personal preferences in sound. However, he’s got some very nice cartridges indeed like many of us. Regarding the internet surfing you can listen to Kenrick Sound online and i bet you will like all his speakers and digital playback from iPod, lol. The reason is his multi-thousand dollar microphone. Everything is just great in his video, but in reality it can be different. |
@normantaylor. Price and cartridge desirability are not necessarily connected, IMO. What has been mentioned above is certainly very true. A lot of the results will be highly dependent on the ancillary gear and room. Another variable is set up expertise. For example, with Lyra cartridges, any number of differing opinions can be had... because the set up was not as exact as this line demands.. resulting in naysayers who attribute what they hear to the cartridge and NOT the real issue... a faulty, or less than exact set up! Is there a “sweet spot” in cartridge design and price point... probably depends on your musical expectations and other biases. Personally, I think your Kandid and it’s sister... the Kleos,are probably about there.IMHO. |
Halcro certainly doesn't need me in his defense, but this was not the point of his investigation if I understand him correctly. Of course comparing cartridges through such limited digital playback method is not representative of their sound under ideal circumstances, but it does make very clear that there is no generic quality difference between vintage and modern systems. This has also been my experience and I believe it is something chakster agrees with as well. But of course the caveat will always be system synergy, without which even the best and most ludicrously priced cartridges will likely disappoint. So to add to your study here are some more suggestions: Dynavector Karat Nova 13D, Victor MC-L1000, Ikeda 9 Rex, Sony XL-88D, Audiocraft AC-03 (currently MY Sonic Lab), Ortofon MC-5000/7500 and Miyabi Standard (or Mark Levinson MLC-1 and Krell KC-100/200 equivalents). These are all top level systems from the 20th century that can still be found - with a little perserverence and/or luck - for $2000 or less. I have compared these carts in my own system against my long time reference, Van den Hul Colibri XPW African Blackwood Grenadille. This is one of those Uber cartridges, being the former top model with platinum coils that retailed for $8k, years before the introduction of the current Stradivarius Signature model. They all sound terrific and on the same high level, just with different flavours. Finding the right one(s) and making some discoveries along the way has been a fascinating journey for me. If this sounds interesting to you, you're in for quite a ride. Have fun! |
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