Based on the bad opinion of the Sumiko stated here and also the purported extreme fragility of the Sumiko I’m thinking of returning it.
The dealer is giving me the option of the Clear Audio Virtuoso cartridge.
I don’t think I can get a refund.
Any opinion about this cartridge vis-a-vis the Sumiko.
It’s either one or the other.
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?? It sounded like you enjoyed what the Sumiko was doing!
I would still consider getting the motor grounded in your turntable. But some cartridges are less sensitive to that noise (Sumiko) and there is an old saying I'm sure you've heard before- 'if it works don't fix it' :)
I've had good luck with the Sumiko cartridges. Like any other, it must be a good match with the tonearm.
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The problem is not in the hum (there is none) but in the hight end.
Whenever the volume is turned up there is a harshness in the treble.
Otherwise the sound is really exemplary. |
@atmasphere Ralph, his version of Sumiko is HOMC, not LOMC.
@nandric Nikola, if i remember correct you owned Clear Audio Virtuoso |
Whenever the volume is turned up there is a harshness in the treble. @rvpianoSo if the volume is down its OK? That might be vibration reaching the turntable when the tunes are cranked. You might want to try a platform to reduce vibration. The other thing to pay attention to is loading. High output cartridges have a lot of inductance- in concert with the capacitance of the tonearm cable, this causes an electrical high frequency resonance. That can make it sound bright if its in the audio region. If the Sumiko is higher inductance than the Grado this might be why you didn't hear that before. Its easy to tame- take a look at this link: http://www.hagtech.com/loading.htmlGetting the loading right is critical to get the most out of high output cartridges!! |
Atmasphere,
I’ve made the decision to pull the plug on the Sumiko and go with the Clear Audio. We’ll see if the problem remains.
Thank you for your suggestions. |
Dear @rvpiano : """ Based on the bad opinion of the Sumiko stated here.... """
first than all I do not seen a bad valid opinion in this thread and at the end the main and more important opinion is the one coming from you and this is what you posted:
"" But it works wonderfully on my system. It does really sing..."""
and you followed with this other post:
""" It is sounding even better. Along with the definition and detail has come a sweetness and warmth I didn’t expect. Very happy with it! """
and now you are thinking to return it. Are you seriously?
Not all audiophiles can post cartridge information experiences as the ones you had.
Who cares other person opinions? or whom are those other persons?
Cantilever fragility?, not really. VdH Colibri or the Dyna XV-1 or EMT ones comes with the same type of " cantilever fragility " and these cartridges stays in a 3.5K-7K price range and owners are really satisfied with, including me. The Virtuoso comes with almost that " cantilever fragility " too. But it's up toyou that is the person who has to live with.
There is no perfect audio items.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R. |
Raul,
You are so right!!!
MY opinion is the one that counts.
I admit, in the first couple of days, I got “carried away” with the first flush of hearing something better than I owned previously, and I had to share it.
However, upon extensive listening, reality set in and I began to hear anomalies that bothered me, such as, the beauty diminishing as I turned the volume up.
Yes, in certain parameters it’s a wonderful cartridge. And I stand by my rave.
But, could I live with it in a larger variety of music where soaring climaxes are important. In many cases, no. It became shrill. Not always, I have to admit, but enough to realize that a large part of my collection would be unlistenable if I kept it.
I need a more forgiving cartridge, even if it’s not quite the ultimate in revealing.
In other words, a real world cartridge that i can enjoy as a music lover, not just an audiophile.
Also, i read many Audiogoners who complained they had damaged or destroyed it due to it’s precarious design. Many more complaints than raves.
The combination of those two factors persuaded me it would be better to look elsewhere.
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I don’t think i can use a moving coil, because the output level of my vintage Conrad-Johnson preamp is Low and designed for moving magnet.
Many people just missed the point that you phono stage is MM only. When dealer can swap cartridge with no loss for the buyer it is nice. They got their margin anyway and you must be happy after all. Give it a try and get Virtuoso instead of HOMC Sumiko, at least Virtuoso is MM and your phono stage is MM only (47k Ohm).
If you have to choose between those two cartridges from your dealer then get Virtuoso and tell us about your experience with this MM after your experience with HOMC. Must be interesting process. |
I probably shouldn’t be writing this, but as I’m listening to the Sumiko while waiting for the Clear Audio to arrive, it sure sounds good on the best produced records. It’s just that the ordinary discs, which make up the bulk of my some 3000 records, don't sounds so wonderful. |
I have a Nagaoka mp500 with an mp300 stylus and also a Goldring 2500.
Usually, the higher the output volts of the cartridge, the slightly better it is for noise,
since you do not have to turn up the volume as much and also amplify the noise.
Classical is "typically" quieter than rock /pop/jazz where this may be important.
I therefore prefer the Goldring 2500 for classical since it "sounds" quieter.
It has an average 6.5mV output as opposed to the 3.5mV on the Nagaoka. This gives about 3-4 dB of better noise figure.
I use these on a Linn Sondek with an SME3009R arm.
I must admit I love the "looks" just as much as the sound :-). |
There are cartridges on the market with 9.5 mV output like Shure M44-7, unfortunately they are not the best MM in terms of sound quality, not better than MM with 1.5mV output. High efficient speakers is the key to keep the volume control knob down even with passive preamps and low voltabe power amps. I’m running 1.5 watt single ended triod tube amp with passive preamp, some of my cartridges are 0.2 mV and the volume control on my passive Pass Aleph L preamp is no more than 10-30%. Why? Because the speakers are 101db (and my room is not small). It is system dependent. According to Nelson Pass we often have too much gain in our devises. |
such as, the beauty diminishing as I turned the volume up. @rvpiano, If the volume has something to do with it, that's not the cartridge. |
Since the high end of the cartridge tends to be a little bright (which you might not agree with,) records that have a bright high end of their own are exacerbated by volume increase. I’m not saying it’s there on well produced records. It’s not. But on not so well produced records, which I have a lot of, it’s painful.
Until the Clear Audio arrives, I’m listening to good sounding records, and the Sumiko is really excellent!
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Since the high end of the cartridge tends to be a little bright (which
you might not agree with,) records that have a bright high end of their
own are exacerbated by volume increase. @rvpiano As I mentioned earlier, if you have a high output cartridge, loading of the cartridge is paramount for correct performance! If not loaded correctly it is common for the unloaded cartridge to be bright. This is due to an electrical resonance that is occurring due to the inductance of the cartridge and the capacitance of the tone arm interconnect cable (plus the input capacitance of the phono section). For this reason, its a good idea to use a low capacitance interconnect cable- to push the resonance up and outside of the audio band!! IOW the brightness you hear may not be an actual characteristic of the cartridge- and is just a setup issue; one which happens with many cartridges. Since this is a really inexpensive thing to deal with, its worth it to look into this before moving on. |
Atmasphere,
You may indeed be right about the inductance and capacitance, but it was much easier to change cartridges. |
Well, I just got the Clear Audio, and even without break in, the difference is very noticeable. On some of my favorite records that were harsh with the Sumiko, there is smoothness, yet no detail is lacking. I can enjoy them again!
On good sounding records, there is a smaller difference, but the Clear Audio shines as well as the Sumiko, and there might be better bass definition.
More, after I listen to a great variety of records.
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Welcome back to MM club, there is no benefits of HOMC over MM in my opinion. Glad you like Virtuoso. My advice is to inspect your Grado stylus tip and refresh it if it's worn. I love my Grado TXZ so much and i hope you can fix your Grado Reference Sonata. Here is grado factory tour, very interesting. |
I’ve listened to bits of a great variety of records, and, so far, the cartridge has done a wonderful job on almost all, bringing out details I never heard before, and yet sounding very elegant and musical. It is smooth throughout the tonal spectrum.
I’ll report more as I listen to more repertoire. |
You may indeed be right about the inductance and capacitance, but it was much easier to change cartridges. Since you now have a different cartridge, but apparently also high output, the same rules apply. You might like it now, but if loaded properly it will get better. Here is an online calculator for discerning the loading values: http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html |
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