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Fidelity Research cartridges

Any FR cartridge experts out there? Raul? Dertonarm? Syntax?
I have had an FR-7 which I bought a while ago. I tried it ever so briefly when I got it on an arm I now recognize as not being able to handle that weight (close, but no cigar). I just now pulled it out for kicks and after getting it adjusted with the big counterweight, I am VERY pleasantly surprised. Actually, I'm feeling kind of bubbly. It does not dig out the utmost in detail, but it just sounds very right.

Are there any other FR carts out there which are real steals if still in good condition? I know the MC-702 and the FR-1Mk2 and Mk3f by name, with good reps being assigned to the Mk3 and the MC-702. Given that the MC-702 and the FR-7 look quite similar, and they were offered at about the same time, what is different? And is the FR-7 just an integrated headshell version of the FR-1Mk3?
t_bone
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear chakster, comparing apples with pears is curious business. 
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
The only way to understand is actually HEAR/USE the cartridges.
I don’t want to change/swap cartridge or toneam utill i understand the sound character, the reason why some carts waiting in line. It’s the process, time consumming. I am stuck with Miyabi because it’s a pure pleasure to listen to it, so nice that i don’t even want to change anything. On the right side last night there was my Glanz 61 on EPA-100 and it was also great, but different. 
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
My Gosh what an romantic picture. If this picture say something
about you than I understand your problem. But there is this 
prosaic saying : ''love make people blind''.
bukanona
174 posts
 
I can't compare MM against Ikeda cartridges against MM -transient response and and fluency of orchestral passages is in another level.

Thus if MC cartridge is in pair with any MM/MI cartridge I am skipping it.

It's not limited to Ikeda - I like SPU Gold Reference especially for jazz vocals. 

Also I have heard some prototypes MC frontcoil with electromagnet which was very special. 

IMO if it's good cartridge MC has to be superior. Don't get me wrong - it's my opinion, it's subjective to my hearing apparatus :)
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
IMO if it’s good cartridge MC has to be superior. Don’t get me wrong - it’s my opinion, it’s subjective to my hearing apparatus :)

It depends on the choice of MM/MI, i don’t use ordinary MM cartridges at all, after a years on audiogon i realized that some people never tried a good MM and don’t know about certain models. I’ve mentioned convenience earlier, this is the goal of MM (when we have many spare styli with different profiles, different cantilevers). Actually MM/MI can be very good even compared to top MC.

But anyway, i like both types (MM and MC) and it’s interesting. In my system i have two identical turntables with 2 tonearms on each turntable, so i can compare everything. FR-64fx with N60 and FR 7fz cartridge is always there in use.

I do not listen to classical music as Nandric, jazz, funk and soul from the 60s/70s is what i listen to (mostly).

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