Hear my Cartridges....š¶
Many Forums have a 'Show your Turntables' Thread or 'Show your Cartridges' Thread but that's just 'eye-candy'.... These days, it's possible to see and HEAR your turntables/arms and cartridges via YouTube videos.
Peter Breuninger does it on his AV Showrooms Site and Michael Fremer does it with high-res digital files made from his analogue front ends.
Now Fremer claims that the 'sound' on his high-res digital files captures the complex, ephemeral nuances and differences that he hears directly from the analogue equipment in his room.
That may well be....when he plays it through the rest of his high-end setup š
But when I play his files through my humble iMac speakers or even worse.....my iPad speakers.....they sound no more convincing than the YouTube videos produced by Breuninger.
Of course YouTube videos struggle to capture 'soundstage' (side to side and front to back) and obviously can't reproduce the effects of the lowest octaves out of subwoofers.....but.....they can sometimes give a reasonably accurate IMPRESSION of the overall sound of a system.
With that in mind.....see if any of you can distinguish the differences between some of my vintage (and modern) cartridges.
VICTOR X1
This cartridge is the pinnacle of the Victor MM designs and has a Shibata stylus on a beryllium cantilever. Almost impossible to find these days with its original Victor stylus assembly but if you are lucky enough to do so.....be prepared to pay over US$1000.....š¤Ŗ
VICTOR 4MD-X1
This cartridge is down the ladder from the X1 but still has a Shibata stylus (don't know if the cantilever is beryllium?)
This cartridge was designed for 4-Channel reproduction and so has a wide frequency response 10Hz-60KHz.
Easier to find than the X1 but a lot cheaper (I got this one for US$130).
AUDIO TECHNICA AT ML180 OCC
Top of the line MM cartridge from Audio Technica with Microline Stylus on Gold-Plated Boron Tube cantilever.
Expensive if you can find one....think US$1000.
I will be interested if people can hear any differences in these three vintage MM cartridges....
Then I might post some vintage MMs against vintage and MODERN LOMC cartridges.....š¤
Peter Breuninger does it on his AV Showrooms Site and Michael Fremer does it with high-res digital files made from his analogue front ends.
Now Fremer claims that the 'sound' on his high-res digital files captures the complex, ephemeral nuances and differences that he hears directly from the analogue equipment in his room.
That may well be....when he plays it through the rest of his high-end setup š
But when I play his files through my humble iMac speakers or even worse.....my iPad speakers.....they sound no more convincing than the YouTube videos produced by Breuninger.
Of course YouTube videos struggle to capture 'soundstage' (side to side and front to back) and obviously can't reproduce the effects of the lowest octaves out of subwoofers.....but.....they can sometimes give a reasonably accurate IMPRESSION of the overall sound of a system.
With that in mind.....see if any of you can distinguish the differences between some of my vintage (and modern) cartridges.
VICTOR X1
This cartridge is the pinnacle of the Victor MM designs and has a Shibata stylus on a beryllium cantilever. Almost impossible to find these days with its original Victor stylus assembly but if you are lucky enough to do so.....be prepared to pay over US$1000.....š¤Ŗ
VICTOR 4MD-X1
This cartridge is down the ladder from the X1 but still has a Shibata stylus (don't know if the cantilever is beryllium?)
This cartridge was designed for 4-Channel reproduction and so has a wide frequency response 10Hz-60KHz.
Easier to find than the X1 but a lot cheaper (I got this one for US$130).
AUDIO TECHNICA AT ML180 OCC
Top of the line MM cartridge from Audio Technica with Microline Stylus on Gold-Plated Boron Tube cantilever.
Expensive if you can find one....think US$1000.
I will be interested if people can hear any differences in these three vintage MM cartridges....
Then I might post some vintage MMs against vintage and MODERN LOMC cartridges.....š¤
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- 628 posts total
For those who have been following......after moving the AS Palladian LOMC Cartridge to the Copperhead Tonearm on the Raven AC-2 Belt-Drive.....I tried my SONY XL-88 LOMC CARTRIDGEĀ in the SAEC WE-8000/ST arm around my Victor TT-101. Not expecting too much, I didn't bother removing it from its heavy FR-3 headshell š“ And lo and behold....both the cartridge AND arm came 'alive'!! To me....hearing it in my room....it became the 'preferred cartridge' in my collection. A few weeks afterwards, I became aware that the rare (and expensive) DIAMOND CANTILEVEREDĀ version (the XL-88D) was for Auction on Japan Yahoo and because I was in love with the 'Standard' version...I was brave enough to bid 'high' for the XL-88D in SUCH FINE CONDITION..... I was so 'bowled over' by the sound of this cartridge in my system, that I started a THREAD devoted to it. SONY XL-88 LOMC CARTRIDGE SONY XL-88D LOMC CARTRIDGE Diamond Cantilever SONY XL-88 LOMC CARTRIDGE SONY XL-88D LOMC CARTRIDGE Diamond Cantilever Dover Commented:- Hi Halcro - in my view, even on standard mac ibuds/Macair, Ā it's quite easy to here significant differences between the XL88 & XL88D.Frogman Commented:- First, I agree entirely with Doverās excellent observations re the differences between the sound of the two Sony cartridges. I might describe the differences heard somewhat differently, but I think that we are hearing the same things. For instance, his observation of the superior ātimingā of the 88D, I would describe as the standard 88 having comparatively wooly bass with a sense of uncontrolled overhang. This causes it to have inferior pitch definition and clarity of bass notes compared to the 88D. Good pitch definition and clarity are key aspects of good musical timing. A rather wordy description of what Dover later described succinctly as more āarticulateā. In all, I agree with his observations re the 88Dās superior clarity and, most important for me, superior āharmonic completenessā; the timbre of instruments, saxophone and trumpet in particular, sound closer to real. |
Frogman requested a comparison of the Sony XL-88D and the AS Palladian, and Dover I believe....loves Baroque music š¤ AS PALLADIAN LOMC CARTRIDGE SONY XL-88D LOMC CARTRIDGE Diamond Cantilever |
Halcro, you MOT, awesome service you've done by letting us get a listen of these different cartridges. I am ārelativelyā new to the hobby (returned after tine away) and even on UTube, the difference berween these cartridges is so obvious. Thanks for this semi-scientific way that lets us all appreciate how significant a good transducer is.Ā |
- 628 posts total