Hear my Cartridges....🎶

No, not really. I only have a humble Nakamichi 700 II cassette recorder. I bought it for nostalgic reasons mostly and while it sounds very nice, it's no match for vinyl playback. For that you probably need to look at 2 track open reel at 38 cm/sec. I've been looking at this from a distance, 'cause this is where my wife draws the line. You have to pick your fights and this isn't one of them.

Anyway, the golden standard of course are professional master recorders like the Studer A-80, some of which have found their way to domestic surroundings. I believe one member here - mikelavigne - even has two, so he should be able to let you in on the intricacies of finding one is good condition. There was a time when these machines sporadically  appeared on the open market at reasonable prices, but those days have passed.

There's also the top models of domestic audio, like Revox A77, Technics RS-1700 or even Akai GX-747 (not sure if I have all the numbers correct), but again prices have gone up dramatically for well kept specimen. The reason is probably those darned reviewers who have been plugging open reel tape as the best analog source for some years now, fueling a whole new market of refurbished / redesigned tape machines and 'master tape copies' at very high prices. But with your Sony you could beat them at their game and create your own master tape copies.......

I tried, I really tried. I have made my feelings about the Decca known many times previously and I wanted to be sure that no bias crept into my assessment this time around.

In previous comparisons I always felt that the Decca was a superior cartridge to the Palladian in the areas that are priorities for me: tonal truthfulness (naturalness) and linearity. In those areas and compared to the Palladian the Decca wins handily once again.  Sound staging excellence takes a back seat for me no matter how impressive or fun it may be with another cartridge. Glad to know the Dover agrees with my ranking of the two.

Sony/Decca:
Awesome recording. Beautiful music. Much of the music was lifted and used in the Broadway musical “Kismet”. The melody heard here in the beginning was used as the melody for the song “Stranger In Paradise” from that musical.

Many of the sound staging characteristics that I heard in previous comparisons with the Decca are evident here. The Decca presents a more compact soundstage and a mid/rear of the hall perspective. Very well organized soundstage, but one feels as if sitting about half way toward the back of the hall. The Sony gives a more upfront perspective with larger individual images and a great sense of front to back with images. This is the first time that this quality has been so clear in one of these comparisons. The clarinet clearly and correctly sounds that it is sitting further back than the flute and piccolo. A very impressive sound stage. Likewise, one can hear that the French Horn is sitting further back still and there is a hint of the sound bouncing off the back wall. Great stuff. The Sony is amazing that way and I can only imagine what it sounds like in Halcro’s room.

There are a couple of areas where the Decca still wins for me, however. Again, these areas may not be priorities for some and we are comparing two fantastic cartridges. I would be hard pressed to call one cartridge superior to the other and certainly would not say that the Sony “blows the Decca out of the water”. Again, this according to my priorities.

Within the Decca’s smaller and less impressive sound stage there is slightly better linearity and with certain instruments just a slightly better sense of tonal truthfulness. All very subtle and, again, may not matter as much to some listeners and may not be evident with some music. Overall, the Sony sounds more fleshed out; perhaps a bit too much so at times. It does give a great sense of the inner texture of instrumental timbres. As does the Decca, but which does it in a more compact way due to the smaller individual images. For me, with the Sony there is a slight thickness in the lower mids/upper bass that is not present with the Decca. Listen to the sound of the bass drum. More powerful with the Sony, but one hears the sound of mallet hitting skin and the way that the drum was tuned a little more clearly with the Decca’s. For me the overall sound with the Sony is just a little corpulent at times compared to the sound with the Decca which is a bit leaner. Personally, I would feel the urge to turn down the volume on the subs one notch; or perhaps lower the xover point just a couple of hertz. Not so with the Decca. I love the sound of the triangle with the Decca. Leaner than with the Sony, but with a beautiful shimmer and long decay.

I agree with Dover that the Sony gives a great sense of the grandeur of the music and with his other comments in general. It is very impressive in that regard. Two fantastic cartridges and I would be hard pressed to choose one over the other.

Thanks, Halcro for another interesting comparison and tell Princi “nice haircut”.

https://youtu.be/HEOEZ-HOWkU

Thanks, Halcro for another interesting comparison and tell Princi “nice haircut”.

🐶
Glad you and Dover liked the recording Frogman...Decca 😃
You are a 'true-blue' (Australian idiom) Decca (cartridge) 'Fan-Boy'....👏
Not that there's anything wrong with that....
Whilst appreciating all your points (and I think we've agreed on this previously).....I am reasonably confident that were you here, in my room.....you would have to agree on the superiority of the XL-88D 🙃
The sheer size, height and depth of the image created.
The pinpoint imaging.
The transparency.
The shimmering highs and realistic lows.
They all combine to create an approximation of 'The Real Thing' more convincing than I've heard since the Avant-Garde Trios with triple-stacked BassHorns at Munich 2017......and THEY did it without the Sony!!!

Be that as it may....it's obvious that the quality of 'recording' is more important than EVERYTHING else when it comes to analogue.....
You'll notice that in the 140 odd videos I've made for this Thread.....I've used only 'Good' to 'Great' recordings IMO...and haven't repeated any 🤗
Mostly I've eschewed the 'recognised' 'approved' audiophile pressings from Mercury and RCA because I don't agree with their purported 'excellence' 🤥
Deccas are generally more to my liking but there are many other small, independent and often unheard of labels/recording studios which offer rewarding recordings.

Richard Strauss is one of my favourite composers and IMO....one of the most underrated 😢....and I've had several recordings released by World Record Club in Australia sourced from HMV and EMI but apparently pressed in Australia from the original first stamper. 
Listed on the back:-
Recording : Lukaskirche, Dresden
Producer : David Mottley
Engineer : Klaus Struben
Recorded in co-production with the former VEB Deutsche Schallplatten, Berlin
I bought these in my teens and used to play them on my father's turntable with mono ceramic cartridge 😱
Luckily I didn't ruin them...
Until I played them recently on my current System.....I had never appreciated the quality of their recording/mastering/mixing.

I'll be interested to see if you agree?

RICHARD STRAUSS 

Still following with interest. I'm trying to find time to listen on my digital rig. Will try for tonight. @halcro I have not forgot the headshell issue 😉

I would love to hear your system, Halcro; and have no doubt that it sounds fantastic.  If I am ever in your neck of the woods I’ll be sure to let you know.
The issue of “superiority” is a tricky one, imo.  For me, the respective sounds of, in this case, two truly excellent components get to a point when “superiority” is determined by superiority in specific areas that are sonic priorities; even when the other component does better in areas which are not sonic priorities.  I wrote:

**** Sound staging excellence takes a back seat for me no matter how impressive or fun it may be with another cartridge. ****

You wrote:

**** The sheer size, height and depth of the image created.
The pinpoint imaging.
The transparency.
The shimmering highs and realistic lows. ****

As you have stated, or suggested, several times previously and as the above comment seems to prioritize, sound staging is extremely important for you.  Less so for me.  I am sure that we can agree that the soundstaging with the Decca is at least very good.  I think we can then take those considerations off the table for the sake of this discussion.  Tonal considerations then become what determines for me which is “superior”.  Based on this and previous comparisons I would say that you prefer a sound with a lower midrange/upper bass range that is a little more prominent than would be my preference.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  I feel that even a little too much prominence in that range, and especially if not well integrated and tonally consistent with the midrange obscures midrange nuance which is the most important aspect of sound for me.  This is the reason that I continue to suffer the bass inadequacies of my beloved Stax F81’s.  I have not heard a more tonally truthful midrange.  
The sound with the Decca pushes some of the same buttons for me.  There is something simply tonally correct about its sound in the context of your system as heard this way.  Perhaps “in situ” it would be different, but my priorities would still be the same.  If you ever tire of the Decca, feel free to send it to me; I think Dover already has dibs on the Sony ☺️.  What an amazing collection of cartridges you have.  Congrats!  
I’ll give the Strauss a listen shortly.  One of my very favorite composers and certainly not under appreciated in my book.

Best wishes.