Hear my Cartridges....🎶

That’s a very good question, Halcro. First, not all my comments about the Victors have been positive. More on that in a moment.

My past positive comments have been mostly (if not entirely?) in comparison to cartridges other than the ones being compared this time around. I think I have been consistent in my appreciation and preference for the LDR and, to a lesser degree, the Palladian. So, any past positive comments about the Victor were not necessarily in an absolute sense and in comparison to lesser cartridges it does indeed have positive qualities.  Moreover, none of the other cartridges in past comparisons were (IMO) in the league of the LDR nor Palladian. Not to mention, and importantly, the music being played was different.

As I know you know, some cartridges (all gear) perform better than others when reproducing certain frequency ranges and/or specific difficulties in those ranges. To my way of thinking it is entirely possible that the way the Marley track was recorded presents specific difficulties in the highs that tax the abilities of a particular cartridge in ways that may not be an issue with other recordings or for other cartridges.

Having said all that, here is a comment I made on 1/03/2019 about the Victor X-1 II:

**** My least favorite: the X-1II. With both the X-1 and X-1II high frequencies sound overly prominent to the point of distraction and with excessive sibilance on the vocals. ****

This is my most recent comment (earlier today) about the X-1 II:

**** Both Victor and Sony exhibit way too much sibilance on the vocals and, the Victor in particular, an unnatural dryness in high percussion sounds. The Victor sounds downright harsh in that frequency range. ****

I would call that consistent.

Two other comments I made about the Victor in previous comparisons:

**** However, a little “Technicolor” and with a bit of nasality in the midrange. ****

**** The Victor (most of the Victors, so far) have a very juicy midrange/lower mids that, while very attractive, is not necessarily the most natural and is, in fact, what I would call “colored”. ****

With apology for the liberty taken, here is yesterday’s comment by Dover about the Victor:

**** Victor - it appears smoother here than my sample. On my system the Victor seems technicolored, as in false sharpness - oversatuated you might say if you were a photographer. ****

Again, I would call that consistent.

Why don’t I own one? In short, ET2. Perhaps (probably) unnecessary, but the combination scares me 😱; and I am not about to give up my ET2 😍.

Best wishes and thank you again.

No question Frogman......
You have been super consistent in all your evaluations and comments regarding not only the LDR and Palladian.....but virtually all the cartridges you've heard more than once.
That's sooo annoying because I don't think you've liked any MM cartridges I've played for you 🥴 ?!
Perhaps you're just anti-MM......? 😢
Can you recall off-hand which of my MM cartridges offended you the LEAST.....?
Or should I best troll through the Thread to try and discover....?

But the combination scares me 😱

I think you're wise to be cautious....and I can't recall reading of any firsthand experiences with the LDR on a parallel-tracker?
But it might just be a blessed match....🙏

Thanks as always for your valuable and incisive analyses...
And keep safe whilst practicing 'social-distancing' 🗣

It was April 27th 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers stepped on stage at the Horden Pavilion in Sydney.
Together with 2000 other rabid fans...my wife and I sat (and stood) through the greatest concert of our lives up till then....and it has remained so up till now 👏
After 41 years and hundreds of live concerts......NOTHING has come close to the performance, sound, electricity and perfection of that singular experience.
To this day, I can still recall every note, every vibration, every flapping of my stomach-lining and the memory of repeating to myself...."I can't believe this"....🤯
Just as I can still recall every mouthful of the famed bouillabaisse we tasted in 1972 whilst seated in a bistro in the Old Port of Marseille....certain iconic experiences never leave you.

Here are a few performances captured of Bob Marley which demonstrates I think....how the differences between 'Live' and 'Recorded' music can easily be reproduced via YouTube Videos.

BOB MARLEY 1

BOB MARLEY 2

BOB MARLEY 3

BOB MARLEY 4

Enjoy.......

@halcro I love Bob Marley myself, there is Bob Marley and everyone else below.  I was a kid in the 70's (less than 10 years old) who visited Jamaica and learned about Marley.

A few years ago I was walking along a beach in Santa Barbara, CA and I heard some singer playing a guitar surrounded my a lot of very young kids. He sounded identical  to Bob Marley. I got closer to see it was one of his sons, Ziggy Marley. 

A few years ago I discovered someone who I think is a giant in the same level as Bob Marley, his name is Fela Kuti. The Bob Marley of Africa. Check him out if you are not familiar.

+1 Fela Kuti!  Check him out.

Halcro, me anti MM?  Not at all; way too strong a characterization.  I own several MM's and enjoy my Acutex'.  I recently purchased a M320 STR III that I have yet to mount.  While I obviously do have my preferences, it's probably fair to say that, overall, I have made about as many negative/positive comments about the MM cartridges presented here as I have about MC's.  With two notable exceptions, of course 😁.  Btw, the only MM's that I can honestly say "offend" me are the non-Ultra Shures. Can't stand their bland color-less presentation of timbre 😝. Come to think of it, it has been some of the vintage MC's that have offended me most with their overly tight and unnatural high frequencies:

At the risk of seeming indulgent; again, quotes from past comparisons.  May help clarify my general feelings about MM vs MC's and help answer your question about which MM (and MF) cartridges I have liked:

**** To my ears it is MM’s that tend to have a fuller, more tonally saturated sound; what I would describe as “lush”.  I have also found that the sometimes exaggerated high frequency “clarity” of some MC’s creates a better balance in my all-tube amplification chain which tends, itself, to be on the lush side.  Even the best of my MM’s can be a little too lush and dark in my system without enough clarity and control in the highs.  The problem for me is that while I love the midrange “neutrality” of good MM’s they tend to go a little too far in that direction; almost as if they rob timbres of some natural colors by seeming to reduce the high frequency extension needed to balance out the very full and dense midrange character.  MC’s tend to put the emphasis on clarity/detail in the highs leaving the midrange to sound too lean.  A very difficult balance to get right.  

Assessing dynamics is complicated since timbre neutrality affects our perception of it.  All I can say is that to me that wonderful “coiled spring” aliveness and sense of the music always moving forward is generally better served by good MC’s. ****

**** Audio Technica (180):

More distant perspective as if sitting further back in the room. The most linear and without the nasality. Tonally the most realistic. Colorless the way some Maggies are...probably too colorless; music has color. I want to say it’s my favorite, but the X1 is probably the most fun to listen with. ****

**** I think that the Glanz, overall, gives the Palladian the best “run for its money” of all of them.  

The Glanz is excellent and in some ways I like its tonal balance on the sound of the piano a little better than the Palladian which sounds a little “tinkly” at times.  This is a result or the Glanz having a fuller tonal balance which also adds more weight to the bass and a seductive dusky quality to the voice.  While the piano has more realistic weight it also has a less realistic timbre overall; it sounds a little odd in the higher registers and lacking a little natural brilliance. The extra weight in the bass makes the bass sound a little too thick and with less pitch definition than the Palladian.  Listen to the three note ascending bass line at 1:52 and the upward glissando at 1:59.  Less distinct than on the Palladian where one can more clearly hear the individual pitches of the notes.  The voice on the Palladian has a better sense of purity and refinement to my ears even if that dusky quality and extra chestiness one hears with the Glanz can be very appealing.  ****

Regards.