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Hear my Cartridges....🎶

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 😎
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.....🤪
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.....🤗
128x128halcro
dover
2,247 posts
 
VTA Adjustment

Without getting in the weeds too much most folk use high frequency and base response to adjust VTA., effectively using  it as a tone control for their particular system This is wrong.

Correct VTA is when the stylus aligns with the cutting angle, this gives maximum groove contact for the stylus profile the designer came up with and the maximum amount of information recovered from the groove.

Because of system deviations, or distortions as Raul would put it, the only correct way to adjust VTA is by listening for maximum information recovery, maximum soundstage size and maximum preservation of the harmonic structure of instruments.




noromance's avatar
noromance
9,782 posts
 
Maybe the change on VTF that noromance posted helps him but is not a very good advise to set the VTF lower than the manufacturer specs
JW, the builder of London cartridges in the UK specs a VTF of 1.8g +/- 0.2g. Therefore 1.6g is perfectly fine. Thank you.
bydlo
142 posts
 
By the same token, estimado Raul, the tonearm I use is the one used by the cartridge designer himself - FR64S. Not to get into random walking yourself, it's good to first make sure you know what you are writing about.
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
I have been busy of late with other interests.....watches, cars, architecture.Have still found time to listen to music every day.....but not reading Forums 🥱Last week I plugged in a NOS Signet MR 5.0 lc Vintage MM Cartridge which has a Line Contact Nude Stylus on Beryllium Cantilever (for which I have a NOS replacement).After playing around with VTF(1.5Gm) and VTA.....I also adjusted Loading to 40 Ohms and Capacitance to 250uF.I was really impressed with the sound and have spent days debating whether I should risk the heartless Golden-Eared Critics and Adjudicators on this Site 🥴 with a ’comparison’....?
VINTAGE SONY XL-88 LOMC CARTRIDGE
VINTAGE SIGNET MR 5.0 LC MM CARTRIDGE
VINTAGE SIGNET MR 5.0 LC MM CARTRIDGE
VINTAGE SONY XL-88D LOMC CARTRIDGE
Don’t hold back......🙉
dover
2,247 posts
 
Halcro,
Heartless is a bit harsh - we all aspire to great sound and wish it upon all. I'm reading forums to take a break from renovations and politics.

From a quick listen 
XL88 vs Signet - XL88 sounding a little brittle, but compared to the Signet has more accurate presentation of instruments ( Signet sounds coloured like the FR7 ) and better timing through the midrange.

Whilst the Signet initially sounds very nice, very fruity midrange, it loses composure ( timing ) through the upper bass midrange area. To me it sounds very coloured - if it were a movie I would say 50's jive.
The Sony is more even handed, very quick and better timng across the board, more articulate.
In terms of the brittleness with the XL88, unless the VTA  needs tweaking, I think you may be doing it a disservice using the super heavy FR headshell - the Sony is a medium compliance MC. Since you dont like Orsonics, I might suggest you try something like one of the Audiotechnica Technihard head shells - nid weight version - 12-15g if you have one.

XL88D vs Signet - 
I thought XL88 sounded way better on the SAEC, then realised you had switched to XL88D. It was very noticeable the tonal qualities of the XL88D in the SAEC arm are closer to the Signet with a more fullsome midrange
Having said that again the timing and refinement of the Sony XL88D  across the full frequency range shines through to my ears.
Again - the XL88D is a medium compliant cartridge and I think there are gains to be had in using a lighter headshell in the 12-15g range.


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