The Palladian-A step beyond


The new cartridge from Acoustical Systems may finally be the LOMC to fully realise the theoretical advantages of the genus.
And convince those long-suffering audiophiles to whom the 'modern' MC presentation has been anathema to 'live sound'....that the realism of vintage LOMCs like the SPUs and FR-7 series has finally been recaptured 👀
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My mistake about the arms. Apparently Brakemeier set up the cart on the Aquilar for Sommer. 

**But when I return to the Palladian......I realise that this one cartridge  combines every great attribute of all the wonderful cartridges I adore, into a single whole.
And then adds another dimension...
If I had only one cartridge......this would be it‼️**

Is this love or infatuation?  We have an idea of what Halcro likes in a cartridge. He listed some of his favorites in another post and has been discussing this here and on other forums.

Seems to me there is a difference in presentation between many MM and MC carts. You know what I'm referring to, an immediacy, a straightforward sound in contrast to a more soundstagey perspective. Of course not all carts conform, but we know what OP likes.

So far, there is no perfect cart and I doubt if this is. I'm guessing the trade off is harmonic detail, texture and layering. Being able to unravel the Stephen Stills or Respighi implies omission, like the natural sounding presentation of a 103 with it's aluminum cantilever and conical tip. Of course this has a shibata and varnish on the cantilever which makes it special.

I don't mean to imply this is not a great cart, but why the deceptions on the web site?  I read about the arm and it says uni din can only be achieved on the 2 AS arms and it is the intellectual property of Brakemeier.  Maybe their English is misstated, but the first part is an outright lie.  63.3 & 112.5mm are probably the easiest to achieve on any adjustable arm, regardless of factory alignment. 

Raul is absolutely right about this one. This alignment is Loefgren B moved closer to the label.  I posted the comparison months ago on Audio Circle. Maybe Brakemeier means that if you use this alignment you're using his intellectual property and it's a no-no.  Either way he would be well advised to remove that nonsense from the site.  It's been my experience that people who can afford this stuff aren't stupid, but they might not care if the product does what they want.


So far, there is no perfect cart and I doubt if this is. I'm guessing the trade off is harmonic detail, texture and layering. Being able to unravel the Stephen Stills or Respighi implies omission,

Are you really saying that being able to enjoy a previously unlistenable record means that the cartridge is leaving something out, effectively hiding the flaws of the record?


Obviously the words "guessing" and "implies" means it's conjecture, but it's a possibility, a likely one. There's no new technology here just a potted MC and apparently a very good one. Then again, perhaps it has some magical qualities, being able to discern the good from the bad and sort it out for you. Maybe it has no flaws and makes sense of things other carts can't, but is that likely? 

Find a master tape dub of the recordings in question and you'll find out.

Being able to unravel the Stephen Stills or Respighi implies omission, like the natural sounding presentation of a 103 with it's aluminum cantilever and conical tip. 

Always dangerous to speculate without hearing.....🚫
A trait of someone south of the border.....❓😎
The "unravelling" is definitely the result of extracting MORE information and somehow distorting 'less'....
I have the DL-103R and I can assure you there are simply no similarities. 

Obviously the words "guessing" and "implies" means it's conjecture, but it's a possibility, a likely one.

"Implies" is a logical conclusion, not a conjecture...


Find a master tape dub of the recordings in question and you'll find out.

Why would he or anyone bother? If the cartridge makes previously unlistenable records listenable that alone should be great, but it also extracts more information. Most would be very happy and just enjoy listening.