Ddriveman, Frogman I am familiar with the Ikeda 9 EMPL, 9R, 9 Musa and 9 Omega. They all have in common a very unhealthy correspondence between low VTF, high mass and a very special compliance (to say the least...).
All the Ikeda 9 series cartridges are very special to set-up and to operate.
They work best only with 3 or 4 tonearms and the owner must know about all the special aspects of their alignment and their operation needs and features.
That so few know how to adjust and operate them is the reason why so very few actually are featured in western high-end systems.
Regarding their sonic capabilities, they are hardly matched by any other cartridge.
But their operation is a nightmare.
Certainly the wrong partner for any linear tracker - due to their high mass and very special set-up requirements.
The old DECCAs were far too unstable and indeed did always suffer from what I would call the worst quality control in the history of cartridge manufacturing.
The current production DECCA/London are far better - in all respects and especially regarding quality.
The ET2/2.5 indeed does perform surprising well with a large range of cartridges and compliances. However - it does not perform well with heavy body cartridges (stone body Koetsu for instance).
All the Ikeda 9 series cartridges are very special to set-up and to operate.
They work best only with 3 or 4 tonearms and the owner must know about all the special aspects of their alignment and their operation needs and features.
That so few know how to adjust and operate them is the reason why so very few actually are featured in western high-end systems.
Regarding their sonic capabilities, they are hardly matched by any other cartridge.
But their operation is a nightmare.
Certainly the wrong partner for any linear tracker - due to their high mass and very special set-up requirements.
The old DECCAs were far too unstable and indeed did always suffer from what I would call the worst quality control in the history of cartridge manufacturing.
The current production DECCA/London are far better - in all respects and especially regarding quality.
The ET2/2.5 indeed does perform surprising well with a large range of cartridges and compliances. However - it does not perform well with heavy body cartridges (stone body Koetsu for instance).