What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

@solypsa, again, this is my personal experience and guides my own cartridge purchases. I have had two wooden bodied cartridges and their sonic performance was not as good as (read colored) the best metal units and their construction quality was not as good. Wood is not a good substrate for a cartridge. Unless it is resin treated wood is not stable, it expands and contracts with humidity. An ideal cartridge body has to be dense, stable and non resonant. Even resin treated wood is not dense enough. If you had to make a wooden cartridge Lignum Vitae would be the best choice and no one uses it!  Using a "tone wood" is a huge joke as in cartridge profile wood has no tone, that is it's advantage, it does not ring unless it is planed very thin. 

Our definition of a cottage industry differs. It is easier to define not cottage industry as larger, well established companies with a long history of making highly rated cartridges with mature technology. This does not guaranty fine performance, nothing does. As an example, DS Audio does not qualify in my eyes because I do not think it's technology is mature yet. In my eyes Lyra and Soundsmith are not cottage industries. I should also note that it is possible for a cottage industry cartridge maker to make a fine cartridge. IMHO just less likely. I am not going to plop down 10 large on less likely. 

@larryi , given the right circumstances the old 57 could be a fine performer. The Levinson HQD system was the first system that I would qualify as SOTA in it's day. It's main problems were reliability and durability. It was neither. 

Tubes may in some people's minds sound better but it is relatively rare for them to be more accurate. Human's are instinctively drawn to fire and light. Fire and light are safety and security. I am not kidding. Human behavior frequently has an instinctive basis. Women like SUVs because they place them above the traffic. They like being up higher. Higher is safety. You can see your enemies coming and hide your children. My pack rat mentality in an instinctive behavior. You never want to run out of ammunition. 

i think it's a mistake to use generalizations about materials to be the final arbiter of choice. it does take the pressure off actually investigating with an open mind and ears. i do respect it is simpler just to read specs and throw out pronouncements.

there is this thing called listening. we can listen and look at the components of the cartridge, but unless we could listen with various different material choices we don't really know what is causing what.

i have opinions about materials, but am not religious about it. 

we all have our own approach. and result. YMMV.

Hi rauoliregas

I know - by your standards I am maybe a subjectivist eating bananas. And I have not heard a lot of top notch carts. Although we disagree on some points, I appreciate your comments, and your search for more objectivity. I agree that analog is truncated, limited and problematic in many ways. It is amazing that it is still competitive. But to my ears, there are digital problems too, often larger than the analog problems (even if the gap has narrowed). Digital is still not "perfect". Likewise, my 'purist' tube system may introduce distortions you would not like, but then again, I lived with top solid state for many years, and don't miss it. Or - truth to be told - only a little bit ; -).

I was asked about my music reference. I go for the best sound I hear, regardless of format. No prejudice. Sometimes the CD sounds great, better than the LP, or the streaming, or the sacd or dvd-audio - and so on. Probably mainly because it was mastered and cut more precisely to the specific format, or they had a lucky day, or whatever. But in general, AAA (all analog recorded) LPs are my choice cuts. But also more processed recordings. I go for the best sound. Not just acoustic or vocal but full scale prog rock or classical also. world music. Lots of references.

Like one bought just now, Toure, Al Farka, with Ry Cooder: Talking Timbuktu - 2 x 180g, World circuit 2015 - marvellous guitar sound and string interplay. For female vocal, Rosalia: Motomami on LP is superior to digital in my system. And for a "fat" prog rock sound - Deep purple: Whoosh, Ear music 2020 - try ’Man alive - likewise the LP version sounds better. To my ears in my system.

 

But to my ears, there are digital problems too, often larger than the analog problems (even if the gap has narrowed).

 

😁 If digital were really that much better there would be no discussion about cartridges, tonearms, where you bought that record and the like. It would be moot. Its not; its been 41 years since the inception of the CD and LPs are still around. Can we finally agree that digital is merely incremental in its improvements? I've no doubt that one day it will be better in every way... when that day comes people won't argue about it.

Anytime a new technology appears, if it is truly superior the prior art vanishes and becomes a thing of collectors for nostalgia only. I like to point to the example of side valves in internal combustion engines. Overhead valves showed up and no-one looks back- they are more reliable and offer vastly improved performance. As a result no-one puts side valves in cars anymore. Its not worth it!

When digital is truly better there won't be cartridge and tonearm manufacturers, no LPs produced and so on.