What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

@rauliruegas

the answer for the ’PC’ meaning Phono Corrector’ is the same as my other answer, but it involves a little more detail to describe my evolution. step one for me was my first ’exotic’ LFD din<->phono cable i used on my CS Port tt and linear tracking arm. next i added an LFD Raptor between my CS Port phono and my darTZeel preamp. and i was using a short set of rca i.c.’s provided by Dave Slagle between the EMIA SUT’s and the CS Port phono. these short (18") interconnects were spec’d by Dave to work in that spot. the tech for this short SUT <-> PHONO cable is unique to that particular place and beyond my understanding.

next i added a second LFD din<->phono for a second arm. everything else the same.

next i switched from the CS Port phono (which had three inputs) to the EMIA Phono Corrector. but this also created a temporary problem since the Phono Corrector only had one input. i was having an MC Trio built with three inputs,

https://myemia.com/Trio.html

but first i had to determine the SUT values for the Trio, and especially for the DaVa this was a challenge. had to wait for it to arrive then experiment with different SUT’s. we did figure that out and the MC Trio was built arriving in August.

so i had 3 arms, but only two LFD phono cables, and one LFD set of Raptor rca’s. this is when i acquired the LFD dongle. the dongle is a short 11" long contraption that overcomes the limitation of the 5 pin DIN connection which is a limitation of the din<->rca phono cables. the dongle breaks all the rules and actually uses tubes of metal instead of wire, and is very stiff. the last pages of that LFD thread do talk about the dongle and show pictures. to use the dongle i had to add the LFD Raptor interconnects to it. which left me without a LFD cable between the Phono Corrector and the dart pre.

the idea being that the phono cables were orders of magnitude more significant than the interconnect between the phono pre and dart pre. i wanted tip top phono cables first and foremost. so i’m hearing all three cartridges and arms at their best. it did turn out that the dongle + Raptor was the best phono cable. we did some cartridge switching to verify that. more dynamics and space from the dongle/Raptor.

temporarily i used a set of inexpensive but highly regarded interconnects;

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FRBTBVF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

meanwhile, i had a friend of mine build me a set of 1.5m ’skunkworks’ rca interconnects which i now have been listening for 10 days which are much better. i’m about to switch the cheap set back in to see the difference.

my reasoning for not replacing the LFD Raptor with another is two fold. first, another Raptor is very expensive, and second, i would need to wait at least a year to get one. hoping my friends handwork will suffice. my impressions are very positive.....but in any case it’s an even playing field for all three tonearms/phono cables.

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Is the Kontrapunkt B, the ’World's Best Cartridge’ ?

Was the Kontrapunkt B, in its modified guise, the Best Cartridge heard in an individual’s World on the day of the event, for a proportion of the attendee’s, it is a possibility this was the case, if stimulus produced was the basis for the judgement."

You make me smile. I'd like to know about the modifications involved. I have not heard a 'B' but have a 'C' which was just above it in the Ortofon range in those days. Maybe we are all listening to little differences and there isn't any great difference to be heard once you get beyond a certain point in cartridge build quality?

I imagine we have all had one of those wonderful experiences where you suddenly hear something so much better that it changes the way you do things thereafter? But once you have got there, are there further similar revelations or are we quibbling about the chauvinism of small distinctions?

If ten of us sat listening to the same system with the best Lyra, Ortofon, Soundsmith, DA Audio, DaVa, AT, Dynavector, Clearaudio (add your favourite) carts, would our preference just be individual and not generally reproducible? And if we knew that such results were not to be generalised among all listeners, we would simply be happy with what we liked and not feel the need to impose our preferences on others. That sounds like hi-fi heaven to me!

Dear  @mikelavigne  : Thank's. I already knew all what you posted and I can see you don't have answer about the differences between all that longng travdel of the cartridge signal inside the Phono Corrector + SUT + Dartzeel line preampg agains t what I posted:

"  your Dartzeel is a high gain active phonolinepreamp: CONNECT THE CARTRIDGE SIGNAL USING ONLY ONE IC CABLE nothing added to preserve the cartridge signal integrity at to stays nearer and truer to the recording. "

I don't question what you like beut I'm severely questioning not only those LFD items but those tubes and SUTs vs the great direct exceptional Dartzeel SS linepreamp.

I don't care what the other wbf gentlemans say on all their congrutalations to you and what they are listening through those LFD cables. I care only about you and that severe change you did it from pure SS high gain active unit to separated tubes RIAA + SUT + a line preamp. 

That's what does not makes sense to me: why return to the past instead to follow with the best proved today technology that degrades the less the cartridge signal, no matters what?

Yes, it is what you like and obviously is up to you. But this followed saying something wrong is down there:

"is unique to that particular place and beyond my understanding. " The key word in your statement is that you don't care about and me from the outside just like to understand the whole issues that LFD Mick and EMIA just " dead silence " and is obvious their silence because you are very good customer.

Thank's again for your patience and answers .

R.

fundamentally using an SUT potentially brings a musical touch, inner artistic view and envelopment that high gain phono preamps such as the darTZeel can’t quite do in the same way. this effect varies with actual execution of the phono and SUT.

my experience is that the silver wound EMIA phono and SUT is very special in this regard. but hard to make an objective case.....it’s purely experiential. like......music.

certainly the best high gain phono’s have their own attributes which i enjoy when i choose to use that approach. it’s good to have that choice.

@dogberry I am wed to the Ortofon Brand as a Cartridge, even though over the past few years, I have been able to have certain Ortofon Cart's compared to a few other Brands, using the opportunities as made available to attempt to define where the separations are through the using the differing design intents and technologies.

This same experimentation through listening within the Ortofon range only, has also been given a fair amount of time allocation, to learn where there are differences to found between various Cart's from different Marketing Levels.

The Windfeld and Vienna have been the Benchmark used on a Bespoke Design Tonearm.

The Kontrapunkt B in original guise, is owned between a selection of individuals within my HiFi Group and there are redesign / rebuild variants of the K'b as well.

My experience of the K'b in use is quite regular and I have heard it on various Tonearms in various systems, as well as having it demonstrated on the same system in comparison to a selection of other Cart's.

I have learned from this that if the Arm/Cart' are correctly matched, there are still variables in the impression made from a replay.

It could be claimed that the differences in devices used within a system can be responsible for this, and I won't stand in the way of such a pattern of thought, it is one that is presented in many discussions seen.

My encounters and following assessments lead myself to a different approach of thought, I am convinced the  K'b is a not too attractive Cart' when used on certain Designs for a Tonearms and can be underwhelming, even though replaying the music in a manner that can be enjoyed. The K'b is a Jekyll and Hide, as when used on another Design of Tonearm, the Design is quite capable of excelling, and becoming very attractive in use. When partnered with a Tonearm of a certain design, the K'b has proven itself to compare very favourably to much more expensive Brand family members, leaving not too much amiss in the comparative performances.

It is the experiencing of the above, that has led me to adopt the thought, where the Trinity of Ancillaries required for Vinyl LP Replay, i.e, TT>Tonearm>Cart' will be with an obvious weakness if the Tonearm is not able to allow the Cart' to perform at its optimum.

It is also the experiencing of the above, that has led me to be quite sure that my there are Downstream Devices underperforming as a result of not being sent a Signal from an optimised interface upstream.

The Redesign / Rebuilt Cart' inquired about in use, has a Boron Cantilever and FGS Styli. This has been a method used by Cadenza Black owners wiith a very good follow up report. I would also believe the technician gave the under the hood of the K'b a little bit of their special attention, even if only a thorough clean. 

My K'b redesign / rebuild is a little more advanced in ideas, as it has a upgraded internal from the upper range of Ortofon, with a FSE and WRD used as well.

It also veers from materials usually selected by Ortofon, as it has a Beryllium Cantilever and Ogura Vital S+ Styli.

I have heard much of the Ortofon Family since the release of the Models from the Millenium and onwards, of which a selection has been heard in systems that are very familiar.

I have yet to hear a Ortofon with detail retrieval like the rebuilt one I am using, and am not too sure if any Ortofon Model I have listened to in a familiar set up, has shown it a clean set of heals, more like the differences detected is a different sprinkle of seasoning.

My gut feeling is that if Aucurum was the coil material on my rebuilt K'b, it would be without doubt, out there with the best.

Aucurum is my next line of investigation and I do have a rebuild designed and to be carried out on a Cadenza Black Donor Cart' for this reason.