Recommend which SPU?

You would recommend the Spirit over the #1e if I'm just thinking about getting a taste before I commit to a large investment?

You're pretty much in my situation, my cartridge was ZYX Airy-3 when i decided to try SPU first. If you will start from the entry level SPU i'm pretty sure you will not be impressed at all compared to High-End Lyra Cartridge. My ex ZYX simply killed that SPU in dynamics, extended frequency range, clarity etc etc. Everything was much better with ZYX, compared to the entry level SPU. I realized pretty quick that it was just a waste of time and money, but at least i tried the thing that people call "musical cartridge", if fact it was so boring, and when i was thingking about 4g tracking force i was worried about my records. Personal experience is important with everything we would like to use in our systems, i sold that conical SPU here on audiogon and lose money on it, but i gave it a second change and bought Spirit LTD model. 

The Spirit has very rare 9N copper coil wire and that's why it's limited to 500 units only. It was much better than conical SPU classics for sure, but still not refined as the modern high end cartridges.  

Royal G MKII is better than Spirit. Replican 100 stylus of the Royal G MKII require less tracking force than all other SPU models. And this stylus profile can extract everything from the grooves if you can set it up propertly (VTA is very important). So it is worth the price difference if you like detailed sound reproduction, not rolled off highs and bass like with the oldschool or modern classic SPU. 

I've never tried #1e, but i think it's just the same as the Classic GM MKII E (budget model from the past). 

  

Hi dhcod,

if you want to get a taste of SPU-ness you should go for the
SPU #1E. It gives you a very good impression what that means.

The Royal with the replicant 100 stylus is in our opinion (a friend
of mine owns one) neither fish nor fowl. It has not the resolution
of a Lyra or ZYX and not the typical charming SPU-sound.

If you want to spend more a Synergy GM or the SPU95 are the
top contenders. Slightly in between the Synergy and the Royal
is the Meister Silver Mk2.
A Shindo-SPU is very good as well, but rare to find.

So what is the charm of the oldschool SPU, i just don’t get it. Heavy low compliance monster that track with 4g with generic stylus profile and very thin frequency response, there is something in the mid range, but when you play same records on the proper cartridge (on the different tonearm) with advanced stylus tip then you realize how better the vinyl is actually sound. The design of the SPU is charnimg (visually), but without proper stylus this is oldschool sound. Owned both SPU and ZYX. Later discovered vintage MM cartridges with much better sound compared to all of them.

So many cartridges can surpass the SPU, and Miyajima with Shibata stylus is one of them for reasonable price. Fidelity-Research FR-7f is a killer cartridge! None of them using generic styli like conical/elliptical in their top models, but only Shibata/Line Contact.

At the same time DL-103 users (which is similar to that SPU sound) often re-build their carts to avoid that oldschool conical tip and even oldschool cantilever. Most of them are happy after rebuild with Line Contact on Ruby Cantilever. And this is what they call the upgrade.

To buy the SPU with Replican 100 from the start is a huge advantage in my opinion. It is the same SPU generator and same cantilever, but the diamond is much better, there is nothing to lose! 

The Royal with the replicant 100 stylus is in our opinion (a friend
of mine owns one) neither fish nor fowl. It has not the resolution
of a Lyra or ZYX and not the typical charming SPU-sound.

I understand this criticism, and agree with it to a degree. But really, why must something be fish or fowl? It is an artificial binarism. A mermaid is neither fish nor women but still captures the imagination. I find the Royal to supply enough of each to make it special and interesting--and that's in a 3-armed system with many other hi-rez cartridges, including an SPU A95. The A95, indeed, is better, with richer tonality and huge soundstage. But I find the Royal on my bayonet mount more often, so that tells me something. Maybe I'm just into mermaids. ;-)