NOS Grace F9E question

Dear @lewm : """  is that the proof of the pudding is in the listening. """

could be but this depends of the quality level performance of your room/audio system and your main music/sounds priorities. What for you can sounds great for me or other person can sounds " terrible ".

R.

Dear @tzh21y @knollbrent : The F9E will perform with better quality performance levels if is loaded at 100kohm and remember that capacitance load has " something to say " with MM cartridges.

R.

@tzh21y — The F9E is a wonderful cartridge and you’re fortunate to have it, especially if it’s NOS with years of beautiful music ahead of it.

Chakster doesn’t consider it a "winner". Maybe he means "winner" must be "the greatest", he doesn’t define the terms. If only the absolute best will do, he’s probably right. I wish I had his collection.

Even Muhammad Ali admitted he wasn’t "the greatest" — he gave that title to Sugar Ray Robinson. But Ali was pretty great, definitely a winner — and Robinsons are hard to find these days.

Dear @lewm : ""  Grace Ruby with SS OCL retip? ........ Only that it is very good in its own right. """

I never heard it but I can tell you that each one of my cartridges that send for a " refresh " or or changes in cantilever/stylus tip all of them improved  by a wide margin over the stock designs.

Today boron/jewel cantilevers and different type of stylus shapes ( line contact. ) as Micro Ridge or VDH and the like always change for the better those vintage very good cartridge " motors ".

Only to remember that mine cutex or Technics when return from VDH its performance grow-up lmost " orders of magnitud ".

I just can't imagine how good the Grace 9 " motor "  could be with the VDH chnages.

R.

@bimasta exactly  There's always better. Perception is everything...