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Best MM?

I want to try a MM with my Herron VTPH-2a. What's the best one? Maestro 2, Zephyr III, AT VM760SLC? Something else?
dhcod
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

Chakster, the cartridges on jukeboxes were quite visible, and that brush on the end of the Pickering cartridge was unforgettable.

The jukeboxes I'm talking about were in sophisticated lounges that also featured live entertainment. The same professionals that installed sound systems in high end salons, also installed them in these lounges. Evidently you have no idea how important the sound system and music was to a lounge.

    These were among the cartridges they used;


        https://www.google.com/search?q=pickering+xv-15+625e&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=6...:
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
Among those of us on this thread, only a few who have taken the mega-expensive leap are qualified to dispute the proposition.

You actually don't need to own these 'uber-cartridges' to 'hear' them Lew.....
Fremer has been uploading high-res digital rips of various cartridge tests on his Analogue Planet Website for a while now, and not one of them has ever had the expensive LOMC (like the Anna and Atlas SL) as the winner (voted by the readers) against cheap current MM cartridges....
Why does this fact not resonate with wealthy audiophiles....?
See Raul's answer 🤥
Here is a Link to WTBF where you can actually hear YouTube uploads of uber-priced cartridges like VdH Colibri Master Signature ($12,000), Air Tight Opus 1 ($15,000), Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement ($16,000), Lyra Atlas SL ($13,000).
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/hear-it-yourself.26355/

Be aware that these cartridges are playing on a new $200,000 turntable  through $300,000 horn speakers.
The music is unfortunately undemanding.....but listen carefully and tell me that you haven't heard equivalent sound from cheaper cartridges in your systems.....?!
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

I am sorry if I look pedantic but I want to clear some confusion.

The confusion between quantifiers like ''all'' and ''some'' which we

use to express generality and numerical quantifiers like, say,

there are exactly  30 carts in my collection. My experience is

that the most easy way to explain (universal) quantifiers is:

''someone has stollen my car''. One can also say that the

difference is as between variables and names. If one ''sees''

variables as places were a name should be put in order to

complete a sentence and get an idea about the reference .

So individual statement about ''the best carts'' even by Raul

whom we assume to own the ''biggest collection of carts''

can only apply  to certain ''numerical quantifier''. Say 120.

I assume that he can count so he can ''discover'' how many

carts he owns. We will than know about how many carts he

pretend to judge ''which is the best'' among them.

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@orpheus10 

Chakster, the cartridges on jukeboxes were quite visible, and that brush on the end of the Pickering cartridge was unforgettable.

You are talking about $50 Stanton AL-500 and $50 Pickering XV-15. These cartridges are the lowest quality mass market Stanton/Pickering product. Actually those cartridges are so called "professional series". Durability is the key, not the sound quality. The fact that you have recognized Stanton/Pickering brush does not make them better. These carts works with high tracking force, the diamonds are not natural. This is very cheap basic product.  


The jukeboxes I'm talking about were in sophisticated lounges that also featured live entertainment. The same professionals that installed sound systems in high end salons, also installed them in these lounges. Evidently you have no idea how important the sound system and music was to a lounge.

Jukebox era is definitely not the 80s, but 50s. I don't know what are you trying to say, but Stanton high-end cartridges starts from 881 series and up to 891 series, they are not from the jukebox era, they are invented in the mid 70s - early 80s. Look at this Stanton catalog to see them all. Unlike the cheapest Stanton Al-500 (which is awful cartridge) the 981 series cost up to $800 today and considering the best Stanton ever made. This is high-end cartridge today and you can easily compare 981 series to the $3000 MC cartridges from whatever manufacturer today.   

If High-End system is an old Jukebox for you then our vision is completely different with all my respect to the 50s aesthetic. 
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Ergo: from my explanation how universal and numerical quantifier

work one can deduce that statement like ''Peter is the tallest guy

in the class but Lew is even taller''  are not allowed. But it

may be the case that Mexican grammar allows such statements.

I remmember many ''best cartridges'' according to Raul but

am really surprised with the newest kind regarding one of the

oldest carts: ADC 26. If we were informed about this curiosity by

the start of the MM thread we may have saved ''mucho dollares''.

On the other side chakster is legitimated to make categorical

statements about his 10 (?) cartridges such that AT 180 is the

best among his M'M''s and FR-7fz among his MC's.

Because our Lew has problems with ''categorical statements''

probably because he is not an Kantian or hate Germans we

can't know which of his 7(?) carts is the best. But what we do

 know  is that he likes his Ruby Grace, his Uruchi, his MC 2000 ,

etc., equal.  

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