I have been buying vintage cartridges (of all types) for over 10 years....
Not because I donāt like the prices of NEW ones....but because I have found the āsoundā of cartridges made in āThe Golden Age of Analogueā (70s to 90s) to be superior to āmodernā ones.
Most Reviewers will have you believe that there have been advances (both in materials and technology) over the last 40 years but that is not true for cartridges IMO......nor for Tonearms or Turntables for that matter.
All the serious āadvancedā styli profiles were developed decades ago and utilised consistently in MM designs as well as MCs.
All the cantilever materials such as diamond, sapphire, ruby, boron, carbon-fibre were also invented and used in the āGolden Ageā.
But the āGolden Ageā had access to materials and technologies that are no longer available......
Beryllium cantilevers anyone.....?
Despite what some designers might tell you about the physical properties of boron that make it the ābestā material for cantilevers......the vast majority of my favourite cartridges have āberylliumā cantilevers which are no longer available.
Hollow-tube aluminium....? tapered tube.....? carbon-fibre/beryllium composites.....?
None of these is commercially available today......
If so many advances have been made over the last 40 years......it stands to reason that cartridges made today would āwipe the floorā with vintage models......?
The following āShoot-Outā is between the top-of-the-line Audio Technica AT150ANV (made in āLimited Editionā a few years ago) and the 35 year old top-of-the-line Audio Technica AT180ML/OCC.
The AT150ANV famously beat out 8 other cartridges (including the $9000 Ortofon Anna LOMC) in a āblindā listening test conducted by Michael Fremer.
VINTAGE AUDIO TECHNICA AT-180ML/OCC MM Cartridge
Mounted in DV-507/II ToneArm on solid Bronze ArmPod surrounding Vintage Victor TT-101 DD Turntable
MODERN AUDIO TECHNICA AT-150ANV MM Cartridge
Not because I donāt like the prices of NEW ones....but because I have found the āsoundā of cartridges made in āThe Golden Age of Analogueā (70s to 90s) to be superior to āmodernā ones.
Most Reviewers will have you believe that there have been advances (both in materials and technology) over the last 40 years but that is not true for cartridges IMO......nor for Tonearms or Turntables for that matter.
All the serious āadvancedā styli profiles were developed decades ago and utilised consistently in MM designs as well as MCs.
All the cantilever materials such as diamond, sapphire, ruby, boron, carbon-fibre were also invented and used in the āGolden Ageā.
But the āGolden Ageā had access to materials and technologies that are no longer available......
Beryllium cantilevers anyone.....?
Despite what some designers might tell you about the physical properties of boron that make it the ābestā material for cantilevers......the vast majority of my favourite cartridges have āberylliumā cantilevers which are no longer available.
Hollow-tube aluminium....? tapered tube.....? carbon-fibre/beryllium composites.....?
None of these is commercially available today......
If so many advances have been made over the last 40 years......it stands to reason that cartridges made today would āwipe the floorā with vintage models......?
The following āShoot-Outā is between the top-of-the-line Audio Technica AT150ANV (made in āLimited Editionā a few years ago) and the 35 year old top-of-the-line Audio Technica AT180ML/OCC.
The AT150ANV famously beat out 8 other cartridges (including the $9000 Ortofon Anna LOMC) in a āblindā listening test conducted by Michael Fremer.
VINTAGE AUDIO TECHNICA AT-180ML/OCC MM Cartridge
Mounted in DV-507/II ToneArm on solid Bronze ArmPod surrounding Vintage Victor TT-101 DD Turntable
MODERN AUDIO TECHNICA AT-150ANV MM Cartridge