Perhaps it wasnât clear from my earlier comments, and to reiterate and clarify: I think that the AT 180 is an excellent sounding cartridge. Â My comments, as always, were about the subtle differences between it and the other cartridge (the 150) being compared. Â By no means should my commemts be taken to suggest that I thought the 180 is a âbadâ sounding cartridge.
Re the Sony/SPU Silver:
I agree with noromanceâs comment that the SPU sounds thinner and more âsplutteryâ (love it!) on the pipes. Â However, my feeling is that the SPU is doing a better job of telling us what is actually on the recording, splutter and all. Â The first clue to this possibility is heard with the very first note of the recording. Â The guitar sounds more realistic with the SPU, letting us hear a more appropriate metal âtwangâ on that first note and throughout the piece. Â By comparison, the attack of the guitar plucks sound a little too round and covered with the Sony. Â The Sony also has a rather bleached tonal character while the SPU lets us hear more of the natural colors of the instruments. Â There is also more overall clarity with the SPU letting us more clearly hear the very gentle conga drum playing which gets a little lost in the background with the Sony.
To me the SPU sounds more realistic overall.  In the folk music (with some Baroque thrown in) style heard here pipes are normally played with the very prominent and almost percussive breath attack that we hear  The question becomes whether the SPU is exaggerating this splutteriness đ or not.  Given the SPUâs more realistic guitar sounds which normally have a lot of high frequency content and the slightly covered guitar sound of the Sony, my sense is that the SPU is the more accurate (to the recording) of the two.
Re the Sony/SPU Silver:
I agree with noromanceâs comment that the SPU sounds thinner and more âsplutteryâ (love it!) on the pipes. Â However, my feeling is that the SPU is doing a better job of telling us what is actually on the recording, splutter and all. Â The first clue to this possibility is heard with the very first note of the recording. Â The guitar sounds more realistic with the SPU, letting us hear a more appropriate metal âtwangâ on that first note and throughout the piece. Â By comparison, the attack of the guitar plucks sound a little too round and covered with the Sony. Â The Sony also has a rather bleached tonal character while the SPU lets us hear more of the natural colors of the instruments. Â There is also more overall clarity with the SPU letting us more clearly hear the very gentle conga drum playing which gets a little lost in the background with the Sony.
To me the SPU sounds more realistic overall.  In the folk music (with some Baroque thrown in) style heard here pipes are normally played with the very prominent and almost percussive breath attack that we hear  The question becomes whether the SPU is exaggerating this splutteriness đ or not.  Given the SPUâs more realistic guitar sounds which normally have a lot of high frequency content and the slightly covered guitar sound of the Sony, my sense is that the SPU is the more accurate (to the recording) of the two.