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MC suggestions

I have long been a Grado fan.  Currently running a Statement Reference v2.  I love it, but.  I auditioned the Ortofon Quintet Black and the Dyna 17d3 and the Benz Glider and while each were excellent in their way, the overall feeling, despite being faster and transparent left me wanting, I was happy enough with my Grado. Id like to take another crack at this now. What I am looking for at this point and I hope you guys can make some suggestions, is a cleaner, and more live sound. This combined with a nice sense of space and width to the soundstage.  Is this asking a lot in my price range which is 2.5k(ish)?  I am of the opinion after spending sometime trying to figure this out, that an el34 based tube amp combined with the Grado cart are just too similar in voicing(warm).  I had hope that running a ss phono stage combined with the low output statement would be just the synergy.  It definitely moved the needle in the right direction and I could live happily if I didn't think I could push it a little farther in the detail direction without losing what I love about the Grado sound.  That is primarily it is not brittle, its natural sounding, nice soundstage all around.  Perhaps if I had solid state amplification it would be a synergistic match made in heaven.  Some carts I have been thinking about are VAS, Miyajima, Dyna(I did really like the 10x5 I listened to at one point).  Not to rule out Lyra but would be worried about the thinness I've read about from some users.  Grado fans seem a little few and far between and I wonder if there are previous fans who have moved on.  Maybe I just need to have a couple carts around and their is no one right cart. I have hesitated pursuing a cart change because my system has been tuned to Grado's sound but if I can get close with another company making MC's that wouldn't call for recalibrating my rig that much would be great.  Thanks for reading and sorry to be so long winded.
128x128fourwnds
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rauliruegas
13,101 posts
 
Dear @fourwnds : Next are very very good alternatives for you and better than any of the other named here but the Coralstone:


https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9c5fe-zyx-universe-cartridges

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9bda2-dynavector-te-kaitora-rua-brand-new-cartridges

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9c350-van-den-hul-colibri-xgp-gold-lw-new-latest-version-cartri...

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9bb73-transfiguration-audio-proteus-cartridges

Btw, Lyra Kleos is an excellent performer and the gentlemans that could say " tinned " sound are just with a wrong audio system.
The top model in the Cadenza line is very good too.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,945 posts
 
 @mulveling thanks so much, i looked at the Areas magnum the other day, may borrow it for extended listen...I love the NOS as well. The magnum case rings like a bell, what are you doing there ?
lewm
13,155 posts
 
Chakster, Would you care to say what is so irreplaceably "special" about the line contact stylus on the MC2000?  Assuming that the cantilever is replaced with a cantilever of like material and the stylus with a good modern line contact type, why couldn't some of the MC2000 "magic" be preserved?  As you know, I own a re-tipped unit, and I am very pleased with it. Would I rather have an NOS one? Yes, but I don't. On the other hand, I find its SQ to be very parallel with published descriptions of the MC2000 sound that date from its introduction.

By the way, I would not recommend the MC2000 to anyone who is not patient, knowledgeable, experienced, and possessed of a sense of humor.  It's VERY prone to pick up hum and RFI, and the output is VERY low.  But the rewards for getting it to work quietly are great.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@lewm I guest you don’t have an Ortofon booklet with your sample refurbished by Axel for Nandric?

There is all info about the cantilever in the booklet every NOS owner have in the package, there are some nice pictures of the cantilever and stylus tip. Have you ever seen an original cantilever of the Ortofon MC2000? I’ve never seen a cantilever like that from any other manufacturer.

I’ve posted a link to detailed review.
I think cartridges like Miyajima Madake with bamboo cantilever is also not for everyone, but it’s an interesting and unique design in its own way like the Orotofon MC2000 imo
lewm
13,155 posts
 
By all accounts, the original MC2000 bears an aluminum cantilever with a "fine line" tip. That’s another way of saying "line contact". According to our friend, Nikola, Axel had a small supply of actual original alu cantilevers with "fine line" styli he obtained from the same suppliers that made the MC2000 cantilever/stylus for Ortofon.  Ergo, one could say he had the actual Ortofon part. One of those he installed on my MC2000. I think Nikola insisted on this, because he prefers pressure-fitted styli to glued ones. As you know, pressure-fitting can only be done with an alu cantilever.

So, my unit may (or may not) be identical to NOS. I am only repeating here what Axel told Nikola. I also have a copy of the bill to Nikola from Axel, which is consistent with Nikola’s information. Yes, it is an unusual looking cantilever; I agree. I don’t wish to misrepresent Nikola; he did not promise me that my re-tipped MC2000 was exactly like an NOS one as a condition of the sale. But I am happy with what I got, regardless.

But my point is that re-tips can be worse, the same as, or better than the original. There is no certainty that a re-tip will always be a downgrade. And by the way, you are a lucky man to have a known NOS MC2000; 90% of such cartridges on the market these days are actually MC2000 Mk IIs, a very different animal. And even those are quite rare. NOS MC2000s are nowhere to be found on my side of the planet.

And I apologize for this digression from the actual topic.
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