Hear my Cartridges....🎶

Had a quick listen at the office on Sennheiser headphones. I can hear greatness in the London and lighter, sharper transients in the AS. I had a look over the other videos and see the London is in the FR66 on the Raven, all the time. As I mentioned above, and will stand corrected, the London is not performing at its best on that rig.

Great record and performance. I own it. Thanks.

The thing that always stands out the most for me when making these comparisons of gear of this caliber is just how far gear, even the best, has to go before it truly sounds like the real thing. The best sound systems sound amazing, but they all still deviate from true “neutrality” in very different and very audible ways. As always, listening this way has serious limitations. However, there is no question that one can hear a great deal that, on balance, makes one example sound closer to the sound of “real” than the other.... and, of course, system context plays a big part.

First, my bottom line. Which of the two cartridges fool me the most into thinking I am listening to a live orchestra? Frankly, and almost incredibly for me considering how I have felt about the Palladian previously, it’s not even close. The Decca wins. I think that noromance used the word “greatness”. Of course, greatness can mean different things to different listeners.

After listening to the Palladian clip a couple of times and then going to the Decca clip the first impression is that the soundstage fell back a couple of feet and became quite a bit smaller. Soon thereafter one realizes that it is infinitely better organized and without the high frequency halo and splashiness of the Palladian. When the piccolo plays those short ascending lines it also seems to grow in size as it ascends ending in a completely unnatural high frequency splash across the soundstage. Not harsh, but overly highlighted. With the Decca the piccolo’s sound always stays better localized; as it should. Instrumental timbres are more concentrated with the Decca and without the gray (lack of natural color) that I hear from the MM’s that the Palladian has been compared to. The piano sounds clangy with the Palladian and one hears wood with the Decca. The clarity that I have liked about the Palladian is still there, but there is simply too much high frequency energy.

The sound of the Palladian is much more upfront and one can feel like one is hearing deeper into the music, but there is also the sense that the music is being thrown in your face. The Decca requires that one “lean” into the music a little (a good thing) and once one does one actually hears much more musical detail and not just ear candy. The more “organized” sound lets the musical interaction of the musicians be more clearly heard.

Two great cartridges and for someone who does not listen to much acoustic music the Palladian might have the greatness; but, for me, the Decca raised the bar quite a bit. Re my first comment about “neutrality” and gear: I would love to hear the Palladian in a good all tube system.  Just a reflection of my biases, but I have a strong suspicion that it would be something special.

Great comparison and thanks for the thoughtful choice of music.

Princi, you got it right!

All wrong. Wrong song and I did not buy that MFG-610LX, just asked the seller about box & papers.

Back to square one: 24.11.1985 I bought the GLANZ MFG-310LX w/ solid diamond Line Contact and tapered aluminium (alloy perhaps ?) cantilever.
I remembered correctly that I may still have my MFG-310LX and found it :_). I gave it to my brother who gave it back circa 1990, he had stopped buying records and finally gave up vinyl. It has been in a chest of drawers all these years, in a jewel box. I cleaned the stylus and tried it, suspension is still strong but the sound is quite lame and not so accurate anymore. The stylus may simply have started to wear out as I had played it more than 400 hours + odd hours my bro payed ( I keep record all the carts I play). Ýes I´m sure the stylus profile has worn out. What a pity. The 310LX cantilever is more refined (app 2 times thinner) than 31L´s. And its sound is obviously better, well naturally.

Later in 1986 I was thinking of buying either the SHURE V15V-MR or GLANZ MFG-610LX, both highly acclaimed in the Hi-Fi magazines here. Both "hyped" equally and eventually I decided to go for the SHURE, 5.11.1986.
Steve Howe raves about the 1970´s, as the most adventurous time in music but the 1980´s was fantastic time for Hi-Fi cartridge manufacturing s, so bravo the 1980´s !
And now I have also the mid eighties GLANZ MFG-610LX, after all these years. And I confirm it´s a superb performer for high output cartridge, IME.

I hereby confirm that the earlier edition of the 610LX has a tube boron cantilever, so boron also w/ the 61´s, and a solid diamond Line Contact stylus. Yes indeed, according to the manual MFG-610LX as the most prestige model among GLANZ MF cartridges, employs tube Boron cantilever in order to achieve maximum efficiency at the electromagnetic mechanism.
FR 20 - 20,000 Hz +/- 1.5 dB or less, comp. 45/10 dyne, VTF 1,5 +/- 0,25 g.
According to the manual, the MFG-71L series are highly sophisticated cartridges ... Also, the sharply tapered cantilever with ultra thin end, reduces the mass of effective stylus-tip and increase its strenght. So it seems to me, quite literally in fact that the peculiar Pyramidian aluminium (alloy ?) cantilevers in 71L and 51L are hollow. Otherwise they would be ridiculous.
FR 20 - 20,000 Hz +/- 1.0 dB or less, comp. 50/12 dyne, VTF 1,25 +/- 0,25 g.

So the 71L has the best "specs", in theory. I´ve never heard an MFG-71L though, but might be interested to try one.
Now, if Halcro´s MFG-610LX has beryllium cantilever it is different than mine and Chak´s.
As for the miniature stylus tip in PH, naturally it is the finest of all GLANZ styli. However, it may be a marginal feature in sound quality. I´m referring to the analogy in AT-ML180 and AT-ML170 styli, both of which I have owned. And I confirm that the ML180 is marginally better than ML170 in my system, no more no less. Unfortunately the MFG 61 is discontinued and a mission impossible to find in decent condition .....

Let´s hope Halcro´s sample has a beryllium or perhaps a titanium cantilever, and that can be confirmed some day soon.
The later edition MFG-610LX may very well be the finest sounding GLANZ ever.
So bravo diversity !

Carry on and enjoy your darlings.

Thank you Harold for the above Post.......
Full of emotion and enthusiasm 🥳
I suspect however that you meant it to appear in the 'Glanz Thread' where it would be read by more appropriate contributors.....?🧐
Regards

Wow Frogman........🤯
I wasn't expecting THAT...!!
Firstly....I agree completely how far we are from truly creating the illusion of a 'live orchestra'....even for million dollar systems (and I've heard several).
That's why at HiFi shows.....even Munich.... you rarely hear a room prepared to demonstrate its gear with a complex massed orchestral piece.
Well recorded studio sessions of female soloists with minimal backing instruments, are relatively easy (less demanding) for hifi systems to reproduce impressively.....even for midfi systems.
That's why you hear the same, boring female vocal tracks played interminably in the demonstration rooms at hifi shows and on web-based hifi zines like AV Showrooms...🤬
Even jazz ensembles are far easier for systems to reproduce convincingly in the living room.
And this may be one of the keys to the limitations with orchestral music.
To reproduce the reflections and volume of a concert hall with 80-120 instruments playing simultaneously, in a domestic living room, is simply asking too much.
However....there are some concert halls I've been in..... with seating from which the 'sound' is LESS impressive than that which I hear in my living room.
Now a trained musician like Frogman will still hear the sound of "real" even in these poor seats in mediocre halls.
I, it now appears......listen (or hear) things completely differently 🥴🙃?!
For instance...even now...after reading Frogman's illuminating review of the Palladian vs the LDR.....I can still listen 'live' (in my living room)...and not be able to tell which cartridge I was listening to (if I were blindfolded)...🤔
This has caused me endless consternation recently as I feel like an 'idiot'...😵
On what basis have I selectively assembled a system and conducted comparisons of a dozen tonearms and countless cartridges...?
Perhaps my hearing requires testing.....I've made an appointment 👂