Hear my Cartridges....🎶

I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. You are obviously a very astute and experienced listener and you have assembled a killer system. Your criteria for choosing your gear are obviously pretty darn good; I would not despair about that.  Please keep in mind that I don’t particularly enjoy nor seek any kind of mantle of authority about this stuff. It’s a fun hobby and talking about the music is far more interesting. Also keep in mind that I spend, on average, a minimum of about 4 hours a day, every day (some days, much more) around the sound of live acoustic instruments. Again, I don’t claim any kind of authority on this stuff; I try and put my opinions out there based on what I hear and some may roll their eyeballs and think I’m full of it. That’s ok, I know what I hear. You might find it interesting to know that the level of nuance in sound that most professional musicians deal with when choosing and tweaking their instrument, not to mention when performing, is often considerably finer and more elusive than anything we as audiophiles discuss. You may be surprised at how much time is spent analyzing the differences heard between, for instance, saxophone ligatures (that’s the little “clamp” that holds the reed to the mouthpiece). Not to mention the differences between the reeds or the instruments themselves; or between skin and leather pads. It’s pretty endless.

You are absolutely correct. The sound of our systems can be more “impressive” than the sound in some halls. And, yes, orchestral recordings like the Bartok are extremely difficult to reproduce (the reason that I asked for one). However, there are certain qualities in the sound of live music that will be there no matter how impressive, or not, is the overall sound compared to the sound of a good system. These qualities are usually in the areas of timbre and immediacy. Some of it is elusive and difficult to describe and one just knows it when one hears it; like the sound of a musician practicing saxophone coming out of an open window. High fidelity? Not compared to the “impressive” sound of our systems; but, in certain ways it is ultimate fidelity and one immediately knows that the sound is live. Re the two cartridges:

I think you shortchange yourself when you say that you wouldn’t be able to tell which one was playing. First, these two cartridges are, IMO, the two best so far.....FOR ME. As we all know, as gear gets better and better the differences tend to get smaller and smaller. Still, given the way that you have described what you hear from the various previous cartridges, I’m having a little trouble believing that you wouldn’t be able to tell which was which. Besides, being able to tell which is playing “while blindfolded” is not quite the same as being able to hear differences between the two and I have no doubt that you can.

Anyway, forgive the rambling and I don’t mean to get preachy about any of this. Thanks again for letting us experience vicariously the sound of these great cartridges. I think that being an audiophile should always remain fun while keeping the focus on the performance aspects at least as much as on the sound of it. My two cents.

Regards.

I know what you mean.....
Whenever I hear the Mr Whippy van come down the street playing Greensleeves, I know it’s ‘live’......

Thank you Frogman, for taking the time and trouble to write your last Post.
It made me realise that there is perhaps nothing wrong with my hearing...it's just that we all have different priorities and preferences.
It dawned on me that, whereas a musician is obviously concerned about INSTRUMENTAL accuracy, tonality and 'realism'.....those qualities don't 'consciously' factor in my assessments and appreciation.
Mainly because I don't KNOW the differences in sound of individual instruments and therefore don't know whether what I hear reproduced, is 'accurate' or true to 'live'.
I do of course, know what 'live' music sounds like but again.....it doesn't matter to me if the saxophone's reed is worn or split, or if the Steinway Concert Grand is more suited to the venue than the Bosendorfer the pianist has selected to play....

My priorities begin with the ability of a 'system' (and its parts) to reproduce all the qualities contained within the grooves of records I am intimately familiar with.
Firstly, the 'balance' of the frequencies without any unnatural emphases.
Secondly, the 'quality' of the individual frequencies.....
How extended are the 'highs', how deeply (and convincingly) do the lower registers go.
How 'realistic' and satisfying is the midrange....this is a 'sine qua non' for me and eliminates many cartridges, tonearms, phonostages, amplifiers and speakers from my 'orbit'.
Next in importance for me is 'transparency'....
Is there 'air' around the instruments (as there is in reality) and is there 'depth'.
Do the extreme highs 'shimmer' and decay in the air realistically and beautifully.
Next is 'soundstage'...
How widely beyond the speakers does it project and how deeply behind (and in front) can one hear.
And finally, the most important ingredient and the most elusive.....
Is there 'magic' and 'emotional projection' that allows the sound to move me to tears or quiver with excitement or shake my head in disbelief....
This quality is hard to reproduce via the Youtube videos.

Therefore....in my system......there are cartridges which have more 'shimmering' highs.
There are cartridges which have more 'air' and 'transparency'.
There are cartridges which go convincingly lower.
There are cartridges which project a wider and deeper 'soundstage' and yes.......there are cartridges which manage to give me more 'magic' and 'emotion'.
So whilst I do love the LDR......I wouldn't listen to it exclusively 🤗

Thank you again Frogman....
Even though you have proclaimed a new 'Benchmark' in the cartridge comparisons....do you think it still relevant if we continue to compare cartridges to the Palladian?

Regards