Hear my Cartridges....🎶

**** 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’. ****

I have no doubt. However, with the possible exception of the “magic and emotion”, I’m not sure what any of that has to do with sounding better. Moreover, “magic and emotion” has much to do with our individual tastes and preferences for “more air”, “more bass”, etc. I always thought that the whole point of HEA was to try and replicate the sound of live music as closely as possible. HP of TAS fame always pointed out the danger of comparing components to each other as opposed to the sound of live. I realize some thought of him as an pompous blowhard, but the man had great ears and a great methodology, imo.

Azden/Palladian:

**** Aaaaahhh 😱....
Unlistenable!!!
Bass was bloated and ill-defined, treble was screechy and distorted and the mids were flat, recessed and boring.
There was no soundstage (either side to side or back to front) and no air or transparency.
In a sentence....it was one of the worst sounds I had heard from any cartridge in my system 🤬 ****

There has to be something wrong with your sample of this cartridge. What you describe is nothing I have ever experienced; far from it. What I do see from the pic of the side view is that your P mount adaptor must be misshapen. Perhaps the result of overtightening the mounting screws? Look at the cartridge pins relative to the tone arm tube or top of the headshell; the pins should be in line with or parallel to them. As is, you will experience major negative VTA; which explains the need to raise the back of the arm so much.

I must say that this comparison, unfortunately, is the most difficult so far, because the sound, with both cartridges, is by far the worst that I have heard from your system. I have to assume that it is the recording that is poor (I don’t know it at all) and not the issues with the mounting of the Azden, because things aren’t any better overall with the Palladian. There is a lot of obvious distortion that sounds like tracking distortion or that the vinyl is shot; particularly on the vocals when it is joined by the strings and others. Not good at all. Almost incredibly (price difference), the Azden seems to do a better job of tracking than the P since considerably less distortion is heard with it.

The other problem is what sounds like the air conditioner in the room is on. I can’t believe that what sounds like obvious white noise is on the recording. Very distracting and it actually sounds like the AC was turned up even more when the Azden was playing. If the noise is on the record, that is one noisy record.

Thanks for this latest comparison, but......

Sorry for adding to the frustration 😖

Interesting comments Frogman......
My apologies for leaving the glass doors open for the Azden so that the AC unit could be heard. I closed them for the Palladian 🙃

Interesting comments on the record quality because I have some friends who insist on hearing this track every time they come over....🤔
This may be an ideal time to hear what the DLR can do with the same track......?
Princi has made his decision...🤗

LONDON DECCA REFERENCE MI Cartridge 

The vinyl does sound damaged especially on the right channel. Decca sounds the most live and immediate with good depth although it really picks up that surface noise. MC almost sounds like there's dirt on the stylus. Azden is in between.

1:45 “reach”, “broken”
2:07 “price”
2:30 “Grande”
2:47 “flows”
2:49 “like”

All spots where there is obvious distortion (break up).  In between those spots it often sounds as if on the verge of break up.  From 2:50-3:42 it is worse with the very worst spot at 3:42 on “border line”.   It’s not subtle at all and I must say that this level of distortion makes the differences between the cartridges pretty irrelevant for me.

Surprisingly, the highest level and frequency of distortion is heard with the Palladian.  I agree with noromance’s descriptions of the sound of the cartridges and the differences between the Palladian and the Decca observed in their previous comparison apply.  Some of the qualities of the Palladian favor this type of studio recording giving it a more expansive and impressive soundstage.  But the distortion makes those qualities seem moot.  

I managed to acquire an unused FIDELITY RESEARCH FR-7fz LOMC cartridge from 1984.
This NOS FR-7fz is the 'Holy Grail' for those who appreciate the FR-7 Series of LOMCs designed by the legendary Ikeda-san.
As Art Dudley wrote...

Way back in 1967, Ikeda-san founded Fidelity Research, a celebrated Japanese firm that left its mark on the world of phonography with its FR-64 series of tonearms and FR-1 and MC-202 cartridges. (One could say that Isamu Ikeda has left another, more personal mark, inasmuch as many of Japan's well-known cartridge builders have served him as apprentices.) 

After the earlier FR-7 and FR-7f, the final version FR-7fz came with an advanced nude LINE-CONTACT diamond pressure-fitted to an aluminium cantilever and cost an incredible 120,000 Yen in 1984.

The Acoustic Systems PALLADIAN LOMC cartridge was designed by Dietrich Brakemeier as a 'tribute' to the FR-7fz and it will be interesting to hear what progress has been made in MC cartridge design in the last 35 years....🧐

FIDELITY RESEARCH FR-7fz

AS PALLADIAN 

FIDELITY RESEARCH FR-7fz
(Sorry for overloading the mic in places)

AS PALLADIAN
(Sorry for overloading the mic in places)