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Fidelity Research cartridges

Any FR cartridge experts out there? Raul? Dertonarm? Syntax?
I have had an FR-7 which I bought a while ago. I tried it ever so briefly when I got it on an arm I now recognize as not being able to handle that weight (close, but no cigar). I just now pulled it out for kicks and after getting it adjusted with the big counterweight, I am VERY pleasantly surprised. Actually, I'm feeling kind of bubbly. It does not dig out the utmost in detail, but it just sounds very right.

Are there any other FR carts out there which are real steals if still in good condition? I know the MC-702 and the FR-1Mk2 and Mk3f by name, with good reps being assigned to the Mk3 and the MC-702. Given that the MC-702 and the FR-7 look quite similar, and they were offered at about the same time, what is different? And is the FR-7 just an integrated headshell version of the FR-1Mk3?
t_bone
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear chakster, Are you some kind of masochist?  How can you
resist to try out your Miyabi standard AND Ikeda 9. III?  
edgewear
543 posts
 
Would those three be the Ivory, MCA and Standard? 

I'd be interested to know if the cartridges Takeda built for other brands like Mark Levinson, Cello, Red Rose an Krell are identical to either of these three he produced under his own Miyabi banner.

I own the Mark Levinson MLC-1, which as far as I know was the first cartridge he made (at least of the ones mentioned here). It is a magnificent performer and certainly one of the most musical cartridges I've ever had the pleasure to hear. But I can't help wondering if any of the later models are even better. Did anyone here ever compare them?


parrotbee
103 posts
 
I'm going to make a couple of armboards for my FR64. Can I just ask. is the 231.5 pivot to spindle length for all cartridges - or for the FR7? or do I need a hole mounted at 230mm? I'm curious because the FR64 instructions have the length at 230mm.
On the issue of alignment - I currently have a clearaudio gauge which I understand is actually a different alignment to Bearwald, Lofgren et al. So what protractor would I get? mint? Wally? anything else?
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
edgewear, Levinson actually discovered Takeda and ordered all
''his'' models by Takeda which he sold under his own name. Krell
deed the same so, obviously, Levinson deed not own ''exclusive
rights''. All those carts were Miyaby Standard. Thanks to Levinson
Takeda become ,uh, known ''san''. He then started his own production with the name Miyaby. I am not familiar with chakster
MCA nor the ''third kind'' which he produced later. 
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
parrotbee, I am not pedantic but one need to discriminate between
FR-64 and FR-64 S.''S'' standing for ''steel''. FR-64 , to be recognised
by round lateral balans,  has aluminum ( arm) wands. The 231.5 pivot to spindle distance change original Stivenson geometry to Bearwald.  The eff. length then become  246 mm. I ordered Mint
tractor for my FR-64 S despite the fact that I can adjust eff. length
with an (plastic!) caliper. 
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