The off topic divertimento is highly amusing and could be summed up by paraphrasing Basil Fa(u)wlty in one of those hilarious episodes of Fawlty Towers: "Don’t mention the Mexican".
As for cantilevers (another highly amusing topic) I like frogman’s take on the matter. It’s the interaction with the other parts of the cartridge that determines the final result. I have had the opportunity to compare various vdHul Colibri models. As you may know they all share the same short boron cantilever, but offer a choice of body materials (aluminum, plastic or wood) and coils (copper, gold and platinum, the latter no longer available). The sonic difference between e.g. the small aluminum body with copper coils and the (larger) Blackwood body with platinum coils - remember: both with the same cantilever/stylus assembly - was overwhelming. And much larger than between the Blackwood and ANY of my cartridges with aluminum cantilever. The LW aluminum / gold version of the Colibri was excessively bright and agressive in my system, while the Blackwood / platinum gave the perfect balance of transparency and sweetness (it’s the one I kept in the end). The difference was really extreme and something I would never have anticipated within one model range. BTW: these and other Colibri versions were all compared in the same Reed P3 arm.
Ergo: don’t overestimate the importance of the cantilever material, as it is just one piece of the puzzle. As frogman suggested, the combination of a plastic body and a diamond cantilever in the 88D may well hit a perfect balance. I have an XL-44 (similar motor to XL-55 and 88 series), which is a nice enough cartridge but perhaps a bit too polite. I can imagine it could change gears having a diamond cantilever fitted. I have no doubt that the 88D is one hell of a cartridge, so Halcro enjoy it while you can.
As for cantilevers (another highly amusing topic) I like frogman’s take on the matter. It’s the interaction with the other parts of the cartridge that determines the final result. I have had the opportunity to compare various vdHul Colibri models. As you may know they all share the same short boron cantilever, but offer a choice of body materials (aluminum, plastic or wood) and coils (copper, gold and platinum, the latter no longer available). The sonic difference between e.g. the small aluminum body with copper coils and the (larger) Blackwood body with platinum coils - remember: both with the same cantilever/stylus assembly - was overwhelming. And much larger than between the Blackwood and ANY of my cartridges with aluminum cantilever. The LW aluminum / gold version of the Colibri was excessively bright and agressive in my system, while the Blackwood / platinum gave the perfect balance of transparency and sweetness (it’s the one I kept in the end). The difference was really extreme and something I would never have anticipated within one model range. BTW: these and other Colibri versions were all compared in the same Reed P3 arm.
Ergo: don’t overestimate the importance of the cantilever material, as it is just one piece of the puzzle. As frogman suggested, the combination of a plastic body and a diamond cantilever in the 88D may well hit a perfect balance. I have an XL-44 (similar motor to XL-55 and 88 series), which is a nice enough cartridge but perhaps a bit too polite. I can imagine it could change gears having a diamond cantilever fitted. I have no doubt that the 88D is one hell of a cartridge, so Halcro enjoy it while you can.
