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Testing the Yamamoto HS-4 Carbon Fiber headshell.

Received the Yamamoto HS-4 Carbon Fiber headshell today and tried it on my 12" Jelco 850L. I guess this is a common upgrade path for many Jelco users so I succumbed to temptation.
Turntable is a modified Garrard 401 in a slate plinth on a maple and concrete support with new third party bearing, platter and idler.
I tested it with my Decca "Garrott Brothers Microscanner" Gold with new line contact stylus and Decapod.
Three records were played. Ketty Lester - Love Letters (1962), Cole/Davinport/Tate/Dickenson - French Festival Nice France 1974, Buddy Tate - The Great Buddy Tate (1981).
I played sample tracks from the records before swapping the standard magnesium Jelco headshell out. From the first needle drop using the Yamamoto, there was a soft grey veiling. Not a great start. There was definitely greater depth and improved bass - I could hear the kick drum pedal hitting the skin in a very specific location and acoustic bass was well delineated and easier to follow. Soundstage was more of a wall of sound with greater height. I remember the same effect using grey plate Sylvania Gold 5751s once which are acclaimed but not to my taste. Female vocals didn’t have the articulation and airy projection I normally experienced and it was that which forced me to stop going any further and I duly put the original shell back. The greyness was gone, replaced by a transparent black background and what I can only call a vast increase in precision and focus. I deliberately didn’t mention the mids and highs with the HS-4 simply because they were compromised and wholly unsatisfactory. With the Jelco, the tremendous detail returned: The color and metallic shimmer of cymbals, the beauty of vocal inflection, instruments speed and clarity. Piano hammers sounded fast and believable. But most importantly, dynamic range now soared with startling realism. That bass drum is not as clearly evident and it is the one area I’ll give to the Yamamoto. Make no mistake though, this carbon fiber headshell was an enormous fail for me. I can only assume the material imparted its soft plasticky sonic signature onto the music. Not recommended.

128x128noromance
hdm
1,062 posts
 
Maybe a system synergy thing? On a 750D on my Gyrodec I experienced pretty much the exact opposite that you did-almost a complete 180.  Would never go back to the stock Jelco headshell. 

My comments here:

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44048


Just bought a 2nd one for a new 2nd Jelco arm on my table as well-would have bought that one from you at a discount if I'd known you weren't going to like it!

With a totally new arm, headshell and leads there was definitely a break-in thing going on. A couple of hours with the Cardas Sweep Record did do a world of good in that situation. But with well used arm and a new Yamamoto HS4 I certainly didn't hear much of that, if any, when I bought my first one.  



noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,859 posts
 
@hdm  I did read your review recently. I have no idea! Maybe it's a Decca thing with its high energy  feeding into the shell and arm (despite being in a Decapod). 
The difference was not subtle. Fine detail was missing on the Yamamoto. Most likely being absorbed by damping in much the same way a cork mat softens the sound. Which is why I do not use one. I do not damp. Everything is rigid as possible with the 3" maple the only consession to softness.
I'm listening to Van Morrison - Beautiful Vision (WEA 1982) and the percussion is superb. Vivid and open, incredibly fast and detailed. With the HS-4, it is definitely veiled somewhat. Back to the original, it is like a Cleaned Window (get it?!)
One could speculate that the magnesium shell is reflecting energy back into the system giving the impression if detail. However, I do not feel that is happening as the purity of tone is so tangible. In other words, mouth sounds on a female singer and brushing cymbals, harp string plucking and the reverberation along the strings, the fine control of sibilance, and most of all, the emotional quotient of the performance, all indicate a lack of distortion.  The natural, you are there rendition of the performance has an absolute sound of rightness missing with the carbon fiber shell that I could not lose forces me to stay with the Jelco for the moment.
Most odd that we are hearing things the way we do or that the systems gel differently.
lewm
13,163 posts
 
noromance, Was it you and I who had a sharp disagreement about the Boston Audio Mat2?  If so, seems like your impression of the Yamamoto CF headshell and my own are equally at odds.  I've liked mine so much, I now own two of them, like hdm.  But obviously, we hear differently on different systems.  My systems are inherently highly detailed and seem to benefit from the very same treatments that you don't like so much.  I am also wondering whether the "sound" of the Yamamoto will be partly dependent upon the tonearm.  I am using mine on a FR64S with B60 base and on a Dynavector DV505, respectively.
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,859 posts
 
@lewm Yes, Lew! The Boston Mat2 robbed the music of all life and drive. I am finding the reactions of you and @hdm somewhat disconcerting. The decrease in detail is completely apparent. I cannot imagine how anyone could like either the BM2 mat or the YHS4 headshell. Most interesting.
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,859 posts
 
I sent the Yamamoto headshell back to Amazon. There was no letting it break in or testing with other cartridges. It just didn’t work for me. I wish you could have heard the difference. I once sat in on a show demo of a dull and overly bassy system and spoke to Ken Kessler afterwards. I found his reaction disquieting when he said it was excellent. Maybe it's me!
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