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.
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.
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.
- ...
- 59 posts total
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! |
There are, say, two different categories: 1. who knows better and 2. who hears better. If I would dear to say this, considering edgewear warning , I would say ''don't mention the M...'' but I don't because of the moderators. The ''other category'' is more complex because there are more candidates for the title. As an democrat I would say : choose your own from the ''Aussie list'' in his thread ''hear my Cartridges''. |
I bought the latest incarnation of Boston Audio mat made in collaboration with 47 Labs (Sakura Systems). This model called The Mat. It is perfect for Luxman PD-444 platter. I am comparing it to my SAEC SS-300, but need time for comparison. I do not agree with noromance catigorical statement. Regarding carbon headshells i know many, i like this one from Grace, it's carbon-fiber. Nothing new here, it's from the 80's. I like this design much better than any Yamamoto. |
- 59 posts total