2. analog
  3. 151891-2199

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
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Now let me compare:

1)

Yamamoto Carbon-Fiber headshell 

Carbon-Fiber turntable mat 

Another Oyaide Carbon-Fiber headshell 

Looking at all those pictures do you see some similarities ? 
The structure of Carbon-Fiber is the same, just like this sheet. 



2)

Now look at the Graphite mat, here is mine, but you can also look here. 

This is OMA Graphite headshell and OMA Graphite Mat. 

Thomas Schick Graphite headshell. 

And let me remind you about rare Grace Carbon-Fiber headshell. 


And let me summarize: 

The material used for products in chapter 1 is completely different from the material used for products chapter 2. Even if the Yamamoto headshell and Grace headshell advertised as Carbon-Fiber it is obvious that they are completely different and therefore have different properties. Same about Carbon-Fiber mat from chapter 1 and Boston Audio & Sakura Systems Graphite mat from chapter 2. 

I've been told that OMA Graphite headshell is also different from the Schick Graphite headshell. 

In other words saying something about Yamamoto Carbon-Fiber headshell you can't project it to the Boston Audio Graphite mat. They are made of the different material. 




lewm
13,222 posts
 
Chakster, I am not sure I get your point.  Who is it that confused the graphite Boston Audio record mat for the carbon fiber Yamamoto (or Oyaide, or etc) headshell?  In addition to my two Yamamoto CF headshells, I also own the Oyaide one, just to see for myself if there is any qualitative difference in their sound(s).  So far, no.  But Noromance does not like either the graphite mat nor the CF headshell, and he knows the difference. Bill Stevenson doesn't like the CF headshell either.  You, Halcro, and I do like the CF headshell.  Yet we all (Nandric and Bill included) own very different audio equipment. Go figure.
Nandric, Don't worry. I pay for our travel to Tokyo.  About once a year, for the past 3 years, we have been renting an apartment via Airbnb, for 2-3 weeks each time.  Before that, I used to stop in Tokyo on my way to and from scientific meetings in Thailand or Vietnam, to see our son for a day or two.
noromance's avatar
noromance OP
9,897 posts
 
Thanks @chakster and @lewm 
Yes, I'm aware of the differences. 
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Lew, My worry was that 30% discount for the headshells you
bought in Japan would not cover the ''other costs'' . That is why
I assumed that either your son or Japanese government paid the
''other costs''. 
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
First of all: here is a shop in Japan, it’s official Yamamoto distributor, not only for his beautiful tube amps, but also for the headshells that international buyers can purchase without tax (VAT) directly from Japan.
More to discover