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A pragmatic view of cartridge expenses / many questions

Trying to see what your thoughts are on cartridge expenses? Do you buy cartridges and replace or retip after it’s worn? Cartridges are like tires for cars in some ways. You have to replace the tires after they wear out.

If you own an ultra expensive cartridge, let’s say, over 7k, is that your main spinner? Do you do a factory retip at costs exceeding thousands? Do some of you who own high cost cartridges use them only for special occasions, similar to drinking Dom Perigon for some special event, and use a normal not so exotic cartridge for regular day to day use and perhaps non-audiophile records.
I am sure each of us have our own price threshold and thoughts of high end cartridges. I only said 7k, because that seems to me a fair price point to describe a very expensive cartridge.

My thoughts are that having a few normally priced cartridges around is a good thing, due to the wear and tear, and replacing or retippimg would also be less costly. I do lust after some high end cartridges and if I do obtain one, my philosophy would be as described above. Enjoy for special occasions, and use a less costly for normal day to day listens. Geez, it feels like we are trying to separate our car cruises from a sports car feel to a luxury limo ride feel, in some ways. 
What’s your opinion on expendability of cartridges?
audioquest4life
antinn
369 posts
 
@audioquest4life,

Regarding the Soundsmith Hyperion I heard it at the Capital Audio Show 2018 in the VPI suite.  They had two HW40 turntables setup - one with the Soundsmith Hyperion the other with the Lyra Etna.  They were playing a Louis Armstrong record - moving it from turntable to turntable.  The speakers were a big set of Wilson Audio.  To my ears the difference was not subtle. The Lyra Etna played Louis Armstrong as if he was singing in Aspen, CO - low humidity and crisp. The Soundsmith Hyperion played Louis Armstrong as if he was in New Orleans - humid and dense.  Which was right - to the ears of the beholder.
lewm
12,519 posts
 
Dear AQ4L, It is good to have you back on this forum. Like Raul, I was a bit surprised to read somewhere here that you are happily loading your newly acquired for demo VDH at 20 ohms. You’ve said elsewhere that your phono stage (the Aesthetix Io?) produces 80db of gain and that you also have a Pass XP27 or access to one. Since your phono stages produce so much gain, I gather you are not using a SUT to step up signal voltage from the VDH. This makes me wonder why you’ve chosen to load the VDH at 20 ohms. Every VDH is slightly different from every other VDH, so I don’t know what is the internal impedance of your particular model, but that seems like an excessive load (20 ohms) for any LOMC that has any higher than a 2-ohm internal resistance. How did you arrive at 20 ohms?  Have you tried increasing the load R (in other words, reducing the load)?


Mijo, Why would Mussolini, alive or dead, have any reaction to tires on a Ferrari? Ferrari was founded in 1948, and Mussolini was strung upside down and murdered by his own people in 1943. Benito never knew there would be a Ferrari marque, although he may have known Enzo, who was a successful driver in the 30s, before he became Commendatore of his eponymous car company.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,223 posts
 
Back to serious business. Audioquest, nature is full of surprises. Making a tapered cantilever is not easy. Making one that is tough and light is even harder. I suspect Frank Schroder has detailed the thorns characteristics and thinks they make an ideal cantilever. This proof is in the listening and tracking performance/ Problem is you really have to spend $8K to find out unless you can find a low mileage used one from a trusted source. If I get a Soundsmith it will be the Hyperion. If I don't like it it will be sold immediately to some lucky person. I have turned over several cartridges that way. As far as the Koetsu is concerned it would not be my first choice in a low compliance MC. I lean towards the Air Tight and My Sonic Lab. But if you have to have jade go for it but you'd best have a heavy arm. SME V's will need a lot of added mass and I am not sure they can counter balance it but you would no better than I.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,223 posts
 
Lewm, thanx for the history lesson. Ferrari was a second rate driver. Scuderia Ferrari was his team and they started racing Alfa's in the 30's. Mussolini was an Italian, everything had to be Italian. When Tazio Nuvolari came from behind in an under powered Alfa to beat the Germans in the German Grand Prix Benito held a big celebration. Anyway, an Italian car has to have Italian tires. The thought of American tires on one of his cars would have pissed him off. But alas, times have changed. We have a global economy and great cultures are losing their identity. 
audioquest4life OP
722 posts
 
@lewm 

Thank you for the hearty welcome. It’s been a while for sure. Overseas work for military and feds keeps you busy. I am trying to find where I stated I was loading it at 20 ohms, but if I did, it was for experimental purposes only. I did start at 4.5K, the setting I am using for the Soundsmith MKII, and from there tried 47k, and then 20, and finally, 243. The specification tag for the Crimson was hand  written in Euro script with two different loading ranges, 1. 20-250, 2. 47k. Having learned that loading on MC cartridges needs to be listened to in order to lock in best sound, I made bold adjustments, and the recommended ones as well. Of course, we all know the entire chain from cartridge to phono amp will influence loading somewhat. Which translates into it being a crap shoot with an optimal value/s as tested by the manufacturer. I view the ranges set by the manufacturer as being a baseline for users to be able to adjust their  systems easier. Some trial and error is almost an absolute. 
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