Thanks, guys.
scchengmus, I totally agree with your description of the Amethyst, and I've thought for a while that it's probably a great cart for classical, though I haven't really tested it with that genre, since I listen mostly to 50s-70s jazz these days. The only thing I miss with the Amethyst is a bit is more energy from the cymbals (I'm a drummer, so that's partly why), which is why I find myself listening to the Sumiko Olympia more often than the Amethyst -- it's not nearly as clean, but it's very alive, and it still has the warmth and musicality that I really like. I was hoping that the MP-150/MP-200 would have the same lower frequency depth and presence but a bit more happening in the upper registers, too.
@noromance , do you find the AT bright/fatiguing at all?
scchengmus, I totally agree with your description of the Amethyst, and I've thought for a while that it's probably a great cart for classical, though I haven't really tested it with that genre, since I listen mostly to 50s-70s jazz these days. The only thing I miss with the Amethyst is a bit is more energy from the cymbals (I'm a drummer, so that's partly why), which is why I find myself listening to the Sumiko Olympia more often than the Amethyst -- it's not nearly as clean, but it's very alive, and it still has the warmth and musicality that I really like. I was hoping that the MP-150/MP-200 would have the same lower frequency depth and presence but a bit more happening in the upper registers, too.
@noromance , do you find the AT bright/fatiguing at all?