@surfmuz if you asked regarding your own system, don’t hesitate to tell us what you have and what you are willing to upgrade
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- 48 posts total
Yes, you can. I do it all the time. I have 107 cartridges, at least that many styli that I evaluate, compare, review, and enjoy. I have 17 TTs that I mount them in with varying arm masses and configurations. My equipment is not expensive, and hardly high end by most standards in here. But I can clearly hear all the subtle, nuanced, drastic differences in cartridges and styli. For set up of cartridges and styli, I listen through a $6 pair of MonoPrice headphones. They readily reveal VTF issues, alignment errors, tracking issues, distortions, and any other problems. I also make styli for several rare cartridges. So, yes you absolutely CAN hear differences using inexpensive (consumer grade) TTs, receivers, amps, headphones, phono preamps, cables, interconnects. I do it and enjoy it every day. |
@wolfie62 Time to time I visiting my old friend who has professional record studio in his house. So when I visited him last time he gave me a lot of his opinions, evaluations and reviews about several carts and tt…based on his listening sessions using pro equipment and $400 pro monitor speakers….the guy has about fifty different carts and two carts which I used to have at some point.. we tried to listen to those two carts and I realized that I shouldn’t take his advices and evaluations seriously. Of course I could get some characteristics but whole picture no way. |
You have to listen in your system and only your opinion is valid when you choose a component. I bought far more turntables than I actually need, too many tonearms, and many more cartridges of all types (some very rare units). Different phono stages, SUTs, headamps ... Some people have more, some are totally insane in this hobby. I also adjust and test every new cartridge not in the main system, I use headphones and two identical turntables to test carts, styli etc, I can immediately switch between two identical turntables. I can hear the difference using professional Sennheiser HD-25 headphones. For the first teste it’s enough. I got 3 pairs of speakers and they are vary from bookshelf professional Tannoy monitors to the huge main Tannoy monitors and floorstanding high-end speakers. I have couple of friends with nice systems and we can meet for a listening session. Everywhere we can hear the difference, but I enjoy the most my MAIN system, this is where I use only the best and every change in that system is audible (cable, phono stage, tonearm, cartridge... whatever). |
- 48 posts total