What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

From Mono and Stereo 2022 talking about the DaVa, "a unique sound with startling realism." 

There is only one realistic sound. Everything else including "unique" is not. I have not listened to the DaVa Reference and probably never will. I find it's design clashes with my own perception of physics. I have listened to DS cartridges and did not find them exceptional, exceptional enough to get invested in the electronics.   However this was not in my own system but in systems that were significantly inferior. I have listened to the Soundsmith Strain Gauge and it was very enticing, a little too enticing which I think was due to it's inherent brightness. In the end I decided not to buy one. It also has trouble contending with higher groove.  velocities. 

Another point that I would like to make is that you have to be very suspicious of any component that stands out sonically in dramatic fashion. It is likely to be very colored, not realistic but surrealistic. I have gone down that road in the past and in every case tired of the sound with more experience. 

There is a huge amount of science behind the very best cartridges, materials science in particular. It takes a lot of horsepower in a company to develop these tiny parts and put them together with perfect precision. It should be no surprise that companies like Ortofon, Lyra and MSL (and all it's offshoots) make wonderful cartridges in a very reliable fashion. IMHE exotic designs wind up disappointing in the end. High resolution digital files of modern digitally recorded music do not lie. The very best cartridges should sound just like them. Any variation signifies coloration be it euphonic or not. The MSL Platinum Signature is certainly very close. 

@rauliruegas , trust me on this one my friend.  If you think the FM Acoustics equalizers are something else wait till you get a load of the new DEQX digital preamps. Their capability far exceeds the FM acoustics even if the build quality is not quite up there with FM. It is still very impressive and being able to adjust the frequency response and time align individual channels on Hz at a time is powerful in a way that in a way that defies description. 

I am working on setting up the system for digital RIAA EQ. All the parts are in place I just have to learn how to program the Lynx Hilo to send everything where it supposed to go and there is so much in that little box that my old brain is having difficulty avoiding confusion.

@arro222

Well, the distributor wants his cut. So does the dealer. When they say 40% markup, they mean 40% of the selling price, so it’s actually a 66% markup. To be fair, each has his own costs and it’s not all gravy, especially the retailer.

Then there is marketing. Only a few can get by with no marketing at all. But they have proprietary designs and proprietary skills and proprietary parts. For example, there was only one source of small exotic platinum magnets with a highly uniform magnetic field. They were made in quantity for MRI machines. When the factory closed, one alert client scooped up the world supply. That was Koetsu, so they alone have platinum magnets.

Speaking of Koetsu, their top cartridges also feature aged rosewood bodies, or stone bodies (which are prone to shatter during manufacturing), and diamond cantilevers. Then it is fair to say that the highly skilled labour isn’t cheap, and that many examples, from parts supplied to them to finished product, are substandard and need to be discarded.

We all asked the same question about HP tubes, back in the day. Thing was, we could buy a 6922 (tube) for $3, but a 6922 from HP was $30. Little did we know that the HP tube was a bargain: it was later said that HP bought the tubes by the pallet and discarded 98% straight into the dumpster. The same MAY be true of the best cartridges, not that we’ll ever know.

So you pays your money and takes your choice.

Oh, and don't let anyone tell you that digital is the standard. If digital were perfect, then all digital products would produce that same perfect sound. They don't. QED.

From Mono and Stereo 2022 talking about the DaVa, "a unique sound with startling realism."

There is only one realistic sound. Everything else including "unique" is not. I have not listened to the DaVa Reference and probably never will. I find it’s design clashes with my own perception of physics. I have listened to DS cartridges and did not find them exceptional, exceptional enough to get invested in the electronics. However this was not in my own system but in systems that were significantly inferior. I have listened to the Soundsmith Strain Gauge and it was very enticing, a little too enticing which I think was due to it’s inherent brightness. In the end I decided not to buy one. It also has trouble contending with higher groove. velocities.

Another point that I would like to make is that you have to be very suspicious of any component that stands out sonically in dramatic fashion. It is likely to be very colored, not realistic but surrealistic. I have gone down that road in the past and in every case tired of the sound with more experience.

@mijostyn

i have a long held process to judge my sources, including my turntables and cartridges, and that is RTR tape with my Studer A-820’s and King Cello tape repro. as those have stayed constant for now.......15 years, it’s a reference hard to surpass. my vinyl has certainly gained on the field of my master dub collection over the years.

the DaVa Reference is not some alien sound from outer space. it’s ’like’ my Etsuro Gold cartridges, and my tape. it’s music, and is able to attain ’suspension of disbelief’ frequently. very immersive and engaging. it has it’s own outstanding "musical" qualities for sure. i hope you do get to hear one.

i fully respect that we all view methods of technology for ourselves and have a right to our opinions about it.

Dear @lancelock and friends: I forgot to post a critical and important issue on those cartridge designs.

The optical DS design has a huge advantage over any other cartridge designs including the field coil and that advantage is that is and sense amplitude and not velocity as the other cartridges.

Senses amplitude means lower distortions against any velocity normal cartridges as the ones we all know.

@lancelock you was the only owner of DS cartridge that posted here and you own the top model that comes with diamond cantilever ( not that " scientific " cactus material in the DaVa. I would like to ask the designer if he knows which the " young Modulus " for that cactus choice material. I said this with " irony " because DaVa manufacturer speaks of science. ) and micro ridge stylus shape an even that I never had the opportunity to listen DS cartridges I’m with you with what you posted:

""" I just can’t believe it gets any better than this. Absolute joy to listen to. """

Congratulations to be an owner of it.

R.