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.

@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.

Didn’t realize Koetsu’s went up to 20k. A quick Google search found this.  

@rsf507  That's with the diamond cantilever +$5K add-on option. That pink Rhodenite stone is also now discontinued, along with Coralstone (ran out of material). The standard boron models still top out at 15K or 16K (for Blue Lace), which they have been at for many years now.

Anyways, the large premium on certain stones seems to be thanks to the regional distributors more than  Koetsu Japan. And a more "pedestrian" RSP or Onyx with boron cantilever still sounds exceptionally good and embodies the full Koetsu sound (for that matter the Urushis probably do too - I want to try one). They all have the same motors inside.

Dear @mijostyn  : "" 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.  ""

The time almost always tell us that your statement is true.

The DaVa designer is a very enthusiastic gentleman with more enthusiasm than really deep knowledge levels in de overall cartridge operation subjects. 

For years he builded several cartridge prototypes of the Neumann cartridge, so the wrong path of the cantilever-less characteristic came from there when not only Neumann or Ikeda really were nota a wallop true success. That is a fact and Ikeda confirmed when just forgeret on the cantilever-less and started again with cantilever cartridge designs. Now, no one knows about till it try it or some one design it and listen to it, so the Ikeda " adventure " with was and is welcomed always as the Neumann one.

I have to say that with my first hand experience with the Ikeda cantilever-less in my system I experienced that " wallop ", surprise and high enthusiam that I even said that design was " prodigious " at least. I owned 3 different Ikeda and the best experiences were through the REX9 paired with the Mission The Mechanic tonearm ( in those times I owned over 20 different tonearms, good top tonearms. Well, not all.) and after some time all the Ikeda samples just gone when I learned that that was a wrong path and now I don't think I'm ready to try it again. As you, ""   I find it's design clashes with my own perception of physics.  "" and common sense.

Other that the manufacturer low knowledge level of low tracking abilities of his cartridge design that's a " heavy " penalty that no field coil principle can fix it there are other " mistakes " ( for me ) or more than mistakes questions: why 4 different power suplies? why an after market additional cartridge filter? why cactus?

Always a " new kid in the...." is welcomed, especially the field coil principle that's what really moves my curiosity to listen the Audio Note due that I listened the normal I/O and still remember its very good quality level along the @larryi  positive post with his experiences with this new field coil design that other than that is exactly the I/O cartridge. I don't know yet its price.

About your DS experiences good to know what you posted:

"" However this was not in my own system but in systems that were significantly inferior. "

As you now the strain gauge design is just like the DS an amplitude sense instead velocity but here is a big BUT: DS plays inside the rules in specific the RIAA inverse eq..and that's why we need a phono stage with RIAA to runs the DS. In the other side PL choosed to plays with his own " business man " rules and the cartridge design does not conforms with the RIAA and from there comes that " terrible " brigthness you experienced but several audiophiles love it.

R.

@rauliruegas

i am disappointed to read about these attempts to discredit the DaVa without even hearing it. we all have a right to our opinions. i appreciate that. but please respectfully qualify your remarks that you have not heard it, so you really don’t know how good it is.

then take your shots if you must. guessing about products is part of what we do here.

then if you DO ever hear it, tell us how that goes. thank you.