What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?
I believe that a cartridge and a speaker, by far, contribute the most to SQ.
The two transducers in a system.
I bit the bulllet and bought a Lyra Atlas SL for $13K for my Woodsong Garrard 301 with Triplanar SE arm. I use a full function Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamp. My $60K front end. It is certainly, by far, the best I have owned. I read so many comments exclaiming that Lyra as among the best. I had to wait 6 months to get it. But the improvement over my excellent $3K Mayijima Shilabi was spectacular-putting it mildly.
I recently heard a demo of much more pricy system using a $25K cartridge. Seemed to be the most expensive cartridge made. Don’t recall the name.
For sure, the amount of detail was something I never heard. To hear a timpani sound like the real thing was incredible. And so much more!
This got me thinking of what could be possible with a different kind of cartridge than a moving coil. That is, a moving iron.
I have heard so much about the late Decca London Reference. A MI and a very different take from a MC. Could it be better? The World’s Best? No longer made.
However Grado has been making MI cartridges for decades. Even though they hold the patent for the MC. Recently, Grado came out with their assault on “The World’s Best”. At least their best effort. At $12K the Epoch 3. I bought one and have been using it now for about two weeks replacing my Lyra. There is no question that the Atlas SL is a fabulous cartridge. But the Epoch is even better. Overall, it’s SQ is the closest to real I have heard. To begin, putting the stylus down on the run in grove there is dead silence. As well as the groves between cuts. This silence is indicative of the purity of the music content. Everything I have read about it is true. IME, the comment of one reviewer, “The World’s Best”, may be true.
@lewm No, I did not, you posted: " " Which is maybe why it’s degenerated into an even more endless and unresolvable debate about analog vs digital " If you already solved then why posted that? and if you resolved then please share with all of us your take. Welcomed.
R. |
Dear @mijostyn : " wooden bodied cartridges and their sonic performance was not as good as (read colored) the best metal units and their construction quality was not as good. Wood is not a good substrate for a cartridge. "
Cartridge body material is " only a part of the overall parts in the cartridge design and yes it’s important but I think that the designer knows more than you or me how his designs performs in the whole context and inside the designer targets. Normally wood cartridge materials are " treated " in several ways.
I have good experiences with wood cartridge bodies through the time. My first one was the Brier great vintage performer but my first Benz Micro was the Ruby 2 and I like it and I like it so much that I bougth its LP model that did not like me but his LPS is very good performer and the Colibri still is at the top along other today ones as could be MSL. I own the Koestsu RSP and even that I normally do not like the Koetsu signature the Platinum wood is very good. In this thread @mglik almost " die for " his Grado Epoch. Not only wood material was or is used for cartridges but with TTs too as the Teres Or Sota and even in tonearms as Durand or Grace ( I owned the Sota and the Grace tonearm. )
Almost all first hand experiences and yes inside my room/system and MUSIC/sound priorities.
R.
So, I disagree with you in that specific regards. Maybe not the best cartridge body material but it works and works fine. |
