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.
Dear @thekong : Te digital/analog issue is not about measuremenst, in this thread and other threads where I posted about I never mentioned " measurements " because it’s not the issue. I posted in this thread:
" for many years we were accustom to listen it and what does it means this fact: simple we are accustomed to the LP developed high distortions it’s what we like even if its wrong and this is not the issue. The deep main reason is that: we are accustomed to those LP sound along its developed distortions. "
and :
"" all of us are missing through digital medium ALL THE ADDED DISTORTIONS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE LP RECORDING AND PLAYBACK PROCCESS . Our brain knows something is " different " down there.
You know if we have a " routine " of any self behavior that we do it day by day for several years and if one day we haven’t the time to do that " routine " the brain works in automatic and many times we could be a little confused about due that we have to go but the brain told something was not do it. This is not about measurements it’s how the human brain works that in that case works by " instinct ". Live MUSIC seated at nearfield position just does not sounds, not even near, as what you or any one of us listen at our places. Far away from there.
Look the main issue is what puts us nearer and truer to the recording. No matters what is digital medium compared not with analog but to LIVE MUSIC SEATED AT NEAR FIELD POSITION where normally are the recording microphones. It’s not rocket science is only : common sense with no biased attitude. Do you think that live MUSIC seated at that position will permits you to listen it , say , 60 minutes?. No way, you will feel not what you experienced in that friend system listening digital but even more tortuose.
Live MUSIC has a dynamic power that we have to " live " at that position: is unveliable, but live MUSIC is brigthness and sometimes even hardness as could be the Dizzy horn at 2 m. that you can’t " support " it for more than 10-15 minutes with out damaging your ears for ever.( well microphones can pick-up en excess of 140db SPL. ). That sweetness or warmness that many talk with analog/LP just does not exist at that live position.
Live MUSIC is like poetry or painting all of them a true ART and always wake up some kind of emotions no matters what.
MUSIC brougth to us, many times, very nice or not so nice " memories " even if we listen in a radio device.
So what are you talking about? Jitter?: you mentioned for the first time in this thread and that kind of " characteristic " exist playing LPs.
R. |
''Çalling names'' as grammar versus logic, linguistic and even phlosophy of languge. Our Lew felt ''insulted'' by some remarks by Raul while Raul deny his intetntion to insult Lew. This is my intriodiction to,uh, this ''subjec matter''. not my ''explication'' of this matter. Logic state big difference between NAMES and PREDICATES. The firtst meniotned ''lack predicative function''. That is to say ''they say nothing about the bearers of name. If I say Gordon Smith and you ask ''whom do you mean'' or ''what about him''. You would not ask this question if NAME Gordeon Smith has its own, say , meaning. However grammar change names into adjectives and THOSE may be insulting. Say America and American. The later may mean many things: the richest country in the world, American military , American dominance etc. But the question to whom bellong English language is never questioned among English speaking ''nations''. On my Balkan the issus is much more serioes. There are 4 ethnic groups who will start a war about the language question because each of them claim their own despite the fact that they all can understand each other. That is how adjjective work as ''belonging to''. Aka as owners question. We all are programed with some languge with words and their presupposed meaning so there are also ''words'''which are ''verboten'' or ''not done'' . This is ''obvious'' (?) confusion between NAMES and predicates or adjectives . I think that adjectives are about assumed ''quolities'' and predicates about properties.
One |
There is affirmation from both types of Medium Users, that there is something to be contested, an analysis of the commonly seen exchanges on the CD Source vs Vinyl LP Source, there is the assertion to be seen stated that something exists. There is a resistance seen to show conflation and merge ideas, there is seemingly refute presented and this serves as an ongoing fuel to maintain division. The properties to be compared from each Source are intangible, the methods used for embedding recorded information, and the method required to replay the recorded material are not similar, and limitations of one vs the other are known. Reconciling with the differences to be discovered in each and allowing oneself to adjust to the idea that both are viable as a means to produce a satisfying replay, will be key to accepting that either are quite capable, and worthwhile embracing if the choice of the Medium is wanted to be used. In a Thread as this one, with the Specific Topic inquiring about 'What is the World's Best Cartridge' the not too commonly discussed, requirements to create optimised interfaces for a TT > Tonearm > Cartridge and the Materials and Designs that would be seen to be selected as Good > Better > Best to enable a Styli / Cantilever to be used to their optimum, would be a much more valuable area of additional discussion and information to be aired, in place of where Digital as an alternative Source Material fits in to the discussion. |
I'll jump in once more. This thread is not about CD vs LP, and any entries of that kind ought to be ignored or deleted. My opinion is that the new technologies that take the idea of minimising the moving mass on the cantilever are on the right track for ultimate fidelity. I know I'm biased, but the cantileverless Deccas started out in this direction, and the Soundsmith strain gauge and the DS Audio optical cartridges are running with it. The AT Art1000 with the coils right at the distal end of the cantilever is a third approach. It seems to me that only the very best of conventional LOMC pickups might vie with them, but at a much higher price. There is no reason, other than a dislike of losing advertising dollars, why a magazine should not conduct a shootout between these three. I am fairly sure I would not be alone in wanting to read that! (Yes, it would be better for me to conduct my own comparison, but I'm not made of money and there is no way I could go and hear all three, sadly.) |
