What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

fundamentally using an SUT potentially brings a musical touch, inner artistic view and envelopment that high gain phono preamps such as the darTZeel can’t quite do in the same way. this effect varies with actual execution of the phono and SUT.

my experience is that the silver wound EMIA phono and SUT is very special in this regard. but hard to make an objective case.....it’s purely experiential. like......music.

certainly the best high gain phono’s have their own attributes which i enjoy when i choose to use that approach. it’s good to have that choice.

@dogberry I am wed to the Ortofon Brand as a Cartridge, even though over the past few years, I have been able to have certain Ortofon Cart's compared to a few other Brands, using the opportunities as made available to attempt to define where the separations are through the using the differing design intents and technologies.

This same experimentation through listening within the Ortofon range only, has also been given a fair amount of time allocation, to learn where there are differences to found between various Cart's from different Marketing Levels.

The Windfeld and Vienna have been the Benchmark used on a Bespoke Design Tonearm.

The Kontrapunkt B in original guise, is owned between a selection of individuals within my HiFi Group and there are redesign / rebuild variants of the K'b as well.

My experience of the K'b in use is quite regular and I have heard it on various Tonearms in various systems, as well as having it demonstrated on the same system in comparison to a selection of other Cart's.

I have learned from this that if the Arm/Cart' are correctly matched, there are still variables in the impression made from a replay.

It could be claimed that the differences in devices used within a system can be responsible for this, and I won't stand in the way of such a pattern of thought, it is one that is presented in many discussions seen.

My encounters and following assessments lead myself to a different approach of thought, I am convinced the  K'b is a not too attractive Cart' when used on certain Designs for a Tonearms and can be underwhelming, even though replaying the music in a manner that can be enjoyed. The K'b is a Jekyll and Hide, as when used on another Design of Tonearm, the Design is quite capable of excelling, and becoming very attractive in use. When partnered with a Tonearm of a certain design, the K'b has proven itself to compare very favourably to much more expensive Brand family members, leaving not too much amiss in the comparative performances.

It is the experiencing of the above, that has led me to adopt the thought, where the Trinity of Ancillaries required for Vinyl LP Replay, i.e, TT>Tonearm>Cart' will be with an obvious weakness if the Tonearm is not able to allow the Cart' to perform at its optimum.

It is also the experiencing of the above, that has led me to be quite sure that my there are Downstream Devices underperforming as a result of not being sent a Signal from an optimised interface upstream.

The Redesign / Rebuilt Cart' inquired about in use, has a Boron Cantilever and FGS Styli. This has been a method used by Cadenza Black owners wiith a very good follow up report. I would also believe the technician gave the under the hood of the K'b a little bit of their special attention, even if only a thorough clean. 

My K'b redesign / rebuild is a little more advanced in ideas, as it has a upgraded internal from the upper range of Ortofon, with a FSE and WRD used as well.

It also veers from materials usually selected by Ortofon, as it has a Beryllium Cantilever and Ogura Vital S+ Styli.

I have heard much of the Ortofon Family since the release of the Models from the Millenium and onwards, of which a selection has been heard in systems that are very familiar.

I have yet to hear a Ortofon with detail retrieval like the rebuilt one I am using, and am not too sure if any Ortofon Model I have listened to in a familiar set up, has shown it a clean set of heals, more like the differences detected is a different sprinkle of seasoning.

My gut feeling is that if Aucurum was the coil material on my rebuilt K'b, it would be without doubt, out there with the best.

Aucurum is my next line of investigation and I do have a rebuild designed and to be carried out on a Cadenza Black Donor Cart' for this reason.    

@pindac That's very interesting. You may have gathered I'm wedded to my London Deccas, but I know I must be prepared for their demise and unrepairablity after John Wright retires at the end of this month. The Kontrapunkt C has been a welcome surprise when taken out of my stash of older cartridges, and while I had thought I would replace it with something like a Cadenza Black when the stylus goes, I'm now thinking I might be better off sending it for a re-tip to VAS or Soundsmith. I can see myself getting very comfortable with it: when you keep equipment a long time because it suits you, your tastes change to align with what you hear. It's like a comfortable pair of well-worn shoes, where both shoe and foot adapt to each other. You get to a point where your system, which may not be the objective best around, still sounds 'right' to you. I think this is rather desirable to a pragmatic audiophile, as it gets you off the treadmill of constant upgrades and dissatisfaction, and lets you get to the point where you are happy with (and a little proud of) what you have, and you can settle down to listening to the music, not the equipment.

My encounters and following assessments lead myself to a different approach of thought, I am convinced the K’b is a not too attractive Cart’ when used on certain Designs for a Tonearms and can be underwhelming, even though replaying the music in a manner that can be enjoyed. The K’b is a Jekyll and Hide, as when used on another Design of Tonearm, the Design is quite capable of excelling, and becoming very attractive in use. When partnered with a Tonearm of a certain design, the K’b has proven itself to compare very favourably to much more expensive Brand family members, leaving not too much amiss in the comparative performances.

Having about a dozen upper-line MC’s I rotate among, I can for sure say that some are particularly hot or cold (or chameleon-like, or Jekyll & Hyde, etc) depending on what gear they’re mated to. But here turntable and speakers remain constant; even the tonearm is usually constant now as I’ve settled on the 2nd FR64fx as my "sandbox" arm. But some cartridges have been particularly sensitive to SUT pairing first, and then preamp & amplifier second. Even tube rolling selections can affect this:

• Shelter Harmony - When Cold: A bit too hot up top, and too lean in the midrange through upper bass. When Hot: Amazing clarity through midrange, fast, tight & punchy bass, sparkling highs and beautiful staging. Can pull new life out of some pressings on the dull / dark side.
• Ortofon Windfeld Ti (and MC): Cold: Dry and boring overall. No life in the midrange. Sounds like good (not great) digital. The older MC version had these problems plus too hot treble. Hot: Well balanced, super clean linear & neutral. Very fast response! Spectacular quality treble, like a top flight Stax headphone system, without being too overblown. The opposite of being lifeless; it brings life to the music. Ti is cleaner, smoother than MC. The Jubilee is similar to Windfeld MC too, but not as good and I never got it to work for me before trading (it worked well for the friend I traded it to).
• Benz Ebony L: Cold: A little anemic (or at least reticent) in bass. Sounds like a slightly atrophied Koetsu. Perhaps a touch hot on top at times. Hot: Beautifully musically balanced while showing far more refinement than lower Benz models; a near flawless manifestation of the classic Benz iron cross sound (IMO), and a good affordable alternative to Koetsu.

Then there are cartridges which seem quite happily situated in MOST system configurations I’ve tried them in. Of course proper matching can still take them further, but you’re less likely to have a disappointment here. To me, these include:
Koetsu (all), Shelter Accord (far more easygoing and affable than its big brother Harmony), Ortofon A90, Kontrapunkt "C" and Cadenza Bronze, Benz Zebrawood.

There are endless variables to cartridge use cases, and endless variability in user preferences, which is why these discussions are similarly endless...

Once you start creating Frankenstein cartridges, by changing or modifying cantilevers, styli, coils, suspension, bodies, etc, then opinions regarding the net SQ are even more useless than otherwise, not to say that comparing OEM cartridges without respect to different tonearms, turntables, amplification, speakers, rooms, listeners, is a worthwhile pursuit, beyond expressions of love, meh-ness, or hate.