What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

your love affair with balanced circuits is legendary. are you wrong about them? no. are balanced circuits the ’main thing’ about how circuits might perform? no.

balanced circuits = one advantage....but not the whole ball game....which is what you are saying. and that cannot be known. we all can have an opinion about it though.

the best performing systems i have heard up till now have not used balanced circuits. which proves nothing either. since that aspect of a system is not dominant in it’s performance....one way....or another.

@mikelavigne 

(emphasis added)

My comments were about balanced line operation- the use of balanced cables in audio. Not so much about balanced circuits in audio equipment (that is a different conversation which I avoided).

That balanced lines when supported by AES48 are superior than any RCA connection is both measurable and audible. There is more than one advantage. Since I don't know which you were referring to I'll name a few:

* no ground loops since ground is ignored and used for shielding only

(this means if you get a ground loop with balanced lines AES48 isn't being supported)

* prevents coloration caused by the interconnect cable

* lack of colorations (including high frequency roll off) allows for longer cable lengths.

* since the crux of the operation lies with the associated equipment, the cable itself can be quite inexpensive

* Since the associated equipment will have a high Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) noise impinged on the interconnect cable is rejected at the input of whatever its driving. This isn't possible with a single-ended connection so you get lower noise.

OK I've listed 5 advantages and there are more.

My recommendation as always with this sort of thing is to try it. Phono cartridges are already a balanced source and most tone arms are wired balanced so this is really about the interconnect cable and what is receiving it. SUTs, being transformers, can run as a balanced input quite easily with very high CMRR values. Their output can be single-ended (this is why transformers are good at converting from one to the other). So this would be an easy thing to try.

@atmasphere

thanks. can’t argue with any of that. balanced circuits and cables have their advantages.

my issue was more @mijostyn ’s comment

’only way to go’.

it's just not.....the....only....way

Dear @solypsa : The   @reimarc  tonearm effective mass is around 9 grs. ( with screws to hold the cartridge. ) and the around 18cu compliance of the ART 1000 along its 11grs. weigth puts the frequency resonance in between rigth on target to the ideal range of 8hz-12hz.

Along that every AT cartridge is a truly good tracker and the ART 1000 design was " inspired " by the Victor MC L100@edgewear named and that I owned and both designs are similar with AT higher compliance than the Victor and with almost same cartridge weigth and I never had any tracking issue with the Victor.

Tell me why should be a problem with that carbon tonearm on tracking issues?

If the ART 1000 is well mated with a choosed tonearm and in that specific regards then no problem at all.

R.

@rauliruegas No problem, I don't expect tracking issues based on the technical match or reputation. I, however, would not proclaim a cartridge to be an excellent tracker based only on 'paper specs' either...

"The Decca London Reference is an awful cartridge. It is a terrible tracker and very unreliable."

Says you. I've had one for eleven years with no reliability issues and no tracking problems, nor does it hum like the Deccas of yesteryear. Put it in a high quality damped tonearm and you'll hear music like no other. Honestly, when you make a statement like that I have to start doubting everything else you write...