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.
 

 

mglik

@rauliruegas

look at that. you wrote a whole post addressed to me without once saying my opinions, gear or process is flawed. so it is possible.

i have no problem with anyone’s writing skills and respect that English is your second language. that is never an issue for me. your style is never disrespectful. but you constantly finding flaws in my activities is not something i can be around. i don’t claim to be right all the time, and some level of critique is fine. but too much is too much. so it’s up to you how you deal with that.

when you claim "absolute" truths, whether about tubes or digital, or anything, it’s going to cause problems. so know that those type approaches are polarizing and maybe try to avoid them. you cite these absolutes in your critiques of others and it’s very irritating. just think about softening your perspectives a bit and not ’preach’ about them. this idea is one thing that bothers me about your responses to me. while you do this quite a bit, you are not the only one.

i’m not a moderator, or any higher level authority about posting. only that i do care about posts pointed toward me, and so have opinions about those.

enough said.

The more I listen to the MSL Platinum Signature the more I am impressed by it and the Seta L it is attached to. This is the quietest cartridge I have ever owned. Records that I thought were on the noisy side are now reasonably quiet. Quiet records are as close to silent as a record can get....I think. Actually I can measure it. The digital metering on the Lynx Hilo is accurate to within 1 dB. I'll get back on that.  Bass and drums have a solidity usually reserved for Hi Res digital. The space between the instruments is well defined. Some people call this "air." Nothing sounds stressed. Tracking has been perfect.  I think I can say this is certainly the best cartridge I have ever owned 

Sorry, I need to correct my senility-infused confusion. Should read "tail slightly up." Much better highs and leading edge snap.

I find the Deccas sing at 1.65 grams, tail slightly down.

@mijostyn I know in a previous post you said you had not heard the Gold but curious if anyone else in this thread have listened to the MSL Gold Sig? How does it compare to the Platinum Sig? I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the Gold Sig several times now, for lengthy listens and can hear how quiet it is compared to the other cartridges my dealer has had over the years plus the control and ease of how it plays is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. So would anyone know of similar or different the Gold is compared to the Platinum?

@noromance

Sorry, I need to correct my senility-infused confusion. Should read "tail slightly up." Much better highs and leading edge snap.

I’m delighted with my Reference (or Jubilee) with the rear end very slightly down, as judged by the line along an SME tonearm. Both used at 2g VTF. Maybe I can’t hear the missing highs any more.

(So nice, by the way, to get back to actual audio issues instead of personality clashes!)