@clearthinker , I have the MC Diamond, the politically correct Anna. It is a very heavy cartridge and huge in comparison to other cartridges. I use it in a Schroder CB with the brass mounting plate and I get a resonance frequency in the 7-8 Hz range. So, it does not need a massive arm. Any of the intermediate mass arms will do.
Cartridge Advice Please
I would love to hear from others that have traveled the same or a similar path.
My system is the previous Gen of Audio Research REF gear with the 75SE amp, 5SE preamp and 2SE phonostage with the Rega P10 playing Wilson Sophia 1. I listen to a lot of rock, R&B, blues, jazz, folk
My previous cartridge of about 2 years was a Benz Micro Wood SM. I got it new and loved it from the first record. My current cartridge is the Kiseki Purple Heart which I love even more and also have loved from the beginning. I got is used with about 200 hours, lol. So many people listen for 200 hours and then sell. I am fine with used but have always found that 150-200 hour statistic funny.
It has been about 9 months and I am happy with every other aspect of my system so would like to experiment with a new cartridge. Here are the ones that didn't work
SoundSmith Sussuro MkII ES - I liked it but with a 0.4mV rating it required my 5SE volume to be around 20 higher than the Purple Heart rated at 0.48mV. That makes no sense and it caused a buzz to be audible from my speakers between albums/tracks when listening at moderately loud volumes. Mr. Peter said there was nothing wrong with it and felt no need for me to send it in so I sold it.
Rega Aphelion 2 - This came used on my P10 and my mind was set on selling to justify the P10 upgrade so not sure I gave it the best chance but it sounded bright to me.
Rega Apheta 3 - Same deal as above, came on my previous RP10 and also sounded bright.
My initial thoughts are:
Koetsu
Lyra
Higher level Benz
Ortofon
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- 51 posts total
@mijostyn OK. I don't do politically correct, running Krell KRS200s. Anyway, how can Anna Netrebko, or Ortofon for that matter, be responsible for Putin invading Ukraine, any more than I am responsible for the British slave trade. And why can we say 'black swan' but not 'blackboard'. People do talk the most errant nonsense. The Anna works fine in my Zeta, possibly heavyweight, arm. I accept it may work well in somewhat lower mass arms although 7Hz is a tad less than ideal. But my SY Aeroarm is definitely a non-starter: |
@dhite71 The Link is Part II of the first Link I added. It covers a few Cart's recommended above and extends to comparing/discussing the Benz LPS. |
@clearthinker I'm with you. No, if you have a well isolated turntable 7 Hz is not too low. Bass performance is improved, noticeably if you use propper subwoofers. |
dhite, I am surprised you got rebuffed by both Peter Ledermann and your dealer who sold you the Sussuro. The former is perhaps excusable if PL was just having a bad day. The latter is inexcusable, because it constitutes poor customer service. SS did a re-tip for me several years ago, and the results were not good. I reported my dissatisfaction to Peter, in the context of a phone call, and while it may have required two or three contacts, he did finally ask me to return it for his personal inspection. In the event, he did find a fault with the work done in his shop, fixed it, and sent it back with no charge and a sort of apology. I cannot imagine why he would not offered at the very least to have you return the cartridge for his inspection. Perhaps he is overwhelmed with the work these days. May I ask what resistive load you did use with the Sussuro? Thanks. |
- 51 posts total