You've run some pretty fancy MC's, but the _______ MM cartridge really impressed me

Firstly using Youtube as a means to listen will certainly not give a true insight to what a demonstration has to offer. In this case it has helped home in on what I was experiencing. The Cart' in use in that Clip has Bass Extension, I can assure you, as the Roger Waters 'Amused to Death' recorded using Q Sound has proved. There is a track that makes one believe the system is on the verge of imploding due to the Bass extension, the Track on the system with the Ceramic Cart' in use was inflected with the same assault.

To further understand what was happening, the Link will cover the bulk of what has evolved for the use of the Cart'. I have the same model, as a result of being introduced to it through 'audioflyer', following on from when it had undergone the mod's referenced from Page 8 onwards.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?41517-Philips-GP390-Ceramic-cartridge-NOS-1970s

Dear @lewm : As always there is nothing " new " about that cartridge. As a fact Micro Acoustics was who had more susccess about but they not named " ceramic ":.

""" The Micro-Acoustics cartridges had a different construction than Sonotone. The stylus arm was directly connected to the ceramic elements, an idea that was patented by Micro-Acoustics. The transducer elements were referred to as electrets, but were made of the same piezoelectric material, lead-zirconium titanate. The ceramic elements had resonance way above 20kHz to insure good response and separation to beyond 20kHz. The cartridges also had an internal microcircuit to convert the amplitude response of the piezo material to velocity equalization for use in a magnetic phono input on a preamplifier. ""

In the long MM/MC long thread was analizwed and I owned and own from the 2002e and other MA models and as I posted there and if I remember in other threads not only me but other gentlemans have a good opinion on the overall quality levels sound by Micro Acoustics cartridges. Comes as stand alone cartridges that you can mount in almost any tonearm well almost any tonearm because the MA are very ligth around 4gr and runs at 1gr. VTF and is a high compliance cartridge. Btw, in those old times MA developed and puts in the market a test/demostration LP recording that I own too and that time to time appears on ebay ( recomended ).

It runs directly in any MM phono stage and is not sensitive to load impedance/capacitance.

Here you can read something about and after that you can go to the 2002 model and you can take a look what a gentleman that owned sevral carrtridges like the Stanton 881S claimed and you know very well the 881 that’s " almost " the same as the 981 that you own:

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/micro-acoustics.shtml

Here on sale NOS and is the model I own for several years. Any one have to try/test/listen to these Micro-Acoustic cartridges including @fjn04 :

R.

Sorry, here it's:

https://www.ebay.es/itm/334752763437?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=1185-53479-19255-0&campid=5337478673&toolid=10001&customid=165e1106-edd3-11ed-b994-623161363362

R.

@lewm : This is the Sonotone that MA made reference. Btw, contrary to the MA ceramic/electret the Philips has a lean bass ( - 1.5db at 50hz to 500hz. ) that you correctly listened :

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/sonotone/9ta.shtml

R.

@lewm I am off the opinion it is not too many years before I hang up the gloves for the use of MC's. The design in my view will not be offering much more over an MM or others to be put to use, as my level of hearing will be deteriorating.

At present I have a range of MM's to bring back into regular use and the Ceramic Cart' has got about £50 tied up in it inclusive of the spare stylus, which will supply a very good investigation and experience for the outlays I have made. I have spent on quite a few occasions, more than £50 on unknown devices, just to see how they perform as a interface, and have kept them available for demo' and loan purposes even if not proving to be to my preference. Tube Rolling is just one experience, Platter Mats another, along with numerous Cables.  

The intention to do more to the Cart' and include a Boron Armature and Replacement Tip, will be the where the bulk of costs are to be associated. That is the cost to experience this Cart' as a bespoke design and to be produced as a build type that I would like experience.