My Sonic Lab Platinum v Gold Signature

The Topic of this thread type does get my attention.

The Verismo, MSL's and Hayabusa has been a priority investigation as I am working my way towards the time I will make a decision on a final MC Cart' Purchase, which will be an indulgence and what ever the method used to acquire the MC, this one will be kept for Special Occasions, rare find Albums and friends around and such. To be fair to the Cart' I will probably attempt to use it for 100ish hours annually.

I am fortunate to have been offered a Demo' of a Verismo in a owners home system, where there is also a Anna. I will revisit this offer very soon.

There will be a transition at some point to the revisit of owned stored away Cart's and where the activity will commence for the tiring out of owned LOMC's, HOMC's, MM's and other oddities which have created an interest. There is to be second system, which my Wife is very comfortable with using and she can have a Two Tone Arm Deck to extend the Cart's usage. There will be plenty going on to keep the Phon's engaged in their work.

During early investigations there was a substantial Jump in purchase price between the Hayabusa and MSL's. More recently the MSL's are seen to have decreased in asking price and are not too far separated from the Hayabusa.

Price or Marketing Spiel does not drive my decision to pull the trigger on a purchase, it has evolved to be the impression the device can produce through being given a demonstration. With the right set up, supporting ancillaries and environment. I can work out where there are attractors to be found and if I feel these are the ones I want to exploit when reproduced in my own system. Hence, I don't look to be given demo's at large organised commercial event anymore, I find the environment fails the demo's on offer, and much that is encountered is tolerated for very short durations. Interestingly some fall in love and get the cheque book out without hesitation. Horses for Courses I suppose.

@mijostyn , thanks for the detailed report on the Platinum. Neutrality is a good thing, and something I strive for in my systems. I'm pleased to be hearing from you and @blisshifi that the Platinum does not stray toward brightness and edginess.

BTW, I have not owned Mac gear in more than a decade! It was a brief phase in search of warmth to offset the brightness in a pair of PBN Montana speakers I bought on a whim and quickly sold.

@pindac , The Anna is no longer available. It's replacement is called the MC Diamond, a fine cartridge but I am not sure it is a significant improvement on the Verismo. Both are very low output. You have to make sure your phono stage is up to it. I own the MC Diamond and frankly, with my phono stage, I prefer the MSL and the Lyra Atlas Lambda SL. This is only because of the signal to noise ratio and not the sonic imprint. 

@wrm57 If neutrality is a trait that is to seriously considered the Options are to be from a broader Palette. Certain Ortofon Cart's are more than able to perceived as having this trait.

I have been demonstrated Ortofon's and a Sumiko Pearwood in consecutive demo's. The Pearwood has been capable of making a very good impression on quite a few occasions. This Cart' presents in a way I would claim is leaning toward neutral, it is certainly not one with a Rich Tone, even though a Wood Body will suggest a Rich Tone is to be encountered. 

@pindac , yes, I agree about Ortofons. I have a long history with the A90, which I bought upon its release and played so much that Ortofon has rebuilt it for me twice already. It might be on the cold and detailed side of neutral, at least more so than what I’m seeking in my next purchase. The titanium-bodied Verismo is reputedly closer to neutral and would be sorely tempting, as well as a relative bargain (if one can say that with a straight face about a $7K cartridge), except that its electrical characteristics might make it a sub-optimal mate for my phono stage, which is entirely based on SUTs. At 7 ohms DCR with a .2 mV output, it would seem to work with the Allnic’s 26X SUT but the load impedance seen by the cartridge, 70 ohms, is likely to be a bit low. I say this with some confidence because I have an Ortofon SPU Royal GM II with similar electrics at 6 ohms, .2 mV, along with the same Replicant stylus, and I have to run that one through a different phono stage, one that won’t be available for this new purchase, to get it just right. At 26X through the Allnic, I find the top end on the Royal to be closed in, and I suspect the Verismo would be similar. Ortofon seems to like this combination of electrical traits now; the Windfeld Ti is 7ohm/0.2mV, too. The A90 at 4 ohms/0.27mV is ideal into the 20X option, which is one reason I’ve stayed with it for so long. I’m splitting hairs here, of course; but, hey, isn’t that what this hobby is all about? :-)

I appreciate the recommendation of the Sumiko, and looked it up. Unfortunately, I think its combo of 0.5 mV output at 30 ohm DCR could make my Allnic pretty unhappy. I’d have to try it to see.