Ortofon Kontrapunkt C vs. Cadenza Bronze

I used to own the Kontrapunkt "c" and later owned 2 Cadenza Bronzes. I still have a Bronze. I share many of your feelings -- the Kontra seemed a bit more fun and satisfyingly musical somehow. The Bronze offers a slightly more restrained and "proper" audiophile sound. That said, their design is highly congruent (Bronze directly supersedes "c") and they still share 90%+ the same flavor of sound which you will not find in other cartridge models! This is due to sharing the same generator motor design and (IMO crucially) the tapered aluminum pipe cantilever.

What’s changed in Bronze is the Replicant vs. FG80 stylus, aluminum vs. plastic inner structure, and Acurum (gold plated copper) vs. pure silver coil wire (Kontra). I suppose there could be other minor changes that might not be documented. Hard to say what is most impactful of the listed changes, but I’d suspect the silver coil wire and plastic inner body might be more important players than the stylus?

Anyways, you can perhaps tilt the Bronze a little more into "fun" territory with phono stage matches. It’s an excellent cartridge in its own right, and remains one of my favorites. I’m listening to it on a high-end Stax setup right now! But certainly, I regret selling my Kontra "c" many years ago (it had a LOT of life left). Wish like anything I’d kept it. I still look out for one on the used market, occasionally.

In short, I would NOT seek out a retip on the Bronze to try and make it sound more like the Kontra "c". It’s kind of its own thing for a few reasons, and retipping that cantilever seems like it might degrade its integrity.

I also owned Kontra "a", a very nice little cart in its own right but man the "c" was way better. Cadenza Red is its successor, and I’d say in that case the Red is a clear improvement. That said, I think the Kontra "a" started out listing for $600 or $700, and wow that would be a stellar option if available today!

In short, I would NOT seek out a retip on the Bronze to try and make it sound more like the Kontra "c". It’s kind of its own thing for a few reasons, and retipping that cantilever seems like it might degrade its integrity.

Nor would I. It is the Kontrapunkt C that is going to get a new stylus!

Nor would I. It is the Kontrapunkt C that is going to get a new stylus!

Oops! That's what I get for reading fast and sloppy, sorry. Yep, that's exactly what I'd do. Get the Kontra retipped and hope for the best. Whatever FG you can get. I wouldn't hang up on the difference between 70 vs. 80. Ortofon used both of these in their lineups back then. 

I have a few experiences behind myself of comparing various types of the Kontrapunk b, these experiences are shared in other threads.

These have been original spec' with a usage life between 300ish - 1000+ Hours. Other models compared have been with a retip and a full rebuild with uprated Ortofon parts and Ogura Beryllium Cantilever with Ogura Vital + Styli.

A Selection of the above have been compared to a Windfeld and the Ortofon Vienna, of which the Vienna is quite a rarity and has been described as the fifth member of the 'bach' family of Cart Models. 

The demo's have all taken place on a set up that has the same Headshell Material, TA>TT and system.

The general shared thoughts as a outcome of comparative demo's has been that a different styli, is not too much of a impact on a sonic. A detail retrieval might be detected as having a difference, and compared to a original styli, the other styli in use, certainly refined the presentation, which is a more attractive experience.

The general shared thought between attendees at a demo' has been that the structure of the Signal Path of the Cart', is seemingly the area responsible for creating the most noticeable change to a Sonic. 

The original K'b to a retipped K'b are very very similar, even though the FGS Tip is a refined experience and worth consideration at the time of a retip, certainly more attractive than a original with a longer usage life. 

The rebuilt K'b jumps out in front and sits very well in the Company of the Windfeld and Vienna.

Aucurum Wire is rosy in tone, when A/B compared to the Vienna and K'b Silver Coil Wire.

There is not many who would give the Windfeld a description as being rich, but in the company of the K'b and Vienna, that is how it comes across.

The Vienna had a FGS and the Windfeld the Replicant, I did not see the Tips being responsible for the differences in sonic being detected.

It might be the Aluminium Armature and Silver Coils on the K'c are the parts that create your X Factor. The Aucurum and Aluminium Armature on the C'br, might not be your attractor.

I would seriously consider the FGS for your Aluminium Armature of the K'c, if the marriage is a compatible one, as a exchange tip on a K'b, it substantially tidied up the presentation over the originals.    

The cartridge has arrived at VAS, and now I have to wait for it to get to the top of Steve's to-do list. It will be very interesting to compare it to the Bronze when it returns. I tend to use the Ortofons for classical records, and the Decca Reference and MP-500 for more modern stuff. When I first had the Kontrapunkt C it replaced a BM Ruby 3, and I initially felt it was overly-detailed (I may have even described it as 'scratchy') but I guess in retrospect that I was influenced by the the cartridge that had gone before which was rather rich and glowing in its sound. Indeed I became accustomed to it and grew to love it. When I got it out again during my long search for a replacement for the Reference when it looked like there would be no more service for it, I was surprised at how very good it was. But it was clear that the stylus was worn under a microscope (I keep a nice old Olympus binocular microscope that I used to use in the office for urine microscopy!) and hence the switch to the Bronze.

If it comes back and I can't tell the difference from the Bronze....well, at least I have yet another spare cartridge! But that isn't what I'm expecting to happen. I remain very happy with the Cadenza Mono on the remaining tonearm.