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Looking for a Warmer Sounding Phono Cartridge

I've grown tired of the sound of high end MC cartridges. Detail aplenty, but I've begun to detest to the screechinesssssss.

No, my system is not biased that way. I'd consider my system neutral. Components are listed below. The Koetsu RS sounds wonderful. The other cartridges in my rotation are the Hana ML and the Shelter 901 MK III. These are not described in the literature as very etched sounding nor very detail rich. They are mostly characterized as neutral.
My ears no longer tolerate the highs, anything above 3KHz I would estimate. My hearing disappears at about 8KHz. I don't have any hearing problems except for the loss of higher frequencies. I find also that I'm not as interested in "getting everything that's on the vinyl". Not anymore. I want warmth with quality. I listen to the "audiophile" recordings, to R&R LPs from the 70s and classical and opera from all eras. Some LPs are very good, some not so, but performance overrides the defects. I want to continue to enjoy all of them.

So I'm searching for a good quality warm sounding cartridge, MM, MI, MC or some other, doesn't matter.

I've been researching the field and have come up with these candidates:

- GradoTimber Master 3
- Shelter 501 Mk III
- Soundsmith Zephyr MK III

I was pretty sold on the 501. based mostly on the article by Michael Fremer, but a very helpful contact at Upscale Audio turned me onto the other two. His advice sounds very sound and seems to come from experience with all three.

I would like to keep the discussion limited to the above three and to cartridges less than $1500 USD, unless there's a really great one that I've missed.

Thanks for your help.

My stuff:

Koetsu RS, Hana ML, and Shelter 901, Musical Surroundings Nova II phono pre. Alternate pre is Paragon System E (tubes) and a DIY SUT with Cinemg 1254 trans, sometimes Apt Holman Preamp 1, Technics SL-1200G, Denon DP-57L, Levinson #38s preamp, Rane EQ and Crossover, Bryston 2.5B cubed amp, Revel M105 bookshelf speakers, and HSU 15" Sub.

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xkevemaher
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mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 

One source for your " ears "  problem ( because it's not a cartridge problems. ) could be that build material of your speaker tweeters that crossover around 2.5khz and could have some kind of ringing down there or maybe not because you said your room/system is neutral and you measured.

Great point by Raul. Certain cartridges and tweeters not getting along is DEFINITELY something I've noticed. Don't discount this. My big Tannoys with the pepperpot tweeter render a vivid, lush midrange but there is a cost to this with a certain roughness / hot spot somewhere in the treble region. Cartridges which don't mellow out in this region can be like icepicks to my ears lol. Other Tannoys with the tulip tweeter are a lot more well behaved in that region, and don't display this problem. 

vitussl101's avatar
vitussl101
147 posts
 

Fremer is fun to read but I don’t use his recommendations at all. He gets a lot of stuff wrong and his somewhat of a meltdown on the Mofi One Steps and his twenty years late review on electrical service (like he discovered Xanadu) coming into the home and a whole bunch of other stuff. I’m downsizing my cartridge purchasing after years of spending thousands on them and when my Dynavector crashes and burns, will purchase a HANA S MC Low Output Phono Cartridge.  When I got turned on to this company I was really surprised how good it was.  750 bucks!  Less than just about every MC I've owned since the late eighties.

lewm
12,503 posts
 

Kavemaher, have you been to an ENT specialist or an audiologist? Could it be that you have tinnitus?

kevemaher's avatar
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kevemaher OP
71 posts
 

I've found a solution to my dislike of screechy highs. And it was right in my cartridge drawer!

I installed my very old Grace F9 body with a Soundsmith RS-9E stylus assembly (plugs in). The stylus assembly  is constructed of an Alimunum Cantilever and a nude elliptical diamond stylus. Installation was on my Denon DP-57L table.

 I've forgotten how difficult MC alignment can be and how easy this MM cartridge was to align. Separation, azimuth, anti-skate, VTA, and VTF adjustments were straightforward and simple.

The sound is very beautiful and smooth. I love the midrange. Bass is surprisingly full and has detail. The FR curve shows gradually diminishing  lows by about 5dB from 100Hz down to 20Hz and a very small rise above 10KHz of about 2 dB. Separation is about 27dB. I set the VTF to 1.25g (the old Grace recommendation was 1.2g). SS doesn't spec the compliance, but if it is true to the Grace F99E it is high compliance. The stylus is almost brand new. No screeching.

This issue is settled for me...for now.

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