MC-MM-MI CARTRIDGES . DO YOU KNOW WHICH HAS BETTER QUALITY PERFORMANCE? REALLY?
Dear friends:The main subject of this thread is start a dialogue to find out the way we almost all think or be sure about the thread question : " true " answer.
Many years ago I started the long Agon MM thread where several audiophiles/Agoners and from other audio net forums participated to confirm or to discover the MM/MI/IM/MF/HOMC world and many of us, me including, was and still are" surprised for what we found out in that " new " cartridge world that as today is dominated by the LOMC cartridges.
Through that long thread I posted several times the superiority of the MM/types of cartridges over the LOMC ones even that I owned top LOMC cartridge samples to compare with and I remember very clearly that I posted that the MM and the like cartridges had lower distortion levels and better frequency range quality performance than the LOMC cartridges.
In those times j.carr ( Lyra designer ) was very active in Agon and in that thread I remember that he was truly emphatic posting that my MM conclusion was not true due that things on distortion cartridge levels in reality is the other way around: LOMC has lower distortion levels.
Well, he is not only a LOMC cartridge designer but an expert audiophile/MUSIC lover with a long long and diverse first hand experiences listening cartridges in top TT, top tonearms and top phono stages and listening not only LOMC cartridges but almost any kind of cartridges in his and other top room/systems.
I never touched again that subject in that thread and years or months latter the MM thread I started again to listening LOMC cartridges where my room/system overall was up-graded/dated to way superior quality performance levels than in the past and I posted somewhere that j.carr was just rigth: LOMC design were and are superior to the other MM type cartridges been vintage or today models.
I'm a MUSIC lover and I'm not " married " with any kind of audio items or audio technologies I'm married just with MUSIC and what can gives me the maximum enjoyment of that ( every kind ) MUSIC, even I'm not married with any of my opinions/ideas/specific way of thinking. Yes, I try hard to stay " always " UNBIASED other than MUSIC.
So, till today I followed listening to almost every kind of cartridges ( including field coil design. ) with almost every kind of tonearms and TTs and in the last 2 years my room/system quality performance levels were and is improved by several " stages " that permits me better MUSIC audio items judgements and different enjoyment levels in my system and other audio systems. Yes, I still usemy test audio items full comparison proccess using almost the same LP tracks every time and as always my true sound reference is Live MUSIC not other sound system reproduction.
I know that the main thread subject is way complicated and complex to achieve an unanimous conclusions due that exist a lot of inherent differences/advantages/unadvantages in cartridges even coming from the same manufacturer.
We all know that when we talk of a cartridge we are in reality talking of its cantilever buil material, stylus shape, tonearm used/TT, compliance, phono stage and the like and my " desire " is that we could concentrate in the cartridges as an " isolated " audio item and that any of our opinions when be posible stay in the premise: " everything the same ".
My take here is to learn from all of you and that all of us try to learn in between each to other and not who is the winner but at the " end " every one of us will be a winner.
So, your posts are all truly appreciated and is a thread where any one can participates even if today is not any more his analog alternative or is a newcomer or heavily experienced gentleman. Be my guest and thank's in advance.
Regards and ENJOY THE MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
Dear @jdougs : Yes, to make this kind of comparisons I agree with you on the crucial importance of phono stage.
Now, your Umami Red is a LOMC cartridge that is a true challenge for LOMC cartridge in the over 10K price range, so you are in good hands.
R. |
I have yet to experience the Ceramic Cart' as a basic design on my home system. I have purchased a Ceramic Cart' of the same model that I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing in use, I also purchased spare Styli. The idea of a Boron Cantilever and FGS is as strong now as it was when first put forward as a design for it. A Cadenza Blacks Cantilever may prove to be the donor part. When I do eventually get to the place this is to be used, from recollection a small tweak is required to the circuit of an MM Phonostage to get the best from it. Having Cart's stored is not a unusual practice for myself, I have a collection of Cart's awaiting their day to be put back into service. I still have a A&R P77 and AT MLX 150 MM to go head to head at some time. The idea of a Gold Plated Boron Cantilever on a MM, that does get ones pot simmering A&R P77 are to found on offer today where a Boron Cantilever is used, but this does come with a fair price attached to achieve it. It might be cheaper to find a spent AT Cart' with a Gold Boron Cantilever and have the Retipped Cantilever put onto the P77. There is also a Cadenza Black to have a Cactus Cantilever and PC Triple C / EX wire taken directly from the coils, bypassing the Lead Out Pins. This will be the least interrupted signal path I have used on a Cart'. |
Dear @bdp24 : " Startling attack, immediacy, presence, full-bodied tonality, dynamics, and imaging. "
I know very well wat you are talking about due that I not only listened to the London Decca but I owned two other cantileverless cartridge from Ikeda LOMC that were the REX9 and 9C. MUSIC and MUSIC quality levels belongs to Transient Response in a home audio system or live MUSIC. hat Transient Response is what gives us first than all immediacy followed by dynamics. Your other adjectives are good in cantileverless design cartridges but other design cartridges even can have a little advantage. Cantileverless cartridge design is not perfect and one f its trade offs is its tracking abilities due that are not very good to " negociates " high velocity recorded grooves. Can I live with the London? sure I can, is very good performer and good that you appreciated in that way.
R. |
@rauliruegas I couldn't relate to what JPM was saying until I started switching between my moving magnet (Shure, A/T), Moving iron (Grado, Stanton) and LOMC (Dynavector Ruby). Then it became more and more apparent. The MC was just more transparent than the others.
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