MC-MM-MI CARTRIDGES . DO YOU KNOW WHICH HAS BETTER QUALITY PERFORMANCE? REALLY?

@tomic601: And in fact, the cartridge/tonearm/turntable/RIAA phono amp may be considered a single multi-piece component, the performance of each evaluated only in relation to the others. The same is true of the loudspeaker/amplifier interaction, and the loudspeaker/listening room as well.

Addendum: As others have noted above, the unique sound of the London/Decca pickups is not a consequence of them being moving iron designs, but rather of their lack of having a cantilever (Decca referred to their design as "Direct-Sensing"). In J.Gordon Holt’s review of the Decca Blue in the Autumn/Winter (3) 1973 issue of Stereophile Magazine (where I learned of the Decca cartridge), he named that "cantilever haze". He also referred to the "attack" I cited as "transient snap".

Also noted above is the ability of the cartridge to reproduce the "texture" of the sound produced by instruments. The sound of a guitar pick sliding down a string is visceral, as is the sound of the tip of a drumstick hitting a cymbal, producing (in the case of good cymbals) a percussive "click". You can hear the sound of the material the instrument is made of, including the wood texture of an old Martin acoustic guitar, and the steeliness of a Telecaster.

Please offer a mechanism to explain why a “good LOMC suppressed groove noise better than the others”, other than that’s your opinion.

 @lewm It’s just an observation that I came to realize after 50 plus years of playing records using different turntables, arms, phone amps and cartridges. There’s no mechanism involved, just personal experience. Could it be wrong? Maybe…Addressing your other comment, “Good” is arbitrary and hard to define but…what ever you think it is…seems best.

@rauliruegas Those ADS’s must sound fantastic in your room! Thanks for sharing! Seeing your cartridge collection I noticed a couple in particular, it takes me back to a time where I put a lot of hours on Stanton 681EEE’s and Empire 2002’s.

Apologies for the late reply, “life” gets in the way sometimes :-)))

@mijostyn  : " and it will not handle high groove velocities near as well as a MI or MC cartridge will. " 

SG has no mistracking problems as a fact exist many MC/MI that can't handle high velocities recorded LP grooves, not the SG. It's brigthness comes from no RIAA and from its dedicated phono stage but that cartridge ( SS models, not Panasonic or Sao Win. ) tracks everything even at inner grooves.

R.

Dear @bdp24 : I really don't disagrre with you from your last post but my point of view is a little different due that as we all know each link in the home system chain is overall important but when we are talking of the LP/analogue chain as a " mini-system " the both critical and more important issues other than the LP source and cartridge/tonearm alignment belongs to the cartridge it self and with out doubt the phonolinestage due that the cartridge is the " mini-system " source and the phonolinepreamp is the processor of the source cartridge signal.

Exist importance gradation levels in all the system chain and for me that's my gradation for very good reasons.

R.

Dear friends: I can see that all of you are " inclined " for LOMC or MI cartridges and no one posted yet nothing important about MM cartridge motor designs. Well @dgarretson did it when he posted about Precept cartridge.

That fact, at least with the gentlemans that already posted ,  could says many things and for me says that no one of you were exposed/listened to top MM cartridges that outperforms The Voice or the Statement that mijos " die " for or top today/vintage LOMC cartridges.

One gentleman posted that he did not needs to listen MM cartridges and other said that owned the Grace F9 and that's it. Btw, the Grace F9 was in reality as an entry level in the Grace cartridge catalogue but the ones to listen was/is the F14 series that's where a high quality level belongs in Grace manufacturer.

Not even audiophiles as @lewm that posted about Stanton where he is an owner is a top MM vs the really top MM cartridges but at the medium step of that ladder, yes a good cartridge  but no more than that.

I was and am exposed/listen to the true/real top MM quality level performance ladder and that's why I put at the same level that all the other cartridge designs ladder alongits couple top truly to dedicated Pho Stage design that with out it no one can appreciates what I can .

Rigth not I'm listening one of those true top MM cartridge coming from Audio Technica: AT ML180 OCC that can beats any SS MI today cartridges but not only the AT outperforms several cartridge today designs but other MM too as: Audio Technica AT36 with today stylus shape: this is a fantastic performer as is the AT 160 LC OCC or the AT 25 but the Technics EPC 100C MK4 ( stand alone unit. )  or the U205CMK4 are incredible performers. Signet TK 10 ML MK2 or the Precept 440 and 550ML both came from AT Group and named by @dgarretson  or Pioneer 550E. Yes the JVC X-1 MK2 and Excel ES-70EX4 and I can't let out Shure with the Ultra 500 and the ML 140HE.

With out been exposed to one of those MM cartridges along a top first rate dedicated MM phono stage we can't know about MM cartridge performance levels and how it compares against the other cartridge motor designs.

I one of you has the rigth MM phono stage and is lucky enough then will can to find out a couple of those MM cartridges by ebay or directly in Yahoo Japan or other japanese web sited nad you can find out for peanuts when outperforms 10K+ yoday any kind of cartridge motor designs: some of them not all today samples of that level.

R.