I took me some time to find a cart i liked as much as my VDH. There is something about the VDH stylus profile that’s special IMO. I've had mine rebuilt at VDH twice now. But i found a lightly used Sumiko Pear wood celebration 2 that fills in quite nicely with all the detail I'm used to from the VDH cart but with a bit more warmth in the midrange.
Time for a new cartridge
My current cartridge which is a Van Den Hul DDTII Special MC is starting to lose it's zing. Details are not as sharp as they were and overall I think I'd like something fresh. My tt is a VPI Prime with the 10" JMW Memorial tonearm. My phono stage is a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista Vinyl. My amp is a McIntosh MA8950 integrated. My speakers are Sonus Faber Cremona M. I have 2 KEF R400B subs, which I think compliment the Cremona's. I've emailed VDH and they said they would do a re tip and get it back to where it was, but I'm thinking maybe it's time for a different sound. With the info I've provided I'd like some alternatives. My budget is around $2500.
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Dear @drvinyl01 : The poblem with that DS Audio cartridge isthat around 8khz and up its frequency response has a deviation af 6db-8db that is to high and where you can hear. Nothing is just perfect in analog audioand that is the negative trade-off you " pay " for.
@willy-t @chasda : Yes the Lyra Kleos is a cartridge winner and at very good low price for it.
R. |
I would definitely check out new London Decca Super Gold. I think $2800 USD. But I would check it works with your arm. I have a SG with a VPI Classic III arm and it did not work well - but I got a new arm :-) not planned for but what the heck - its only money :-)
www.londondecca.com - they just started re-manufacturing them in London and shipping to the US. Support is incredible and sound is the same. |
Because you are using a unipivot arm you will want to go with a high compliance cartridge such as another Van den Hul or a Lyra. Lyra specifically recommends against unipivot arms. Soundsmith makes some of their cartridges in high compliance versions and they are great cartridges. You certainly want something that tracks at less than 2 grams. You really want to get a better arm at some point. |
@rauliruegas Which DS Audio Cartridge do you currently own and actively listen to at the moment to come to such a conclusion? The DS Audio cartridges draw out more information making your source much clearer which might reveal flaws in some systems. Hence the frequency you hear isn't caused by the cartridge. Because I don't hear it in mine nor in any other set ups of friends that have one. |
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