Vinyl Lovers-- Cartridges!!!! Do you have a daily driver?
About a decade ago, some kind soul told me that the phono preamp was ever so important and that I could keep spending here and there, but to get to Oz I'd need a good one. Since that time I've had a Manley Chinook and now Modwright's reference phono stage.
These pieces have allowed me to get deeper into vinyl. I have a lovely LTA Aero DAC (tubes and R2R), which I adore. Yet, nothing is the same as vinyl. Ok--maybe my reel-to-reel stuff but I only have about a half dozen albums.
At any rate, here's my dilemma. I'm finding cartridges just don't hold up that long. I keep a clean shop and my records are in very clean shape. I do not, however, have a laboratory clean room here. I run VTA generally at the middle of the spec. Still, cartridges are easy to run through--or so it seems to my ear.
I've had mixed results retipping moving coils. Sometimes it's fabulous!
I think I'm getting a little tired for buying cartridges only to wear them out. I've run through a Benz Micro LPS, Kiseki Purpleheart, Dynavector 20x something, Audio-Technica ART9, Ortofon 2M black, and a few others I cannot recall. The initial outlay doesn't bother me. What's getting me is they just seem to fade off. I doubt I'm getting more than 1000 hours before they sound raggedy. Yet, I've never counted.
I've noticed with a high quality phono preamp you can use a lower priced cartridge to amazing results. So, I just scooped up an $800 Nagaoka MP-500, hoping I could use it as a daily driver to spare my Goldring Ethos (fantastic cart by the way). I don't have the Nag yet to evaluate.
What are others doing? If you're someone who plows through lots of vinyl in their listening sessions, do you just pony up ever year for a new $2k, $5k cartridge? Do you run lower priced, value carts?
Dear @slaw " for hours alone it needs a re-tip for sure. ".
Absolutely. Ortofon research said that after 500 play hours even the best stylus tip " start " to look over a microscope a tiny part of the deviation from the tip shape. Normally goos stylus can goes to 1,500 hours but is convenient for owners try don't go over 2,00o.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS, R. |
Dear @jbhiller : I own ( still ) over 100 cartridges and I'm not rigth now not only worry about retips of my favorities and try only to enjoy it.
The Empire MC5 is the current favorite for the last 6 months in a row. Yes, it's that wonderful, overall very hard to beat it at any price with any other top cartridge.
R. |
Thanks @rauliruegas . I always appreciate your insight. Yes, there's just no way in my mind that Slaw can have any cartridge with 5,000 hours on it, which doesn't need service/re-tip. My goodness that's a lot of hours on it. I'll check out the Empire! |
@lewm I left out the 17D3 which as you know is not really rebuildable… i use that on religious holidays… @grislybutter might not be polyamorous but he has a low hour Signet TK-9… imo a formidable vintage cart. As an aside… Signet ( the high end AT ) required the dealer have and be trained on evaluating stylus wear with an excellent stereo microscope… ah the golden age… |
