Wow, I have been travelling and have not seen this thread in some time. I am concerned by some of what I have read regarding Andrew's Orpheus. From the descriptions of the comparison to the Univ. I have to say that it sounds as though the cartridge either was not set up correctly, or is defective. First, so that there is no feeling of dissembling on my part, I should identify myself. As my nickname implies, I am certainly not trying to hide my identity, which Andrew correctly surmised rather early on. I import Transfiguration into the US and joined this thread primarily to correct some misinformation regarding availability from the distributor, etc. I believe Mark will bear out the fact that I described the sound of the Orpheus as accurately as I could, which is how I do things.
Andrew called me several times prior to his purchase and subsequently informed me that he bought the cartridge "slightly used" from someone in Europe. I cannot know without hearing it, but from the description by Doug and Andrew, I can say that that Orpheus was not behaving as I have heard it perform. The areas that Doug addressed in particular as weak points (bass, tracking, resolution) are, if anything, the Orpheus' greatest strengths. I am wondering if his cartridge did not suffer some damage, either in shipping, or prior to sale. This does happen from time to time, and, as we all know, these cartridges are very delicate. Unfortunately, this is also the downside of purchasing used or grey-market cartridges, as they have no guarantee, or dealer/distributor support.
However, it is very possible that it is simply a setup issue. "Smearing" and lack of resolution could be due to misalignment, improper VTA or VTF, or azimuth (which is very important with the Ogura stylus). Also, as I have said, VTF of 1.95-2g is important, and if you look at the image hifi review that Andrew posted, you will also see that the cartridge is quite sensitive to load. In my system, I have found 100 ohms to be optimal, though up another 100 or down 50 might work better in a given system. However, if you find things sound better at 47K, or even 2K, I would say there are problems, either with the cartridge, or with the system.
Also, to set the record straight on another point I noticed in the thread, I do not use a Graham 2.2. I used to have one, but am now using a Basis Vector, which seems a synergistic match with the Orpheus. I always liked my 2.2, though, and expect that it would work fine with the Orpheus, as it did with my first 3 Tempers. As you might know, Transfiguration builds the Nightingale cartridge for Graham, so he certainly believes in some compatibility there.
In any event, the sound experience described by Andrew and Doug just does not match either my experience with the Orpheus, nor that of anyone else I have spoken to. Generally, I get excited phone calls from former Temper owners, telling me how much better it is than either I told them it would, or than they expected. Even though he did not buy it in the US, I would offer to take a listen to Andrew's cartridge to confirm whether I think something might be wrong with it, or whether it might just be a setup or cartridge/arm compatibility issue. I have not heard an Orpheus in the Triplanar. The slightly stiffer compliance might possibly be an issue with a ball-bearing arm, though, the new damper seems to more than offset potential tracking issues I might have anticipated. In my experience, the Orpheus is the best tracking cartridge Transfiguration has ever made and is among the best I have heard.
all this said, I would not dare to claim that it is superior to the Universe, which is a fine cartridge indeed. It may also not have quite the level of filigreed detail the Univ. pulls out of a groove. I notice many of the things cited that the Univ. excelled at over the Orpheus were details that are not necessarily relevant to the musical experience, though, I can assure you, on my system, you can very easily hear the three distinct voices on the "Trio" album. That this was difficult with Andrew's Orpheus, leads me to believe that something is simply wrong with either his cartridge or his arm/table.
I am happy to answer any technical questions regarding cartridge issues and will continue to weigh in, only if I think misinformation needs to be addressed, or in response to technical issues.
I think it can be beneficial to have access to an expert (on certain things) when needed and offer what expertise I have. Looking back, I fear I may have chased away jcarr, when I assumed everyone knew who he was (again, not trying to hide his identity in a nickname), because he is one of the true experts out there in the knowledge and construction of phono cartridges.
I also just had to speak up, when it was claimed that the distributor was out of Orpheus cartridges, while I was looking at several on the shelf... I suspect this had to do with some lack of grey-market availability, which is another issue I would be happy to discuss sometime.
