Dear Darren: Unfortunately the Ikeda cartridges have a very low profile in advertasing, many people even don't know exist. It is a great cartridge ( not for every one ) that when you heard it it is very dificult to return to the " normal " cartridges. When we hearing through the Ikeda cartridge all seems like we take out not one veil but several of them, the distortion is that low. The cantilever ( in " normal " cartridges ) makes a degradation to the signal, more than we imagine. I think that the analog music sound reproduction deserve a lot better designs that what we have, it can do it and the Ikeda cartridge is a good example that things could be better.
It is not an easy to work with the Ikeda cartridge but the reward is very high: it works very well in tonearms like the Ikeda, SAEC, Dynavector, Audiocraft, Micro Seiki and Mission The Mechanic ( this is the one where I'm using it after try it on other tonearms ), I can't be sure but maybe in the Phantom too.
+++++ " There were a few Ikeda cartidges around recently. How is the sense of space??? " +++++
It is more beiable than in " normal " cartridges, there is no exaggerate soundstage in any way: just more natural.
+++++ " Need to try a MM one day " +++++
IMHO, all the music lovers must try and MM cartridge, no one knows what we are " loosing " if we never try it.
All of us think that the money/high price is one of the parameter to " measure " the cartridge quality performance and I think that it is a big mistake, example: the Sumiko Celebration is by today top MC cartridge price standards a very low price ( only 1.5K ) and we think that is a " low end " performer and that the cartridges with a high price ( 5-8K ) are a lot better, but the real subject is that the Celebration is better than many of the 5-8K cartridges exactly in the same way that many MM " very low price " cartridges are better than them too ( unfortunately the Audio Technica and Technics MM cartridges that I named are very hard to find: both are exceptional!!! ), IMHO all those " sealy high MC cartridge prices " have no single justification in any way: we are paying big dollars in " change " of dimes, we are not receiving the quality performance for what we are paying.
Darren, now imagine a MM cartridge with a " rudiculous " price of only $125.00 dls that could beat or even many of those top MC cartridges, can you believe it?.
Well that " one day " is here: buy the Empire EDR.9 ( NOS ) on e-bay ( for that sealy price ), give it 50 hours and then return to this thread and give us your thoughts about.
+++++ " Mass is critical in cartridge matching. It is not just the tonearm, but the headshell etc. Everyone loving a Dynavector is using low to medium ass tonearms such VPI or Graham. " +++++
Absolutly right. I try my XV-1 with Ikeda/Lustre/Audiocraft/SME and Dynavector tonearms it performs very good in almost all but ( Like I told ) in the 505/507 tonearm with a very low mass headshell it is glorious!!! I loaded at 100 Ohms with 2.1gr on VTF and positive VTA.
I try the RSP in the Audiocraft and Satin unipivots and the overall performance is " just good ", it is a lot better through the Ikeda or Lustre tonearms.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
It is not an easy to work with the Ikeda cartridge but the reward is very high: it works very well in tonearms like the Ikeda, SAEC, Dynavector, Audiocraft, Micro Seiki and Mission The Mechanic ( this is the one where I'm using it after try it on other tonearms ), I can't be sure but maybe in the Phantom too.
+++++ " There were a few Ikeda cartidges around recently. How is the sense of space??? " +++++
It is more beiable than in " normal " cartridges, there is no exaggerate soundstage in any way: just more natural.
+++++ " Need to try a MM one day " +++++
IMHO, all the music lovers must try and MM cartridge, no one knows what we are " loosing " if we never try it.
All of us think that the money/high price is one of the parameter to " measure " the cartridge quality performance and I think that it is a big mistake, example: the Sumiko Celebration is by today top MC cartridge price standards a very low price ( only 1.5K ) and we think that is a " low end " performer and that the cartridges with a high price ( 5-8K ) are a lot better, but the real subject is that the Celebration is better than many of the 5-8K cartridges exactly in the same way that many MM " very low price " cartridges are better than them too ( unfortunately the Audio Technica and Technics MM cartridges that I named are very hard to find: both are exceptional!!! ), IMHO all those " sealy high MC cartridge prices " have no single justification in any way: we are paying big dollars in " change " of dimes, we are not receiving the quality performance for what we are paying.
Darren, now imagine a MM cartridge with a " rudiculous " price of only $125.00 dls that could beat or even many of those top MC cartridges, can you believe it?.
Well that " one day " is here: buy the Empire EDR.9 ( NOS ) on e-bay ( for that sealy price ), give it 50 hours and then return to this thread and give us your thoughts about.
+++++ " Mass is critical in cartridge matching. It is not just the tonearm, but the headshell etc. Everyone loving a Dynavector is using low to medium ass tonearms such VPI or Graham. " +++++
Absolutly right. I try my XV-1 with Ikeda/Lustre/Audiocraft/SME and Dynavector tonearms it performs very good in almost all but ( Like I told ) in the 505/507 tonearm with a very low mass headshell it is glorious!!! I loaded at 100 Ohms with 2.1gr on VTF and positive VTA.
I try the RSP in the Audiocraft and Satin unipivots and the overall performance is " just good ", it is a lot better through the Ikeda or Lustre tonearms.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.