I just auditioned a few mms:
Clearaudio Virtuoso wood w/SoundSmith re-tip;
Ortfon Super OM40;
Stanton 881 MKIIs;
Pickering XSV5000;
All have new styli. All are very listenable. Differences are easily discernable. The Pickering is flat out fantastic on my tweaked Dual 701. Proper matching (and cartridge setup), as with all things audio, is critical.
I'd not be embarrassed to have any lp fanatic experience the musicality/realism I hear (>> Bottlehead's new "Eros" >> custom Audio Note L3 Kits linestage >> AtmaSphere MA-1s) spinning vinyl through my rig.
Clearaudio Virtuoso wood w/SoundSmith re-tip;
Ortfon Super OM40;
Stanton 881 MKIIs;
Pickering XSV5000;
All have new styli. All are very listenable. Differences are easily discernable. The Pickering is flat out fantastic on my tweaked Dual 701. Proper matching (and cartridge setup), as with all things audio, is critical.
I'd not be embarrassed to have any lp fanatic experience the musicality/realism I hear (>> Bottlehead's new "Eros" >> custom Audio Note L3 Kits linestage >> AtmaSphere MA-1s) spinning vinyl through my rig.