MoFi & Photon -- Thanks for the good comments and info!
I haven't noticed any tracking problems at all with my Reference Sonata. I have it mounted on a 1980's Magnepan Unitrac unipivot tonearm, on a SOTA Sapphire turntable, and I'm using the recommended tracking force, 1.5g iirc.
Axel -- I haven't noticed any problem with sibilants, although most of my listening with it so far has been to non-vocal classical music. It did seem to handle some of Dame Kiri rather well, I thought. It sounds like your system is more resolving/less forgiving/less soft in the upper midrange and treble than mine is, though.
I believe this cartridge has received a couple of TAS Editor's Choice selections. Stereophile reviewed it and/or its mono variant in Vol. 21 No. 6, Vol. 23 No. 4, and Vol. 28, No. 6. I don't have those reviews handy, but the October, 2008 (Vol. 31 No. 10) issue lists it as a Class C recommended component, and includes the following comments:
Regards,
-- Al
I haven't noticed any tracking problems at all with my Reference Sonata. I have it mounted on a 1980's Magnepan Unitrac unipivot tonearm, on a SOTA Sapphire turntable, and I'm using the recommended tracking force, 1.5g iirc.
Axel -- I haven't noticed any problem with sibilants, although most of my listening with it so far has been to non-vocal classical music. It did seem to handle some of Dame Kiri rather well, I thought. It sounds like your system is more resolving/less forgiving/less soft in the upper midrange and treble than mine is, though.
I believe this cartridge has received a couple of TAS Editor's Choice selections. Stereophile reviewed it and/or its mono variant in Vol. 21 No. 6, Vol. 23 No. 4, and Vol. 28, No. 6. I don't have those reviews handy, but the October, 2008 (Vol. 31 No. 10) issue lists it as a Class C recommended component, and includes the following comments:
... Hints at what an expensive mc can do.... No cartridge reproduces a female voice better than this.... It may be difficult to rationalize spending much more for a cartridge.... Competes with all but the best of today's moving coils
Regards,
-- Al