Glanz moving magnet cartridges

Hi All,

Well at long last, I now possess my Glanz G7. It will be some time before I test or report on it as it needs a suitable tonearm, which I do not currently possess. I have identified what seems to be the best option and will be keeping an eye out for one going at a reasonable price. I suspect this exercise might be necessary to maximise the potential of both my G7 and G5 cartridges but will report when I am certain.

In the meantime, I have acquired various rated MM/MI cartridges and will be testing these.

Hi All,

I've not been able to resist. Having sent my Technics EPC-P100 Mk4 cartridge off for a touch up at Van den Hul, I put my Glanz G7 back on my Audiocraft AC-3300 tonarm last night with its original arm wand (AP300). Despite the fact that it does not match up on normal overhang nor null points, it rocks!! If there is distortion, I'm not hearing it. However, I'm still looking into a tonearm that might bring even more out of it with better alignment. Along with my soon-to-be revamped Technics, that could make up my two MM cartridge selection for my final set-up (along with either the Dynavector DRT XV1s or a - still unheard and unpurchased - Ortofon A90 MC). That my Azden YM-P50 does not make the shortlist should say a lot about my tastes and these cartridges. I try to indicate what I mean here.

If I were to group my above favoured cartridges, they would sit along side the Nagaoka MP50 and B&O MMC2 in voicing. While the Azden would sit along side the Andante P76, ADC XLM 2 Super, Ortofon M20FL and Audio Technica AT20. My tastes and experiences of live music obviously lean to the less warm presentation and incisive definition at frequency extremes of the former group (that is, the Technics, Glanz, B&O, Nagaoka and Dynavector) than the warmer sound and fuller midrange of the latter group and their like.

I should hasten to add that the live venues from which I seek to draw reference and on which my appreciation of high fidelity bases itself means that your mileage might invariably differ from mine. Which is closest to the mastertape of the songs is a totally different (and a difference that is both very significant and massively overlooked) issue. That one performance that the tape captures is not THE definitive sound produced by the same musicians performing the same music in distinct venues on distinct occassions. On the longer thread about MM v MC that Raul Ireugas started, I already point to two very useful books that will assist in clarifying why distinct systems will continue to satisfy distinct expectations without necessarily being 'wrong'. Voicing of cartridges and our appreciation of them is very, very complex. Nevertheless, the Glanz G5 and Glanz G7 seem phenomenal cartridges to my hearing and based on comparisons with the various named cartridges and many others.

I'll return once I have the new arm and have heard these under presumably optimised conditions. If you come across one in the meantime, definitely worth a try.

Hi Again,

By way of quick clarification, I should also stress that I am not claiming that each of the noted grouped cartridges sound the same or are of the same quality. My division is based on taste and experience and will hopefully be read with some sensitivity to such short-hand.

In this light, my final MM selection might also include my Audio Technica ATML-170 OCC, which I will be sending off for a retip shortly. Its performance seems to sit along side my crisper sounding favourites just as I would also place my Music Maker 3 among the warmer sounding alternative options. I also think that my Astatic MF-100 is very similar to the 170 OCC but just slightly prefer the Audio Technica. If I could accommodate more than 3 cartridge/tonearm combinations at a time, I would not need to shorten my MM shortlist of the Technics, Glanz or ATML-170 OCC down to two. However, I still require space for my final MC alternative option.

Hope something here is helpful

Dear Dgob,
Sadly for me, I had never before heard of Glanz cartridges until you brought them into the discussion, and I have never seen one for sale since then. I take it these products were largely sold and used in Europe.

I am not sure I hear the same qualities in the Azden as you do. Compared to a clinical sounding MC, yes, it is a warmer fuller sound. But compared to other MM/MI cartridges that I have thus far auditioned, I would say the Azden is more about details. What sort of music do you favor?

Dear Dgob: I agree with Lewm on the Azden performance. Maybe needs a better tonearm/headshell match, maybe the cartridge is out of specs or maybe that coloration comes from the amplifier/speaker/roo combination, who knows.

+++ " should say a lot about my tastes " +++++

I don't think that all is about your tastes but how your system is performing with different cartridges, it is not only the Azden subject but with other of your cartridges where I disagree too.I think that we can be different but not so different and that's why I think there is/are some other things that are out of " target ". Of course that we could be totally different but this does not makes common sense to me.

I really can't say what happen because I don't hear/heard ( don't know. ) your system and cartridge different set up. So it could be useless what I'm posting and continue argue about.
Anyway good luck in your quest.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.