Glanz moving magnet cartridges

Raul,

Many thanks for your view and I do believe we have indeed heard many different things from similar equipment but such is life. I think hat the raising of the "fuller and warmer" issue above has not quite grasped my point nor the basis on which it is drawn.

"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."

Hope this helps but am always open to further discussion: how else can we all learn and develop? Speaking of which, my quest is nearing its end, once I get the returned cartridges and assess my short list - in conversation and debate with friends whose hearing ability might exceed the Audiogon norms. Then again they might not but if not that wont harm anyone else.

Lewm,

I hope the above helps and if you read through this short thread you should see some of the answers to your questions/uncertainty.

All the best

Lewm,

Apologies but I was pressed for time and so did not fully respond. Well, my son no longer desires his chauffeur and so I'll try to clarify some of your points.

Glanz was a Japanese make ["Mitachi Onkyo Seisakusho (brand name "GLANZ")] that was distributed in Asia and Europe (and probably elsewhere - as one US retailer claims to have sold them in the past). I also had not heard of them before I bought one on trust following advice from an Asian friend. I have obviously been grateful for taking this leap of faith and this is the main reason that I introduced it to you and others on the MM v MC thread.

I would say that the differences between all of the named cartridges are "more about details". It could be different tonearms or Raul and my distinct views and perceptions on isolation systems - or a whole host of alternative reasons that effect out distinct perceptions on several pieces of hardware. I have previously told Raul that I appreciate our differences although I cannot fathom or explain all of them away as easily as I would probably like.

It is good to see that you are now getting better performance from your Azden. I also think it is a great cartridge although not in my top three moving magnets. Why? Maybe as simple as distinct tates based on familiar listening positions in our distinct auditoriums or acoustic distinctions in same!? As with many of those who share my perceptions, live performances rather than mastertape compliance seem to govern us. I'd therefore naturally expect your perceptions to be distinct in some ways and truly do applaud that.

The Glanz is difficult to get hold of but, I clearly believe, worth the effort and patience. I might send my spare (G5) to Raul for audition at some future point and maybe he will again share his perceptions with you. I do hope so but am certain that your collection of MM's offers sufficient options for you to get by without one.

Hope this helps and wish you continued and rewarding listening

Dear Dgob: +++++ " I might send my spare (G5) to Raul for audition at some future point... " +++++

Thank you for your kindness, appreciate.

Right now I'm waiting the Top of the line Glanz in 1/2" mount design. As you know I'm against vintage cartridge/headshell integrated designs due that the internal headshell wires and clips/connectors after 30+ years are not the best we can have ( you already know that the headshell wires always makes a " difference " for the better or bad/wrong in cartridge overall quality performance. ) and IMHO a distortions source, that we need the right tonearm to make the right set up, that if I need a tiny change on the offset angle I can't do it and even many times these kind of cartridge designs does not permit azymuth changes.
So there are many limitations that IMHO are against the cartridge and because of that could be unfair to compare against cartridges that does not has those kind of set up limitations.

That's why too I left 4-5 opportunities on the Technics 100C till I find a non cartridge/headshell integrated design: fortunately I found it.

As we know Glanz and Astatic share the same kind of cartridge design. I like the Astatic's I own: 100, 200 and 300MF models and that's and your post on Glanz makes me that I want to search about but in even/fair cartridge conditions with the Astatic and other cartridge different designs. We shall see when I test it, I don't want to speculate about.

Btw, you say that your Glanz cartridge set up ( geometry ) is out of target and that you can't hear distortions, well you don't have a real reference about when you can't know how that cartridge perform with the right set up.

Anyway I will report on the MM/MI thread ( like always. ) on my Glanz when I put my hands on it.

Btw, I think that you and your friends are not the only guys out there that have live music as reference.

In the other side: +++ exceed the Audiogon norms. +++, this statement on level quality capacity of what you and your friends " hear/heard " is something that IMHO has no precise foundation.

I think that here on Agon and elsewhere there are a lot of audio people that are not only " competitive " but better on the subject than you, your friends and me: such is life!

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

I forgot. If you think on that way on the " Agon norms " capacity level then: why you post here ( threads/answers. ) with people that are not at your and your friends unique level, why with " lesser " people?, this is and is not a question and needs no answer in anyway.

Raul.

I'll throw my hat in the ring with Dgob, Raul, and Lew. In my system both top Azden and top Astatic are on the clinical side of the MM/MI continuum and closest to MC in general character. So far Empire 999 has the most warmth & presence, and as it breaks in is becoming more detailed. In fact it's difficult to find much of anything wrong with Empire (which as Deanman mentioned to me by email, lets you stop "looking" at the music.) It isn't easy to find the jargon to describe why these Empire cartridges are so convincing(though doubtless the jargon will eventually issue forth...) I reserve final judgment on all P-mounts(in my case P-76 and Azden) until I get around to rewiring to bypass the P-mount adaptor.