Glanz moving magnet cartridges

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.

Dgob, I am so slow at this business of evaluation that thus far I have only got a feel for 3 cartridges: my own Grado TLZ (so-called because I bought it at least 20 years ago, and it was my one and only cartridge for several years), the Ortofon M20FL Super, and the Azden. So at this point, I am far from naming a "top 3". While the Azden is now much better than it was at first, largely due to correcting my own set-up errors and some break-in time, I am still not blown away, altho it is obviously excellent. This is why I have asked others to share their preferred VTA, VTF, and load resistance for the Azden. I am near to neutral VTA, VTF= 1.35gm, and load R= 47K, no added capacitance. There is plenty of evidence that 100K load or some number between 100K and 47K is better.

Just got my 1000ZE/X stylus from Garage a Records (to install on my 1000ZE).

Lew,
I'll be very interested in your opinion on the Empire 1000ZE/X when you have listened?

From my experience it sounds just great out of the box which might throw you a bit, and it gets even better.
To start with, I'd try it at higher than Raul's 1.0gm VTF although after 30 hours it certainly warrants lowering.