Regards. GENTLEMEN: Cars. Listening now to "Heartbreak City", Rick Ocasek's song "Drive" (Who's gonna' take you home ton_-_ight". I know, not everyone's cup o' tea.
While watching the tonearm float gently above the mild warp there's a modest amount of contemplation going on, relating to carts, cars, suspensions and engines.
A car doesn't choose the road traveled, neither does a cart care where the signal originates. Be it road or groove related, cars or tonearms bounce/compress, horizontal excursions exert their influences, treads and pavement, suspensions and coils interact (unless it's an electrect condenser generator, but you get the idea?).
Engines. Two motors, two 2-seaters I'm extremely familiar with. A first generation Mazda RX-7 with an 1146 CC (70 Cu. Inch) 105hp Wankel rotary, the other a Nissan V-6. The "Datsun" has more than twice the displacement and nearly three times the horsepower, yet the little RX can equal it's performance.
OK, so now where is this going?
Dgob (hi, Dg!) brings up this consideration: The "state of the cartridges that you tested or the overall synergy that you managed to obtain with your system" obviously has an influence on the listeners' impressions. Wether car or cart, compression and extension need be appropriately matched to the mass-related load applied in operation, otherwise a less than critically damped system will introduce unwanted excursion. Neither car nor cart care but their might be unwanted outcomes associated with mechanical mismatches or operator error.
Suggested reading, starting w/page 9:
(url)http://www.bostonaudiosociety.org/pdf/bass/BASS-03-04-7501b.pdf(/url)
The FR-66 isn't mentioned---
Engines. The rotary delivers constant acceleration, easily and without an apparent peak in Hp/torque. In the driver's position, acceleration is smooth and constant. For the high compression V-6, torque at low RPMs gives way to increasing Hp at a measured 4600 RPMs, the initial impression is of immediate response. None-the-less, either offers comparable performance. The Mazda with its' skinny donut sized 13" tires, light, agile and constant. The other, fat 18" tires, aggressive (comparatively) and instantaneously responsive.
So, IMHO, it goes with carts. IM/MI/MF carts are the low mass, refined and smooth performers. MMs the more operator involving, engaging and immediate. I'll not debate stereo-typification.
There still remains the requirement to maintain a proper balance of mass, suspension and mechanical damping for optimal (critical) performance. There's little need for anyone to experience "Heartbreak City" because of varying preferences.
So make sure your carts and cars are properly aligned, suspensions are appropriately matched for their load, keep your styli in the groove and may the rubber always meet the road.
Great thread!
Peace,