Is There An "Absolute" Best Cartridge?


Dear friends: We can read through different threads/posts in this forum that people always want/ask to know for the " best " " audio item " that IMHO and till today does not exist in " absolute " meaning.
Well I already have and I'm " living " a unique experience that makes me to share with all of you what IMHO could be in Absolute terms " the best cartridge ever ".

Please read this Technics EPC-P100C-MK4 information that could help you for you can share with us your experiences/thoughts on the subject of this thread:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667&openflup&1827&4#1827

Thank you in advance.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Ag insider logo xs@2xrauliruegas
I picked up a NOS Technics EPC-P100C-MK4 and have been playing it for about a week now. I might disagree with some of Raul's rants, but this cartridge is absolutely wonderful.
Just looking at the straight frequency response is very impressive. It lookes like someone has used a ruler!

This cartridge has amazing transparency and see thru nature all the way from the mids and upper frequencies. There is zero brightness or any tendancy for edge. The bass is different in that it does not have the weight of say my Ortofon A90. This has got better over time so will no doubt get better.

It is quite amazing how good my 30 year old Exclusive P3 DD table with 28 year old EPC-P100C-MK4 is sounding. You do begin to wonder how far analog front ends have come in 30 years if at all.

BTW, I prefer tubes over any SS amps & phono stages I have heard in my system. Not there is anything wrong with SS, if it floats your boat.

cheers
Nandric,

"Kantian apriory truths... I don't believe in any a priori truth"? I think, the Kant of the Critiques is a little more complex and useful than this. I refer to the fact that the notions regarding the "best" obviously drags up questions of "truth", "opinion" and "certainty" and these are key aspects of the radical investigations that Kant undertakes in the Critiques. Strangely, I feel that the problems that are being touched upon in this thread only reinforce that real complexity and demand an agreed and identifiably limited field of reference when we/anyone begins to make claims about 'what is the best'.

Maybe Raul would agree that his use of the term is limited to something like: "that which is most able to accurately reproduce a prerecorded event." Of course, the noted surrounding "conditions" would still leave room for variables, although these might be insignificant in a given and controlled set of circumstances.
Remember Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars III ?
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes...."......
Why has noone stated the obvious? Raul has let out his inner "Valley Girl" (or Valley Girl Sith) and the Technics 100CMk4 is just.. like... well you know, like, just the best!
Dear Nandric: +++++ " I don't belive in any a priori truth. " ++++

me either.

+++++ " But I am sure that Raul will announce at once to his friends in his thread about the MM carts if he
discover some cart that is even better then EPC 100. " +++++

this is important and let me explain:

by the last 2-3 years I'm looking for audio items/links in the audio system chain to " the best " status with out luck and know that I found it result that is an out of production product, yes this is my very first " the best " audio item in a commercial product.

Certainly I almost know that in the future will appear some " the best " audio items and I hope I can detect it as I hope some of you then can detect it too.

+++++ " So he obviously have some other understanding of 'the best' then some other have. " +++++

yes, if not then " the best " was/will not cause controversy. The good news is that out there IMHO exist persons that has the same understanding about and what means and why's around " the best ".
That " understanding " means: training, specific on purpose training.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.