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
Dear Downunder/Halcro: I don't think that you are understanding ( because my bad explanation ) what and why I choose those specific 8-9 different music tracks and I can't explain with detail about because we need to hear it to be aware what I looking for with each track.

Through these tracks I check the cartridge set up mainly on VTA/SRA and Azymuth, I check low mid-bass/bass/hf, specific different sounds/instrument not only the specific timbre but its sound stage specific position where the sounds comes ( sometimes the voice is in focus but other track sounds are in different " normal " position because azymuth not in target. ), I check even the breath on singers with its position/timbre/intensity, even how some LP clicks performs, etc, etc.

I don't heard/hear the recording track as a whole music recording but with those especial tracks I'm only try to detect what I know is there and how is there when I'm playing that recording.

For you can do this you need first to choose the different recording tracks where you think could make the job, then know in deep every single second playing time on those tracks, then choose what are you looking for in each part of the track ( not the whole track ), then that your process can be repetitive and always with success on any system or audio item.

Halcro maybe this is easy for you ( like you say ) but I take it some years to be here.

I can tell you that ( till today ) I almost ( I can't remember when. ) never fail about in my system and in several other systems/audio items.

Do you think that was at random that only in ten seconds I can ( past of can. ) tell my friend that there was a trouble with his system tweeter ( this was the first time I heard that system. ) and tell him why where he and the other friend that was with us were unaware about?.
But not only my friends were unaware on that you or any one else be unaware in exactly the same way my friends were.

Do you know why?, simple you don't know what to look for in that recording track where I'm training to do it.

Btw, after those tests any other recording will be on shape for the bad or good.

I remember when I was in USA hearing a top audio system and I was hearing the PB ( Cafe Blue ) track:

in that moment the system owner was in other adjacent room and then suddenly comes to me and told me " now I see why you choose this PB track to test " that he I think never heard it before. Btw, I think I help him with my system advise to improve it.

Any one can do it if has the training to do it. Part of this training is how deep is your audio experience, live music events experiences ( how often? ), how many audio system you alredy heard? how many different audio items do you know/heard? how good is your audio system? how precise/right/well choose those test recording tracks and how good are you? , oh! I forgot: no bias mind!

Unfortunatelly you are not near of me to make a test live in your system where you can understand what I'm talking about that is totally different of what you are talking about. Is complex as a process and complex to explain.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Dear Halcro: What I discern through that process is not only the obvious but more important what is not obvious even by you that are the ornwer system.

My method/process is the one that ( between other things and one way or the other ) permit that many people now are enjoying other analog source alternative like you with your great Empire 1000 ZE/x.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Dear Danwkw: I can't agree more with you on your post.

Btw, maybe could be interesting that you can test/try some time in the near future the MM/MI vintage analog source alternative, these humble items are so good that through them you can discover a new " audio world " that the AHEE had hidden for you.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
OK. Now I think I can place the Azden cartridge. It is a great one for sure. Now I have to go listen to more different cartridges and also try the Azden in different set-ups, before I could ever give it a rating on a 1 to 10 scale. (But surely is up there at between 8 and 10 based on my past.

Raul, you have to realize that until I "took the plunge" about 2-3 years ago, I never before owned more than one turntable/tonearm/cartridge at any one time. And turntables lived in my system for a very long time between "upgrades" from one to the next. I never would have believed that tonearms (once one limits oneself to "good" ones) and turntables of a similar cost and quality could sound so different and affect one's impression of a cartridge so greatly. For stimulating me to embark upon this learning experience, I do thank you, Raul, and I also have to thank the Lenco users for first provoking me to think outside the belt-drive box. That odyssey led to this one.
Thanks for the clarification Raul.
What I gather you are saying......is that your 'test' tracks are really used for a system 'diagnosis'. In other words, to assure yourself that the turntable/arm/cartridge combination is setup to its optimum capabilities?

I'm not sure exactly how you can 'nullify' the characteristics of the various speaker systems which can project differently, those sonic clues you are listening for?
And yes Raul, I am still enjoying the fabulous Empire ZE/X thanks to you.