Ortofon A90 or Air Tight PC-1

Dear Nolitan: +++++ " It has all the audiophile qualities to be expected in a cart but lacks that musicality, " +++++

" musicality " ?, IMHO that is only a heavy non-accurate coloration. That some people likes that IMHO does not means " musicality " is a live music characteristic but more a wrong audio link performer or whole audio chain system.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

"Musical" (musicality) to me means "sounds like real music, ie, acoustic, unamplified, real instruments in a real space, etc." In other words, it sounds like the real thing - music. I don't get how "musical" became "warm, colored, pleasing distortion" in the audiophile sense. I don't agree with Raul's assertion that it means a "heavy non-accurate coloration". My current system sounds more like what I hear at the Boston Symphony hall from row G center than anything I have previously owned, and if I were to use just one word to describe my sound, I would say "musical". I guess there is not agreement on the definition of these terms.

I did hear from one fellow via email that the SME V arm is highly colored and adds a mid-bass bump to the sound and that therefore, I'm not hearing what the PC-1 is capable of. Does anyone else care to describe what they don't like about the SME V and what might be a better arm for the PC-1 or A90 that would work on my SME 10?

I like what I have, but am open to other suggestions. I do hope to do a direct comparison between the two cartridges and also plan to attend RMAF to hear other table/arm/cartridge combinations.

Dear Peter: +++++ " I guess there is not agreement on the definition of these terms. " +++++

yes, I agree. I heard so many times that " musicality " word with audio items that are really bad and through audio systems that were high colored but where their owners speaks about " musicality ".

Yes, the live music is well " musical " and maybe we have to define in precise way what means that real " musical " term to avoid a mix-up like the one I posted.

In a first instance/a priori for me " musical " means: a natural flow of the music notes/harmonics with the natural agresiveness that live music has with non-distorted/inaccurate " sound " other than the instruments it self or player errors where the main colorations comes from the environment where the live event take place.

The " soul " that Nolitan point out IMHO is in each one of us and it is the music and a very specific kind of music/composition what " moves " each one of us it does not matters if we are hearing music in a live event or through a Sonny Walkman.

regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Peter, I will be at the RMAF all three days. We might exchange on tonearms if you like. The SME V has some good sides, it is a very honest and straight sounding arm in my ears.But also to be very honest maybe you deserve better...

each one of us it does not matters if we are hearing music in a live event or through a Sonny Walkman.

Portable music player autographed by Sonny Rollins?