At this point, I don't have an easy way to swap the cartridges back and forth, but I am extremely familiar with the Temper Supreme sound and am getting a feel for the Phoenix. If I get up enough interest/desire to switch back to the TS, I'll let you know, as this would certainly be a good comparison.
Just a couple of initial thoughts now that Ive been listening to this cartridge for a while. On the positive, its a very listenable cartridge, very smooth and liquid with good attack on transients. On the negative side, it doesn't seem quite as detailed as the Temper Supreme. For example, with the Phoenix, it seems that the main line of the song or singers voice becomes a little bigger than life or at least bigger than the background. I dont know what kind of music you listen to, but an album Im very familiar with is REM Out of Time. For example, on Shiny Happy People, Kate Piersons harmony is kind of lost behind Michael Stipes lead with the Phoenix. With the TS, she was right there beside Michael. Shes more in the background with the Phoenix. On the other hand, in a way the Phoenix seems a little more integrated and rhythmic. Also, I'm sure the Phoenix isn't broken in yet, as it does seem to be improving as I continue to listen. I will let you know more as I learn more. My initial suspicion is that there are pros and cons/tradeoffs of both, and moreover that the Orpheus probably has the strengths of both and less of their weaknesses. I should say also that my Transfiguration Supreme is certainly 'long in the tooth', more like 15 years old, re-tipped once and re-built once, so the comparison isn't totally fair. I'm now certain that this is the reason for the problems I was having with the whole setup before.
Just a couple of initial thoughts now that Ive been listening to this cartridge for a while. On the positive, its a very listenable cartridge, very smooth and liquid with good attack on transients. On the negative side, it doesn't seem quite as detailed as the Temper Supreme. For example, with the Phoenix, it seems that the main line of the song or singers voice becomes a little bigger than life or at least bigger than the background. I dont know what kind of music you listen to, but an album Im very familiar with is REM Out of Time. For example, on Shiny Happy People, Kate Piersons harmony is kind of lost behind Michael Stipes lead with the Phoenix. With the TS, she was right there beside Michael. Shes more in the background with the Phoenix. On the other hand, in a way the Phoenix seems a little more integrated and rhythmic. Also, I'm sure the Phoenix isn't broken in yet, as it does seem to be improving as I continue to listen. I will let you know more as I learn more. My initial suspicion is that there are pros and cons/tradeoffs of both, and moreover that the Orpheus probably has the strengths of both and less of their weaknesses. I should say also that my Transfiguration Supreme is certainly 'long in the tooth', more like 15 years old, re-tipped once and re-built once, so the comparison isn't totally fair. I'm now certain that this is the reason for the problems I was having with the whole setup before.