In my experience, I suspect your cartridge is not the problem. I had both of the cartridges you use and a VPI Scout. Lack of bass slam was the last thing I'd complain about. If anything, bass slam and general low end fullness overshadowed the rather reticent high end of the Grados. Your description of the Grado sound is pretty much the inverse of what most people hear when using their cartridges.The first thing I'd do is get that VPI off of the shelf you're using (if your pictures reflect your current setup accurately) and site the turntable on an isolated maple plinth. The coupling of additional mass to the VPI made for much better low frequency response in my system. The VPI's sound is very dependent on what it is sitting on. I'd also see about upgrading the phono stage as well, that could well be a factor in what you are hearing. Maybe other owners of Mac gear could chime in on the relative strength of Mac built in phono stages.
VPI Scout with Grado Master - but what next?
I've got an old original VPI Scout with a wood body Grado Master HO MM cartridge on it. I'm using the phono stage in my McIntosh C2200 tube preamp, and pushing the whole thing with a McIntosh MC402 solid state amp. I listen to Jazz mostly.
The Grado Master is about eight years old now, so I'm starting to shop around for a replacement. I had a Grado Sonata in it originally but it was pretty thin and boring sounding and didn't track very well - the Master has been a really wonderful cartridge. However it's a lot better with Jazz than it is with Rock. Rock, even excellent 1/2 speed master recordings, sound forward and lack slam.
So I'd like my Rock to...well rock, but jazz is my main thing, and I'm worried that if I buy a Dynavector or Soundsmith based on recommendations from folks who listen to Rock exclusively, I'll wind up with my Steely Dan bringing down the house, but Leroy Vinnegar sounding like Jack Bruce and a stack of Marshalls. This would be bad. Anyone
The Grado Master is about eight years old now, so I'm starting to shop around for a replacement. I had a Grado Sonata in it originally but it was pretty thin and boring sounding and didn't track very well - the Master has been a really wonderful cartridge. However it's a lot better with Jazz than it is with Rock. Rock, even excellent 1/2 speed master recordings, sound forward and lack slam.
So I'd like my Rock to...well rock, but jazz is my main thing, and I'm worried that if I buy a Dynavector or Soundsmith based on recommendations from folks who listen to Rock exclusively, I'll wind up with my Steely Dan bringing down the house, but Leroy Vinnegar sounding like Jack Bruce and a stack of Marshalls. This would be bad. Anyone
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- 17 posts total
- 17 posts total