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Fremer's review of the Anna cartridge

Fremer reviews the $8499 cartridge very positively, but it takes three different samples of the cartridge for him to get there. The first sample exhibited "an incompatibility between the adhesives used and the elastomer of which the cartridge's damper is made." Fremer notes "[e]vidently, however, this problem didn't affect every Anna that left the factory." Wow, what a relief. In the second sample, apparently "some the glue that secures the stylus in the cantilever had dripped." The third sample, after 100 hrs of break-in finally delivered. Fremer suggests buying and using an USB microscope as part of the cartridge buying process.

Does anyone else think this is absolutely nuts? It seems to me, at this price level, every single cartridge should be absolutely perfect. Haven't Ortofon heard of quality control? This also applies to Lyra whose $9500 Atlas cartridge had the stylus affixed to the cantilever at an angle that made it virtually impossible to get the SRA of 92 degrees.
actusreus
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,216 posts
 
I read the review and thought it was good reporting. Fremer clearly outlined all the problems he had with the product and gave a description of what he heard. I would catergorize the comments in this thread about price, cost to retip and cartridge life as besides the point. This is a cutting edge product reaching for state of the art performance and either you can afford it or you can't.

Ortofon is probably the largest cartridge manufacturer in the world. I applaud Ortofon for trying to advance vinyl performance. The cutting edge has never been plug in and play.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I would like to hear it in a very controlled setting with familiar music. I'm sure it is one of a handful of top cartridges that is reaching for new levels of performance. The technology is kind of cool and I'm sure we will see more audio items like the VPI arm made using this laser melt process.
actusreus OP
733 posts
 
Onhwy61
I read the review and thought it was good reporting. Fremer clearly outlined all the problems he had with the product and gave a description of what he heard. I would catergorize the comments in this thread about price, cost to retip and cartridge life as besides the point. This is a cutting edge product reaching for state of the art performance and either you can afford it or you can't.

Ortofon is probably the largest cartridge manufacturer in the world. I applaud Ortofon for trying to advance vinyl performance. The cutting edge has never been plug in and play.

It might be a cutting edge product on paper, but as long as you need several units to get what you paid for, it's still a dud.
lewm
13,011 posts
 
I don't think even Ortofon would find the issues that occurred with Anna cartridges lent to M Fremer to be acceptable in terms of quality control. There is no excuse for his having received two consecutive defective samples. "Plug and play" is one thing; selling defective product is another. The point is that Ortofon deserves a break in this case, because of their track record and longevity in the business. But if I were to read that actual customers are finding similar problems, I would advise anyone else to stay away.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,216 posts
 
Actusreus, if there wasn't an issue with faulty components would you be placing an order for an Anna?
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