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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
actusreus OP
733 posts
 
Swampwalker,
I'm hand-writing "Swampwalker" 100 times as my homework as we speak.
"Swampwalker, Swampwalker, Swampwalker,..." 97 more to go...:)
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
This and the D'Agostino amp meltdown incident remain undisputed classics of the "Wheels Came Off But Otherwise It's Great" review niche. Rarely does extreme high end gear provide so much entertainment without having to listen to it.
downunder
1,329 posts
 
Wolf-Garcia, never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Dan D took the time to explain what happened to his amp, you were on the the meltdown thread, so you certainly saw his response. See below for your reference.
Either you have nothing better to do or just a plain dick.

I am sorry that you interpret this as a melt down. The Momentum amplifiers normal operating temperature is 42-44c(107-111f)the temperature rise to 48c (118f) is inconsequential. The amplifier in question failed from a non related component failure in the power on circuit.The Momentum amplifier is designed to shut down at 70c (158f). The unit under test was not close to that temperature.Many amplifiers at higher temperatures than that.If John had continued his test the second amplifier would have passed witout any problems. The Momentum amplifier has more than enough thermal head room for any load or speaker. I was unable to give comment until the unit was returned to me from testing. Thank you for your concern.
Dan D'Agostino
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
"Swampwalker, Swampwalker, Swampwalker,..." 97 more to go...:)
Actusreus; Actusreus; Actusreus...I think I've got it... Acutusrex; Atcususreus; Acuteresus; !@#$%&. ;-)
never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Words to live by!!! And, what the heck does
The amplifier in question failed from a non related component failure in the power on circuit.
mean? What the heck is a non-related component??? I say again, how do you send an audio component that costs as much as a car out to a reviewer without at least running it in to make sure that the bloody thing works!! I agree w Wolf. It's entertaining. A little bit on the "watching a train wreck" side, but since no one is physically injured; what the hay. Nothing against Mr. D'Agostino, whose cred is impeccable, but the fact that other amps run hotter, while true, is totally irrelevant to the fact that the unit under review did not operate within its design envelope. For this kind of luxury product, that's inexcusable. IMO. YMMV.
lewm
13,039 posts
 
Dear Downunder, I saw a mention of the problem with the Momentum amp in some other thread. No details were provided. But in your quote from D'Agostino, he says, "The amplifier in question failed from a non related component failure in the power on circuit". So, I gather he is saying that the amp did not fail (or shut down) because of overheating but for a different reason. I don't see how that gets the amplifier off the hook, as it were. It apparently did fail by some mechanism during a review process. I personally would not let that deter me from purchasing the product, if I were in the market, but it does possibly raise a concern about reliability, does it not? Perhaps I am misunderstanding D'Agostino's statement. Was the failure external to the amplifier itself?
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