Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 1, 2019 17:55:13 GMT
I seem to recall Macca being a fan. We used to sell the MP11 boron and I denied it a few times. I didn’t like it’s lightweight, wispy sound. Huge caveat in that I never owned one and there’s no substitute for hearing stuff at home.
Another caveat in that I’m with Jez in regarding MMs as inherently inferior to MCs.
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Post by dsjr on Nov 1, 2019 17:56:52 GMT
Cartridges from years back didn't always have the turntable/phono stage/setting up/siting refinements I believe we now take for granted. A Supex 900E is still a really nice sounding cartridge if set up right and I still love me ADC's from the 70's, especially the ZLM and descended Sonus Blue, if the arm likes them of course...
I don't know how old Jez is, but I remember the DL110 and Dynavector 10X being much the same price back in the late 70's and early 80's and not hugely more than a K9 for example. Twenty years ago, the DL110 was around eighty quid I remember, but the 10X IV went from £200 to £225, the larger top plate meant a model change to 10X V and price to £250 at first I remember... The Goldring 1042 was by then around £120 I'm sure (I don't think it had reached £150 by then)
In around 2007, you could still get a DL110 for eighty quid but the 10X V was now £300 or so. The pound going AWOL in value seemed to give audio companies the permission to double or more their cartridge prices and the DL110 soon went up to £119, then £149 and I think it's around two hundred notes today (I'd sooner have an AT 540 or AT-F7 I think). The Dynavector went up to £500, then acquired a Shibata tip and is pushing £600 now I think....
Maybe supply, lower demand and production costs have effed up the prices of many pickup cartridges now, but I maintain (as I suspect Jez does) that some manufacturers are having a bloody good laugh today.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 18:06:36 GMT
Orto ...MC25 Fine Line. I've had three of them. They stopped them because they were over engineered and they were losing money on them. Good reasonable priced MC. Makes a nonsense of the big money brigade. I buys em when I finds em.  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 18:29:50 GMT
Ever thought that modern cartridges are so crap that the crap from years back are not as crap as people once thought What a ludicrous generalisation  Look man just go away. Only thing that is ludicrous is your shite |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 18:34:30 GMT
Orto ...MC25 Fine Line. I've had three of them. They stopped them because they were over engineered and they were losing money on them. Good reasonable priced MC. Makes a nonsense of the big money brigade. I buys em when I finds em. Had a couple. They make music. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 18:47:34 GMT
What a ludicrous generalisation Look man just go away. Only thing that is ludicrous is your shite I did warn you . |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 19:07:33 GMT
What about the old Nagaoka 'MP-11' First budget cart i bought new back in the 80's. A lot dont like em but i do & could easily live with one. I also had the later 'Boron' MP-11 with the metal body, could not hear any difference between the two tho.. I had both. Two examples of the MP11 Boron in fact. It was a different stylus assembly, black as opposed to a browny red on the standard MP11 IIRC. Only metal body I can think of was the Stilton body version. A good budget cart in it's day and yes I noticed a big improvement from the boron version. IIRC £36 but not sure if that was for the standard or the boron. Thing is if they still made them they would prob be say £200+! But I would still be thinking of them as a reasonable £36 budget cart and thinking 'OW MUCH?!! |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 19:13:48 GMT
Cartridges from years back didn't always have the turntable/phono stage/setting up/siting refinements I believe we now take for granted. A Supex 900E is still a really nice sounding cartridge if set up right and I still love me ADC's from the 70's, especially the ZLM and descended Sonus Blue, if the arm likes them of course...
I don't know how old Jez is, but I remember the DL110 and Dynavector 10X being much the same price back in the late 70's and early 80's and not hugely more than a K9 for example. Twenty years ago, the DL110 was around eighty quid I remember, but the 10X IV went from £200 to £225, the larger top plate meant a model change to 10X V and price to £250 at first I remember... The Goldring 1042 was by then around £120 I'm sure (I don't think it had reached £150 by then)
In around 2007, you could still get a DL110 for eighty quid but the 10X V was now £300 or so. The pound going AWOL in value seemed to give audio companies the permission to double or more their cartridge prices and the DL110 soon went up to £119, then £149 and I think it's around two hundred notes today (I'd sooner have an AT 540 or AT-F7 I think). The Dynavector went up to £500, then acquired a Shibata tip and is pushing £600 now I think....
Maybe supply, lower demand and production costs have effed up the prices of many pickup cartridges now, but I maintain (as I suspect Jez does) that some manufacturers are having a bloody good laugh today.
I remember it being the Ultimo 10X!! and it was about £56! I remember the 1042 being about the same price but several years later. It were all trees round 'ere when I was a lad yer kna young 'un  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 19:22:11 GMT
Still have an Ortofon MC20 Super that needs a re-tip.. that was a fab cartridge and I'll maybe go for it some day...
Also have an original MC10. When I say original I mean the very first version from maybe 1976 ish! Red body. It's NOS as well. Other than about 2 hours I put on it to try it out. I wasn't impressed unfortunately...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 16:24:42 GMT
Dunno if this'll go on the list but zi got it given yesterday.
SAE 1000E moving coil.
Anyone know anything about it ?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 16:41:04 GMT
Dunno if this'll go on the list but zi got it given yesterday. SAE 1000E moving coil. Anyone know anything about it ? Should be decent. I think it's a variant of the Coral 777 series MC's. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 16:47:00 GMT
Going to get the 1042 ot of the Tehnics today. It's too good ! I'll keep it as a reserve for the gyro. It's either the SAE or this little orto for the SL. Think I'll go for the 2M Black. It's a bit unexciting and sterile on the gyro but the Technics might liven it up a bit.  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 16:50:29 GMT
I was never keen on the 2M Black. Too thin for my liking.
I have an SAE1000LT, and it is a cracking cartridge.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 17:27:43 GMT
Dunno if this'll go on the list but zi got it given yesterday. SAE 1000E moving coil. Anyone know anything about it ? Should be decent. I think it's a variant of the Coral 777 series MC's. You're right it is a Japanese Coral offspring. It could also be over 30 years old ! The suspension feels firm enough and it's been kept air tight though so I'm going for it. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 17:29:07 GMT
I was never keen on the 2M Black. Too thin for my liking. I have an SAE1000LT, and it is a cracking cartridge. Nice one. Don't know the difference between an 'E' and a 'T' ? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 17:43:45 GMT
What a nice surprise ! On first listen it's a lovely punchy sound with tons of detail and a nice tight bass but plenty of it. I'll give it some stick tonight.  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 17:54:43 GMT
I was never keen on the 2M Black. Too thin for my liking. I have an SAE1000LT, and it is a cracking cartridge. Nice one. Don't know the difference between an 'E' and a 'T' ? Elliptical and Line Trace. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2019 18:06:56 GMT
Good effort that man !
🙂👍
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Post by sq225917 on Nov 2, 2019 20:55:10 GMT
Oli if you think the troika is just a decent cart you really need to hear one on the end of the right deck and phonostage. Mark has a retipped one, gyger S, by david at Goldring on his deck, with Paradise and its mega. It has kept on giving with every tweak and upgrade. On an average deck with gimballed arm and 500 phono they're barely cruising, they deserve much better.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2019 14:44:17 GMT
Oli if you think the troika is just a decent cart you really need to hear one on the end of the right deck and phonostage. Mark has a retipped one, gyger S, by david at Goldring on his deck, with Paradise and its mega. It has kept on giving with every tweak and upgrade. On an average deck with gimballed arm and 500 phono they're barely cruising, they deserve much better. Tbf, I didn't hear it in my system and as you know, the SP10 and PMAT1010 arm would have been a far better base for it to work from. I believe it was on a Rega. Could be mistaken. My thoughts on the carts I've heard have to be taken with a bit of salt as a lot of them weren't installed in superb systems. I'd genuinely love to try them all again now my system is at the level it currently is. The Troika has all the right stuff to be awesome, I just didn't get a stunning experience of it. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2019 17:24:12 GMT
Bit of a synergy revelation today. I bought this cat 5 years ago and demoted it to the toolbox after several weeks tryingto like it. Then yesterday I had my cart swap head on. After trying the SAE and being underwhelmed by the lack of clarity I though I'd chance a £500 cartridge in a £200 turntable. RESULT ! Its bloody gorgeous! For some unknown reason the Technics had imbued the cart with a big doors of soul ! The thinness had gone and the bass is strong and hellishly controlled even I n the stock Techy arm. It's gone from a junker into my top 5 . Fun fun fun.  . |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2019 18:03:18 GMT
Bit of a synergy revelation today. I bought this cat 5 years ago and demoted it to the toolbox after several weeks tryingto like it. Then yesterday I had my cart swap head on. After trying the SAE and being underwhelmed by the lack of clarity I though I'd chance a £500 cartridge in a £200 turntable. RESULT ! Its bloody gorgeous! For some unknown reason the Technics had imbued the cart with a big doors of soul ! The thinness had gone and the bass is strong and hellishly controlled even I n the stock Techy arm. It's gone from a junker into my top 5 . Fun fun fun. . The 2M black is a good cartridge. IME the majority of folks who dislike it, haven't quite nailed the setup. Its a bit temperamental and a bitch to get it on the money but it's a very rewarding cartridge if you do.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2019 19:22:22 GMT
Oh, I nailed the set up, but much preferred the AT150 than the 2M Black.
With VTA on the fly, it is difficult not to get it right.
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Post by robbiegong on Jan 11, 2020 0:10:17 GMT
Fave carts to date: Ortofon 2M Black - Fabulous cart that opened my eyes on my journey, to what can be achieved in audio / hifi. As said, needs to be set up with care and attention then dial in via vta , carefully as the sweetspot is very narrow and a PIUTA to find but once found - MAMA, she sings, detailed, texture, timbre of instruments, horns parp so lifelike - holographic - excellent performer. As a result I had to then go for more of the same Shibata magic, but mc so Ortofon Quintet Black - lovely, very good value at £650 at the time, Shibata with boron cantilever, subsequent versions dont have the boron cantilever due to rarity/shortage of boron. Apart form the 2MB, their flagship mm, Ortofon, now only assign boron cantilever to their mc cartridges above the Quintet Black. Ortofon Cadenza Black - Top performer, detailed like the 2MB but with even more refinement. BEST EVER - Has to be my current re-tipped Ortofon Cadenza Black with Fritz Gyger S Re-tip. The FGS is the same stylus profile Ortofon call the Replicant 120 and which they use on there very top carts, all above the Shibata clad Cadenza Black. The FGS stylus profile is long, thin and has the longest contact patch. It extracts ooodles of info from the grooves, presentation is as neutral as a neutral thing, as detailed as you like due to the level of info it is capable of digging out. Added to all of this is that the level of recorded information retrieved and expressed is in regard to the recording in its entirety so quality of the recording, texture, timbre of instruments, the character of vocals/voices are lifelike and real as they should/would be, crackles, hoarsness, breath etc, timing, nuances, air, recording levels of individual parts are all laid bare, pretty forensic / accurate - hi-fidelity in the true sense, thrilling and it's impossible to go back....... No brainer decision to re-tip the Cadenza when it's Shibata died - Thanks for the wise advise and recommendation Angus (Phonomac) - Respect !  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 11, 2020 0:31:04 GMT
Fave carts to date: Ortofon 2M Black - Fabulous cart that opened my eyes on my journey, to what can be achieved in audio / hifi. As said, needs to be set up with care and attention then dial in via vta , carefully as the sweetspot is very narrow and a PIUTA to find but once found - MAMA, she sings, detailed, texture, timbre of instruments, horns parp so lifelike - holographic - excellent performer. As a result I had to then go for more of the same Shibata magic, but mc so Ortofon Quintet Black - lovely, very good value at £650 at the time, Shibata with boron cantilever, subsequent versions dont have the boron cantilever due to rarity/shortage of boron. Apart form the 2MB, their flagship mm, Ortofon, now only assign boron cantilever to their mc cartridges above the Quintet Black. Ortofon Cadenza Black - Top performer, detailed like the 2MB but with even more refinement. BEST EVER - Has to be my current re-tipped Ortofon Cadenza Black with Fritz Gyger S Re-tip. The FGS is the same stylus profile Ortofon call the Replicant 120 and which they use on there very top carts, all above the Shibata clad Cadenza Black. The FGS stylus profile is long, thin and has the longest contact patch. It extracts ooodles of info from the grooves, presentation is as neutral as a neutral thing, as detailed as you like due to the level of info it is capable of digging out. Added to all of this is that the level of recorded information retrieved and expressed is in regard to the recording in its entirety so quality of the recording, texture, timbre of instruments, the character of vocals/voices are lifelike and real as they should/would be, crackles, hoarsness, breath etc, timing, nuances, air, recording levels of individual parts are all laid bare, pretty forensic / accurate - hi-fidelity in the true sense, thrilling and it's impossible to go back....... No brainer decision to re-tip the Cadenza when it's Shibata died - Thanks for the wise advise and recommendation Angus (Phonomac) - Respect ! He's definitely on the money when it comes to how to get the best out of a cartridge Unfortunately, he also own the ONLY Ortofon Vienna i have ever seen and heard. This is the best cartridge, bar none, to have grace these lug holes. It's just everything you want without realising you either wanted it, or needed it. First time i heard it, I thought, "meh, it ain't all that special" then we took it out. I have only ever got 60-70% of the Performance level out of the Kontrapunkt b, but again, nothing I've heard other than the Vienna, has beaten that cart either. Ortofon hit the nail on the head with these two IMO. I am reliably informed that the PW is close to the Vienna but isnt as dynamic. I also have a plan to get to Vienna level, maybe nudge it off its perch, but it'll be costly. |
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Post by jandl100 on Jan 11, 2020 6:54:02 GMT
I had a VdH retipped Linn Asak, and I was just blown away by it.
I've no idea what difference the VdH retip made as I've not heard the original, but the underlying bouncy robustness and downright clarity of the cart was amazing.
It was, in retrospect, the best sounding cartridge that I had owned over decades of playing with moderately high endish carts.
I suspect that if it just happens to coincide with your preferences then it is one stonker of a device!
Other favourites have included Dynavector 10x5 and DV17D3 , rebodied Zu-Denon 103, and Ortofon MC25FL.
Loads of others have come and gone but none quite lit my fire like those.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2020 9:22:56 GMT
Erm...... Goldring 1042
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2020 9:27:45 GMT
I had a VdH retipped Linn Asak, and I was just blown away by it. I've no idea what difference the VdH retip made as I've not heard the original, but the underlying bouncy robustness and downright clarity of the cart was amazing. It was, in retrospect, the best sounding cartridge that I had owned over decades of playing with moderately high endish carts. I suspect that if it just happens to coincide with your preferences then it is one stonker of a device! Other favourites have included Dynavector 10x5 and DV17D3 , rebodied Zu-Denon 103, and Ortofon MC25FL.Loads of others have come and gone but none quite lit my fire like those. I also had a couple of MC25FL's and really liked them. |
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Post by dsjr on Jan 11, 2020 13:00:26 GMT
A pal had his Asak VDH'd and at the time it ruined it! Maybe a modern turntable would have made things better, but the top end was relentless and one-note, at least when it was freshly done... My MC30 Super (very low hours) sounds a lot better now than it did in the mid 80's using a different deck and arm, so maybe...
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Post by jandl100 on Jan 11, 2020 13:32:20 GMT
VdH does have a bit of a reputation for variability in his work, my Asak was stunning imo.
Of course, Dave, you might have hated it!
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