A Story about a Defective Signature Platinum

@rauliruegas 

Here it the link to your pictures https://imgur.com/gallery/YbkY8Rp

That was D/C resistance not impedance. He only reconnected the wires. He did not touch the coils or anything else.

Dear @mijostyn : Thank’s. Normally I prefer boron over ruby.

Now somewhere it’s a mistake did it for you or MSL. You posted here that your Signature Platinum measured both channels 1.8 ohms however in its site MSL spec says: 1.4 ohm so that difference is nottttt 5% but over 28% higher what you measured.

R.

@rauliruegas 

Sorry Raul. I tossed the cartridge when the left channel went dead. It was a sapphire cantilever and I believe it was a rod not a tube but I can not be sure. Peter Ledermann uses a ruby cantilever, a pretty red one. He makes a special version of the Sussurro called the Sussurro Gold. Some say it is his best cartridge. You should try it!

@ml8764ag 

I use a custom mounted Amscope laboratory USB microscope with a special PC program. A similar set up would cost you around $2500. The closest thing you could get to it ready made would be the WallyScope. 

@rauliruegas , @mijostyn, et al: What equipment / phone apparatus? do you use to take these magnified stylus photos? Might be good to help monitor my own stylus wear?

Btw, LOMC Sumiko LMX in those linked pictures is the original top of the line Coral MC-8 that means Sumiko was a Coral OEM sample.

R.

Dear @mijostyn  : Following on your Talisman S  I can confirm thatwas made by Excel.

Characteristics similares to my Excel ES 10 Direct Sound, this is the cartridge denomination . This was for Japan domestic market only. This one is the cartridge that we ( Etsuro Gold owner. ) listenined in that session at my place where as a whole the ES 10 beated the Etsuro that today it's made by Excel too but a way different design than in the old times. Originally the ES 10 came with aluminum cantilever and seems to me that near the time the model dissapeared cantilever was berylium as my sample and with Vital PH ( I don't know what it means. ) stylus shape. As with some of my vintage LOMC cartridges I was lucky to got it and the diagram sheet that comes  with shows an impressive flat FR and 32db of separation with both channel output exactly at the same level: 0.21mv. This is a picture of the ES 10 where you can see its 3mm sapphire solid cartridge top plate that it's just unique:

Raúl (canva.com)

Yes, it's almost new  and along the MM Audio Technica AT ML160 LC/OCC ( when you listen for the first time this AT you can't know it's a MM design ) are the cartridges that I'm enjoying in this times.

R.

The investigation of the AT 36E once more shows that the knowledge is widespread, if sought out.

The Link is seven years old, about 40 Year Old Cart's.

As I am spending time looking into Cart' refurbishments using supplied images from Services willing to do this, as a result discovering that a Damper Material perishes.

It would be interesting to be informed of the Joseph Long assessment about the AT-36E Damper and what his proposal has been for it, at the time of inspection.   

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=90381

Dear @mijostyn :

Cartridge pictures Raúl (canva.com)

that blue cartridge that you refered in your emaiI to me is the Fulton RSD, only a few samples of this model exist out there and I was lucky enough to have it: a real collector cartridge.

In its time exist 3-4 Fulton models and the RSD was the top of the line and in the Audio magazine anual library was the higher price cartridge in that list: 1,200.00 even superior to the Koetsu of those time or any other cartridge out of Japan.

I have to tell that all Fulton models came with spherical stylus shape. I owned/own the RSD and the second step in the Fulton catalog and both performs really good but both came with different cartridge motor and cantilevers.

Obviously I don’t ask Joseph ( @needlestein ) for the original spherical stylus shape and was him according the cartridge cantilever who choosed that Ogura line contact that as you told me was similar to your Signature Platinum that in the MSL site says: semi-line contact stylus tip exactly as the top of the line Air Tight.

In this post I link here Joseph Long confirmed about that: semi-line contact where MSL choosed Ogura diamonds and that’s why is similar and perhaps not so polished as yours but I don’t really care because my Fulton RSD is something to listen it even with the spherical stylus tip:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/retip-lyra-delos-and-upgrade/post?postid=2553690#2553690

Btw, I own too that Sumiko Talisman cartridge that Joseph refered in the post due that its smallest vdh stylus tip he found out, yes a great vintage LOMC cartridge. As I told you in my email there is really " nothing new " on MC cartridges, the operational cartridge motor of 40 yeras ago still function with the top today cartridges and I say this with all my respect to cartridge designers As JC that have the high merit to making changes " here and there " achieved and achive levels of performance not only as your MSL but your Lambda SL too and your MC Diamond.

Btw, 

The first picture is the Audio Technica AT36E that’s similar to the AT37 that came with ruby cantilever ( this 37 was only one step down the AT MC 1000 diamond cantilever on those times: this 1000 had in Japan a price tag of 200K Yens. ) and I sold it because the 36 performs better and now with line contact stylus shape I just can’t imagine what is its today qality performance.

The second picture is the LMX that was in the market thank’s to Sumiko and the thrid picture is the Fulton RSD that I already posted its " history " and that today comes with a similar stylus shape than the mijostyn MSL Signature Platinum ( Ogura line contact. ).

R.

R.

@mijostyn re. Invading Texas, LOL. I was going to return a quip about the fact I live in New Mexico but decided against it 😆

Sssshhhhhhhhh, don’t tell Raul 🤫

@mijostyn  : I understan that you still ownd the Talisman S and even that I owned in those times I don't care if the cantilever was solid/rod or tube one and I read that the Talisman S cantilever is a tube ruby and the B model a tube boron when the A model came with a composite cantilever of hardened aluminum with magnesium.

Due that you have the rigth set up and skills to " see " it could you confirm that?

Thank's in advance,

R.

Dear @mijostyn : Thank's for it . @rsf507 according Joseph the separation is over 40db both channels same as the other cartridges. So rigth now I don't worry about maybe in 2-3 weeks the 10 cartridges will arrive to me and let you know. Btw, Joseph said that not only has an impressive separtaion but that sounds fabolous.

Now, I posted about this vintage Ortofon because of that measured over 40db that I know yes is truly impressive when today top cartridges can't be near it but even the Audio Technica measured 36db.

Btw, I'm not telling that all MC3000 MK2 measures the same in that spec. Btw, the cartridge body hole is near the back side, I can't remember if at the left or rigth side.

 Why till today I still own several LOMC cartridges and even retipping it?, easy answer because believe it or not performs just superb by any today quality standards. That's why.

R.

@rsf507 

That is because the camera is not dead on. It is also possible there is not enough anti skate applied. To determine that angle you have to look at the bottom of the cartridge dead on off the record. 

@rauliruegas that pic you sent mijostyn to post of your Ortofon MC 3000 Mk II well the body of the cartridge looks perfectly square BUT the cantilever looks skewed! Your thoughts?

@rauliruegas 

I got it!

https://imgur.com/a/B7gcnSg

@rauliruegas 

I can't do it the way you sent it!

@rauliruegas 

I can do it the way you sent it. You have to send it as a jpeg attachment.

Sorry…but time to dump their tables too. I was really really interested in checking them out but have heard way too many iffy things about their service

I do like Music Direct though…a lot. Too bad they got mixed up with Mofi.

Sorry MoFi (and others)…be on alert, we’re not going to take it (anymore! (Hit it! 🎶)). Best get your $#&* together!

Dear @mijostyn  : Thank you for Imgur I will reload the pictures. please tell me something and make me a favor: due that you already have the fixed cartridges pictures I emailed to you can you by imgur post here?  I'm sending the Ortofon MC 3000 MK2 too.

Thank's in advance.

Btw, The Talisman design is a yokeless and only one pole piece that Sumiko named Direct Field Coil. Come to my memory other vintage LOMC cartridges that were designed yokeless: Yamaha and Audio Technica, there are others but I don't remember in this moment.

R.

Dear @dover  : Certainly the S was the top of the line around Talisman LOMC. I owned all 3 models: A, B and S. Where B and S ( boron and saphire cantilever, the A is an alloy cantilever. ).

The A came with  the smallest elliptical dimension you can imagine and the B and S came with line contact stylus shape.

By its specifications seems to me ( I'm not sure ) that those Talisman were made by Excel due that the great ES-10 has almost the same specs than the S model with no saphire cantilever but Excel made for them similar to the ES-10 with diamond and saphire cantilevers.

I sold the S model because I prefered not only the B but even the A . @mijostyn these with no colorations. Nice cartridges. I think that your appreciation on that " body junction " is not totally correct: Excel makes no mistakes of that caliber but obviously I can be wrong. The fact is that I don't detected any coloration other that Talisman signature.

Btw, as HO the Talisman Alchemist is very good too.

Dover I think that you are diminishing a little the quality performance levels of Talisman because in many ways can be a challenge for cartridges even over 5K, obviously that all these is down of audiophiles priorities.

Dear friends: and this is what Joseph email me along the picture:

" the Ortofon is testing very impressively.  Over 40dB channel separation.  Excellent sound. "

Obviously a vintage cartridge that along the MC2000 is the one to own as a fACT in some performance characterisitcs is better than the 2000.

Well my sample has the body broken, yes a hole in the ceramic black body that I think that " helps " to liberate inside body resonances.

R.

@dover 

I think the way the body of the cartridge was mounted to its headshell interface betrayed it. If I had the cartridge today I would try to do something to stiffen that junction. I bet that coloring you are hearing would disappear. If you would like to try it with the one you have, let me know.

Here is a link for a series of stylus photographs including AP, Lateral and Tip images of both the Replicant 100 and the My Sonic Lab

https://imgur.com/a/rv3njM0

@rauliruegas 

Raul, your links are not working. I post the photos on Imgur which provides a link. This works every time.

@ml8764ag 

You can not compliment a Mexican. Next thing you know he'll be trying to take Texas back:-)

@rauliruegas Your posts are much more concise of late… nice.

I have some NOS Talisman S and recently when I took them out to have a look at the styli I was shocked by how clean stylus/cantilever interface was compared to current even top of the line cartridges.

I could not see any glue at all - the micro ridge diamond embedded in the sapphire tube looked like a piece of glass embedded in other piece of glass. 

Soundwise, a little coloured compared to todays top cartridges, like say Van den Hul Grand Cru/Kuzma CAR50 etc but resolution probably better than many of todays cartridges up to $2k despite that It was not a top of the line cartridge in its day.

Unfortunately I don't have the gear to take a decent photo.

@rauliruegas 

I had a Talisman S and liked it a lot. After a while one channel stopped working entirely, so I tossed it. I was not aware there were so many people out there that could have fixed it. The stylus was actually still in pretty good shape. The S stood for Sapphire cantilever. 

@rsf507 

You see the grooves cut on each side? That is how you create a "microridge" stylus. The styluses on the more expensive cartridges are selected. They have a better polish and cut. 

@lewm 

Only you would think of something like that....gesundheit. 

Imagine you have opened a tiny box of styli, where you want to install one in a cantilever.  And you sneeze.

Wow looks like one of the more highly polished diamonds I've ever seen. 

@rauliruegas 

https://i.imgur.com/LFFl4hO.jpg  Hopefully this works. This is an AP view of a MSL Signature Platinum Stylus. You can tell it is a MSL cartridge because of the way the stylus is mounted, in a slot. 

Dear @mijostyn  : I would like that you link the picture of your MSL stylus tip you showed to me.

The subject is that due that you are " anal " that the cartridges must comes with the stylus tip perfect centered or you return to the seller that cartridge I would like to share with all these Agoners that Steve or Expert stylus are not the only good re-tippers.

Yes, exist many and between those " many " is Joseph Long :

860-338-0153    Cartridge_Retipping@outlook.com    and things are that I shared with you photos that he sended to me of 3 of the 10 cartridges I gave him to been fix it. In these 3 cartridges I ask preserve the cantilever/cartridge original integrity and only change the stylus tip with a line contact stylus shape and he did it choosing one of the Ogura different dimensions tips according the one that mated with the cartridge cantilever.

It's interesting for any audiophile to see the very high precision need it to achieve what you look for about. Some models from different cartridge manufactures comes with out that kind of need it precision but we owners not even take in count because normally we don't care so much with new cartridges and only we take a look when we have a " trouble " with the cartrridge.

From de time you started to point out about I took care with my cartridges and with the ones when my audio friends bring with to listen in my system.

Joseph always is busy due that he works in " solitaire " and he really is very good and with a full experiences with almost any vintage today cartridges and is one of the few re-tippers that recoil the MC if need it Normally he works mainly using Ogura and Gyger parts with several combinations on stylus shapes and cantilever build materials.

I hope @needlestein  ( his moniker ) can read this post and can post the link I showed you.

Btw, this is what you told me about your top of the line MSL and one of my cartridges:

" The stylus on the MSL looks exactly like the one on that blue cartridge. Here is a picture I just took. I have a really nice set up for taking these pictures as you can see.  "

Sure you have " nice set up " that is similar to the quality in thde Joseph Long pictures.

Anyway, he can be a very good alternative over other retippers because additional to his high skills his overall prices are lower than any of the other two I mentioned here and lower $$$ always is a bonus/plus for all of us.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.

@mijostyn More of your one liners, what a farceur you are 🤣you're such fun to learn about.

Maybe the Tweezers that you are happy to declare how quick you are to draw, were sourced through a well known Internet Portal that sells all sorts of Items.

I used it to purchase a Pedicure Set for my darling wife, I have remained controlled and not been tempted to have a probe around in any of the Cart's I own, with any of the interesting looking implements, even the Cart's I know have a blatantly obvious damage.   

Each to their own, especially with what they own. 

@pindac 

It is called business. 

Skyanalog Audio are certainly making Cart's that will be a decent contender to any of the Cart's being referred to, their asking prices are more than competitive.

The Brand is also from a Country that has been instrumental in making Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates a cool combined personal wealth of approx' $700 Billion.

It looks like Countries with a certain Politics are loved by some from Countries with an alternative take on the Politics.

https://skyanalog.com/about/

Maybe a Hana Umami Red is better yet.  Commies are invading our hobby!!!

@karl_desch 

Good to hear. However, they make a good profit on these rebuilds. The rubber hits the road when there is no profit involved and they go out of their way to help a customer. 

One of the reasons rebuilds for Soundsmith cartridges are so inexpensive is they handle it directly without involving a middle man. Mr Lederman should serve as a model for the industry. I know it is nice to have local venders and they have to make a profit to survive, but...

Happy to hear that VAS was able to fix your MSL cart.  I think it is great that Music Direct also is covering the repair, even if it took a thread like this to bring it to their attention. 

FWIW. I purchased a Koetsu RSP through Music Direct years ago. Recently, Music Direct handled a rebuild for this cartridge, which is now in Japan getting new guts. The process was handled very nicely by Music Direct.

Hi Lawyer, I've got this Phono Cartridge, that has a Warranty Period expired Nine Months ago. It seems to have a fault, maybe it even always had this fault whilst in use.

Additional to this, I went to work with a set of tweezers and got quite invasive in my venture of having a probe around inside the Cartridge. 

I'm hoping that a legal support might get myself a special treatment. 

What do you think?

Did you just hang up on me 🙄🤣

I don’t follow your line of reasoning in regards to chrisoshea’s post. The way I read it, he meant you could hire a lawyer to deal with MoFi. That’s not communist ideology. However, I agree that $330 wouldn’t even elicit a call back from a successful and competent lawyer.

@cleeds 

Please don't waste your time responding to comments like that. chrisoshea would prefer we lived in a communist country where everyone is entitled to a $100 cartridge.

chrisoshea

If you spent 10k + on a cartridge you may have enough cash to hire a lawyer to help.

I don't know of any lawyer qualified to repair a phono cartridge and even if you could find one, it's unlikely he'd equal the skill of Steve Leung at VAS. Steve's fee of $330 for the repair is probably lower than the consultation fee charged by many attorneys.