Anyone know anything about the Magic Diamond Blue?

I'm currently using an elliptical diamond in my Shelter 501. I previously used conical in my Denon DL103R and DL103. In the past I have used Linn Karma, Linn Asak, Linn Trak, Koetsu Black, Grace Ruby, Dynavector Karat, Supex 900, Monster Alpha, various Goldrings, Micro-Acoustics, Shure,and probably a few others that I can't remember now.

I think elliptical is a good compromise for tracking and easy alignment, with reduced record contact stress.

Twl, what is your take on elliptical diamonds?

Twl, you seem to be a real flat, black, and circular type of guy. Am I wrong when I assume that stylus shape is one of the major factors in exagerated noise? I know that the mechanical design plays a role as well, but in your experience do elliptical styli seem to be about the worst for this? I loved the tonal balance of the Grado I had, but could not stand to listen through all the extra surface noise on records that were quiet with my prior cartridge. My records may just be showing their age, and I know that different tip profiles rid in different spots on the groove.

I have been into vinyl for 30 years and for many years thought I would never even buy a CD player. It just seems difficult to optimize a system for two different sounding palyback systems. I am closer that ever to just ditching my table and anything associated with it. I could put the money into improving my CD playback and more CD's, as that is what I seem to use more that 95% of the time now. If I sold my analog rig I could get even closer to the state of the art in CD playback by updating to a new line stage and some other tweeks. It just seems a shame to have a table that just sits there most of the time and I feel that maintaining both causes too many compromises in both play back mediums. Don't get me wrong I was one of the last CD free guys around, I didn't buy a player until about 3-4 years ago, I hated digital, it sucked! My current player is pretty darn good though and sounds more like a
TT than I ever thought possible. I am at the cross roads. I may make a deal with the Digital Devil.

Maxgain, try an Ortofon X5-MC for a higher output MC with good sound at a low price. They can be found for about $115 brand new, if you look around. They are about $300 retail. They will have enough output.

Other than that, the Dynavector 10x4 is a nice one for $350.

I shouldn't say it but I never thought you could be a REAL audiophile without a turntable.

Thanks guys. I have kept up with what is going on here.

I just sat down and listened to the table for the first time in a couple of weeks and I have to say it does sound damn good.

Perhaps all I really need is to try some Disc Doctor along with my normal Nitty Gritty cleaning. Any of you guys used the Disc Dr.? I hear it's very good. Maybe that's all I need? I would still love to hear the table with a decent MC with at least 1mV output. I don't think my souped up SP 9 will work at all with a low output unit.

I really wanted to hear if anyone had listened to or knew much about the MDB.

Haven't you been reading Twl's views on "affordable" high-quality cartridges?! No need to spend a fortune. A "budget" cartridge can be outstanding, esp. if the Denon enthusiasts are to believed...and considering the sources, I believe them. I have also found great, great deals on lightly used cartridges that are sold here regularly.

I don't know of a universal truth regarding surface noise and cartridge type but I have found the moving coils to be quieter. I really don't agree that analog is a rich man's game when you take into consideration the life expectancy of a reasonable table. I've had my current table since 1984 and yes, I've done several upgrades along the way and one repair. My best guess is that since purchase I've invested approximately $3500 including cartridges. That's less than $200 per year. I still haven't reached a point where I have a compelling reason to replace it. If I were to sell this table I could recoup approximately 30% of the investment. I'm certainly not a rich man and didn't intentionally get into vinyl versus digital since I predate that media. Then again, I tend to be satisfied with what I can afford in all formats. There are numerous $300-1000 cartridges that would float my boat forever. Maybe I'm into midfi.

I tend to think somewhat the opposite - yes, SOTA (not the brand) analog can be very expensive, but I have always thought it possible to get good analog sound more cheaply than is required to get good digital sound (as my own miserly ways with my analog rig will attest to!).

I also would like to state that nothing will ever convince me that prices in excess of several thousand $+ can be justifiable for something as basic as a phono cartridge in the strict sense, although what sublime sound might be worth to someone who can easily afford this is another matter. My thought is that top-line carts must be the highest-margin items in all of audiophiledom. For instance, the basic MDB is supposed to retail for around $5K, I believe, and their top model for about 6X that much; there is quite literally no amount of engineering, no degree of precision assembly, and no upgrade in materials cost that could reasonably account for such an incremental increase.

Any cartridge is a very simple, small, and lightweight device, whose basic engineering parameters cannot vary widely from the norm and have been previously worked out and well-known for some time now, and even a $5K one must include a very healthy profit; the $30K model realistically could not be more than twice as expensive to manufacture, and I think even that's being generous. I understand that these days, no one is going to enjoy any economies of scale with a company dedicated to making only premium phono carts, but to me this kind of price level just represents market exploitation (but more power to 'em if they can get it, and in this case the waiting list is said to be over a year!). There's nothing like the snob appeal of extreme exclusivity to persuade some folks that the sound must be worth it, and the existence of $70K TT's (BTW, more justified, to my mind) has certainly opened the door. I choose to remain grounded in the knowledge that any reputable $500 - $3,000 cart is going to have just as much engineering and auditioning effort going into its design as a $10K model, and probably just as much tooling-up costs; the only differences could be exotic materials or techniques and the most exacting of assembly and measurement criteria, which I don't think in truth could add up to all that much outside of the time involved (another few hundred $ tops?) - the rest is pure profit (or if not, then extreme inefficiency on the part of a tiny company, or price-gouging by its subcontractors), no matter how good-sounding the results.

IMO yada yada yada, of course, but it's just common sense as I see it (come on, you folks don't actually expect me to base my opinions on knowledge and experience now, do you?!), and I think anyone looking side-by-side at a full-line cartridge company's $500 and $5K offerings will know that there are a lot more similarities than differences between the two - regardless of the sound, which doesn't carry a price tag.

As you indicate, Maxgain, pay to play, baby. Let the flames commence! :-)