Vusi,
Its an interesting trade off, isn't it. The sibilance can lacerate the eardrum I agree, but with the right mix on the LP the cartridge is sublime. I suspect that on a lot of pop rock and jazz the high end is boosted on the EQ to give the playback some flash for mid fi gear use. When all that high frequency info is picked up by the Colibri it manifests as spit, grain and searing hi hats etc. That's my theory. I wonder if cartridge loading has any effect. As much as I love the carty I wish it were a little more forgiving.
Its an interesting trade off, isn't it. The sibilance can lacerate the eardrum I agree, but with the right mix on the LP the cartridge is sublime. I suspect that on a lot of pop rock and jazz the high end is boosted on the EQ to give the playback some flash for mid fi gear use. When all that high frequency info is picked up by the Colibri it manifests as spit, grain and searing hi hats etc. That's my theory. I wonder if cartridge loading has any effect. As much as I love the carty I wish it were a little more forgiving.