Cartridge recomendation for Garard 301 and Ikeda IT-345CRI

Miyajima US distributor giving 7 day money back trial, who else can offer anything like that for a cartridge? Try it

If I was buying full retail brand new in box, I would do just as you advise.
My goal here is to get 3 or 4 candidates and wait for a deal. I am not in a hurry.  I suspect the next 6 months will be a buyers market.
Thanks for all the great advice.

Miyajima US distributor giving 7 day money back trial, who else can offer anything like that for a cartridge? Try it

http://www.robyattaudio.com/Otono.htm

There is no Japanese warm sound. Koetsu is Japanese and warmer. Then you have Lyra, Zyx and many others that are the opposite. And the majority of cartridges are made in Japan anyways. I would recommend a slightly warmer quality for your style of music. Dynavector maybe. Good drive.  I’ve never personally heard a miyajima except for the mono. The other end Lyra, Zyx, etc. may lead to shorter listening sessions with rock music or anything less than nice sounding recordings.

I'm sure any Myajimi (or Ikeda , SPU's and Miyabbes etc..)  sound marvelous on the Ikeda....I guess I'm struggling with the "Japenese" warm and rich sounding cartridges are sympatico with the majority of music I listen to. Here's a quote from a review of a Myajami:
"Wonderful tonality, dense background, palpable foreground—long story short, a classic example of a rich Japanese sound. I also realized quickly that it wasn't a "perfect sound" as the top Dynavector model, DRT-XV1t, delivered a better performance proving that there was much more information written in album's grooves, it delivered more distinct, more "live-like" sound. And yet Shilabe was (and still is) a remarkable proposal for those, who value a rich, warm sound."
Does this presentation offer long term satisfaction over time with the following music:
Grateful Dead, Little Feat, Stones and lots of Classic Rock, Motown, and early Funk. All kinds of Jazz; small club, "big and bold" jazz, modern and vintage.

Would a sharper leading edge provide more excitement over the long run?

I also listen to a steady diet of various Americana and Acoustic... which I'm sure the Rich Japanese sound would be sublime.

Ikeda is perfect for low compliance cartridges (any of them if the compliance is very low) 

Do you think the Ikeda is lively enough for the Shilabe?

Shilabe can sound a little dark depending system. I have setup several. They are not hard to get sounding decent and are quite good overall.

Leaning pretty hard towards the Miyajima's.

That's right. Been waiting for a long time to catch unused Kansui for the right price in Denmark. 

Leaning pretty hard towards the Miyajima's.

A dealer that doesn’t sell Miyajima told me once that he’s never heard a Miyajima he didn’t think was excellent. 

So many rave reviews on Shilabe online

Anyone have an opinion on a  Miyajima Shilabe?

Great discussion fellas.
Paying close attention. Thanks.

The Ikeda cantileverless designs are one-of-a-kind and capable of doing stuff no other mc cartridge can accomplish in terms of speed and dynamic punch. But I would advise against choosing it as your one-and-only cartridge for everyday use.

Why? Well, due to its design it simply cannot cope with even slightly warped discs that normal cartridges with a cantilever (even with very low compliance) can track with ease. So it is more a cartridge for special occasions. 

Regarding IKEDA cartridges:
i think what is truly unique for IKEDA is cantileverless models, look here

Something like Ikeda 9c III , R or REX 
Those are the most dynamic cartridges! 

 

Smooth and detailed for $2k..... perhaps try the Ikeda 9TS or Ikeda 9TT if buying used.

Old school technique with alnico magnet and low ohm/compliance always has sonic advantages.

Just like Miyabi cartridges from Takeda-Sad (alnico magnets, low impedance, low compliance, but PH Semi Line Contact stylis tip) 

Actually latest Miyaby 47 is what i could recommend to the OP if older Miyabi Standard and Miyabi MCA are not available. 

Contradiction this spatial information might be artefact. I always like do calibration of ears in concert hall.
Although as owner of SPU Gold Reference I can say it has too much of sparkle for my liking although with some records it's very pleasant to listen. Old school technique with alnico magnet and low ohm/compliance always has sonic advantages.

@lokie 

This is another very special SPU i could recommend if you think Royal with Replicant 100 is too much. 

This is limited edition SPU SPIRIT (only 500 made and my sample was the last, number 500 :) with very special 9N copper coil wire, the tip is elliptical, the sound is superior to the classic SPU models i have tried.

SPU Spirit Ltd is beautiful model if you can find it.

Royal G mkII was excellent, i could even keep it for myself , but my FR-7fz was better in my system. 

SPU Classic with conical tip is something i would never ever buy and use even for free.  

 



 

Well said @edgewear 

The SPU is an old school design - dating back to the 1950's - but over the years many innovations that Ortofon introduced in more modern designs have been incorporated in certain SPU types. As a result these have a more modern sound, but also cost more.

Your preferred 'big and bold' presentation actually fits the SPU as a species pretty well, but the basic models are also rather crude, especially the ones with a conical tip. These have an almost religious following - not unlike the Denon DL-103 - but if you value audiophile capabilities like full frequency extension and reproduction of micro details and spacial information, these are very limited devices.

The 'higher end' SPU's - in some way a contradiction in terms - attempt to bring these typical audiophile aspects into the SPU design, while remaining true to its origin. The Replicant 100 tip (a variation on the Gyger tip) is capable of more detail retrieval than a standard elliptical stylus, let alone a conical one. This is why the SPU Royal and the earlier Gold Reference sound far more modern that other SPU's. The later SPU A90 and A95 Anniversary models have incorporated some innovations like SLM for lower resonance and less coloration. They also have a more modern sound, even while retaining a regular elliptical stylus.

In the similar price range my Dynavector xx2 also plays nice in my ikeda. Two very different presentations though. The spu royal n and xx2. 

I'm looking pretty hard at SPU's but I get a little confused at their Replicant 100 stylus level and whether its really an SPU and the price starts competing with some pretty heady competition. 

I can’t use a G or A type SPU with my arm, so it had to be an N. As for the Royal, I’ve used fine line styli for 30 years so that was more or less habit. There’s a bit more choice with a G type but for me it would be the Royal or the Century purely from prejudice. 

I’m a big fan of the SPU sound as well. They have a recognizable ’family’ sound, but with interesting variations within that ’theme’. In fact the Phasemation shares some of their characteristics (remember ’big and bold’). The Royal is one of the more detailed as a result of the advanced tip, same as the SPU Gold Reference. The Anniversary models are very special but no longer available new, although some dealers still have some stock of the A95 (usually costing > $2k).

" The SPU Royal N provides the same sound reproduction properties as the SPU Royal GM series " - Ortofon 

Royal N is just a conventional version of the headshell integrated SPU Royal G which i enjoyed the most from 3 different SPU, because Royal has the most advanced stylus tip: Ortofon Replicant-100. 

I’ve just fitted an SPU Royal N to my arm, a Schröder rather than an Ikeda but if you want big and bold this is it, it’s also fluid and engaging. From what I can glean the Ikeda is high mass so should be ideal.

Thanks for the SPU recommendation. Why the  Royal N in particular?

I installed the P-3G on my FR-64S to refresh my memory of its sonic presentation. ’Big and bold is good’ you say. Well, that is actually a pretty good description of the P-3G sound. Also, it has a very low noise floor, almost CD like. Without the (surface) noise, the music leaps out of the silence. The resulting dynamic ’jump’ makes for a big and bold presentation. Bass is deep, strong and tight. Mids are present and slightly forward. Highs do not stick out, but are not rolled off either. Does this sound ’polite’ to you?

No. That sounds interesting. Love jumpy dynamics.

I’ve just fitted an SPU Royal N to my arm, a Schröder rather than an Ikeda but if you want big and bold this is it, it’s also fluid and engaging. From what I can glean the Ikeda is high mass so should be ideal. 

@lokie what is your definition of ’polite’?

I installed the P-3G on my FR-64S to refresh my memory of its sonic presentation. ’Big and bold is good’ you say. Well, that is actually a pretty good description of the P-3G sound. Also, it has a very low noise floor, almost CD like. Without the (surface) noise, the music leaps out of the silence. The resulting dynamic ’jump’ makes for a big and bold presentation. Bass is deep, strong and tight. Mids are present and slightly forward. Highs do not stick out, but are not rolled off either. Does this sound ’polite’ to you?

Wondering if the Phasemation might be a bit too polite?

Just take a look at hifishark: several Japanese dealers offer a brand new PP-300 for around $1100. At that price you won't find a superior cartridge. Unless of course you dare to go used, but that's a whole different ballgame.

Again, thanks for the ideas.

Phasemation is an interesting company. On initial observation seems like good bang for the buck and the black would look good with my diy Wenge Plinth.

I’ve been accumulating MC’s over the past 4 or 5 years now and the Denon DL 103r has by far been the worst I’ve tried and I quickly sold it again. There’s a religious fanclub out there, but as far as I’m concerned the only thing going for it is the cheap price. These fans will say such criticism is unjust and that you’ll need a very high mass arm to make it ’shine’. Your Ikeda is the very ’model’ of such an arm, so you can judge for yourself. Perhaps the various upgraded versions on the market are better, but you know what they say about polishing a turd.....

You won’t believe how much better you can do within your budget and you don’t even have to spend it all! There are many options, some great ones already mentioned here, but you should also include the Phasemation PP-300 (or its predecessor the P-3G). This is a great match with your Ikeda arm and can be found for less than $1500.

Oh no, this tonearm deserve a better cartridge than refurbished Denon

That's funny because that's what I've been living with to get myself started in analog. Its been fun but ready to try the something more.

Oh no, this tonearm deserve a better cartridge than refurbished Denon

Of all the denon 103 based reworks the 'sculpture a' ones from Ana Mighty Sound seem pretty compelling. Only caveat is outputs are quite low so will need plenty of gain from your phono...
And yes your setup is optimum for lower compliance...

High end Koetsu?? No thanks.

Higher end Koetsu.
The tonearm begs for low compliance.

Thanks for the recommendations.

The above recommendations are good. Depends on your budget. If your looking for a more affordable option, my Ortofon royal N spu sounds really good on my Ikeda it407.

I was looking for a cartridge for my 301 recently and the Kiseki cartridge interests me, might be something you'd consider. I ended up with something more affordable but got the warmth and detail I was looking for. Let us know what you end up with.

Hi, definitely buy Miyajima , here is my IT-345 with Kansui
Or Ikeda 9 III, it’s old, but gold.

Or you can always search for FR-7fz or Miyabi crtridges. 

All can be used without SUT if your phono stage is good. 
I like vintage Luxman toroidal silver SUTs, but i can use all these cartridges with my MC phono stages with ease.

For low impedance cartridges the best phono stage is current-injection type like 47 Labs Phono Cube.