I have the same TT. I wasn't super impressed with the Virtuoso wood cartridge despite the great reviews. I bought a Hana ML moving coil cartridge and it was a big improvement. I'm using it with a Sutherland TZ Vibe phono preamp.
Cartridge upgrade
Hi all. I have a quick question. I have a Marantz TT-15S1 turntable that I've been enjoying for the last couple of years. I am still using the included MM Clearaudio Virtuoso wood cartridge that has served me well so far. At the end of last year, I upgraded my phono stage to a Manley Chinook that I like a lot. I am looking to upgrade my cartridge this fall. I was looking at Kiseki Purple Heart NS. My question is this, does it make sense to put a $3,400 cartridge on a $1,700 (base audiophile) table? I imagine there will be some sound improvement but how much?
@OP The Marantz is a effectively an entry level Clearaudio using technology from their earlier decks. Putting a cartridge priced at the level of the Kiseki on it is overkill. As a point of reference, you should have a listen to the new Concept Signature with something like a Hana ML on it and then consider an upgrade path from there. You can always sell on the Marantz to add to your upgrade fund. |
@rfauto That is a fine little table and you can put any cartridge you want on it although you might have to add a little mass for some cartridges. It appears that Kiseki is pulling out of the American market as the usual retailers are not carrying them any more. You might look at the Audio Technica ART20, the Lyra Delos, The Soundsmith Voice and the Grado Statement. I would get The Soundsmith Voice because its tracking ability is top notch, it is very dynamic, it is high output which will give you a vastly better signal to noise ratio, Soundsmith's service is second to none and retipping is way more reasonable than any other cartridge. Buy it directly from Soundsmith. You can only expect top notch performance when the cartridge is set up correctly. You will need an alignment jig preferably for Lofgren B or A. The tone arm has a calibrated counter balance which is fine. Set anti skating so the arm drifts slowly towards the spindle between grooves in the run out area or on a blank side. |
Thanks everyone for your input. @mijostyn I have a friend that has a Soundsmith Paua Mk II on his table. In my opinion it’s one of the best sounding cartridges I have heard. However, I think that costs more new than a Purple Heart. I would like to hear some of Soundsmth’s other offerings as I find their price to performance motivating. Has anybody had any experience with the Kiseki Blue Gold Spot. I wonder how their sonically different to a Purple Heart. |
I wonder why you are especially interested in Kiseki cartridges. Decades ago, the Kiseki brand was a significant player in high end audio and associated maybe with Sugano, who went on to Koetsu fame. I think in recent years the name has been co-opted by a different company and I’ve not seen such glowing reviews of the modern lineup, although they also resurrected some of the names, like Purple Heart, from days of yore. I would stick with more main stream brands, like AT, Ortofon, Dynavector, Soundsmith, Grado, etc, where I think you also will get more for your money. For example, the AT 9Xa and 9Xi cartridges that cost less than $1500 or even the Nagaoka MP500 for a shade under $1K. Or Soundsmith "The Voice" for similar money. Just my two cents. (If you're planning to use a SUT, do some reading before you pair a low output MI cartridge (e.g., SS or Grado) with a SUT.) |
@lewm I kind of wanted to grab a Purple Heart as a fellow commentor mentioned Kiseki is pulling out of the US market. I guess I could grab one used somewhere down the line. However, I’m not against buying from Soundsmith or some of the makers that you mentioned. Over Christmas there was a sale on Hana Unami Blue’s. In hindsight I should have grabbed one. I kind of want to shy away from a cartridge that requires a step-up transformer. My Chinook is the Upscale Audio Ed. that has up to 65 db of gain. Is that enough? |
@rfauto The Voice is $3000 and a great buy. I have heard it up against $10,000 MC cartridges and it more than held its own. Turn the volume all the way up with your preamp on Phono without any music playing. What do you hear? Now turn the volume one third of the way down. That is as loud as you will need to go with the Voice before blowing up your speakers. Hear any hiss? @lewm you are not kidding. I tried the Hyperion on my SUT and it was AWFUL. However, rf has a Manley Chinook, so not a problem. Are you still listening to the Nagaoka? I almost went for one, but on a nostalgic lark I picked up two Shure V15 V MR bodies in excellent condition. I'll try a few Jico styluses and sell one. |
@rfauto You have a Manley Chinook and can play any cartridge MM, MI or MC without a step up transformer. You are cleared for any cartridge except perhaps the lowest output MCs with outputs below 0.2mv. You could use them but won't have the greatest signal to noise ratio. Moving Iron Cartridges like the Soundsmiths and Grados have one major advantage over other cartridges and that is a much lower effective mass. The moving system of the cartridge is much lighter and can follow the groove more accurately. I would take the Voice over any MC cartridge below the price of $6000. Then there is Soundsmith's customer service and relatively inexpensive rebuild prices. |
I did not know that the Voice cost as much as $3000. Since that is so, I could not recommend it as a cost-saving alternative to the Kiseki. Albeit, taken by itself, I take Mijostyn's word for its excellence. (I never heard one.) To the OP, if Kiseki is pulling out of the US market, that might mean their cartridges are not selling well here for any one of a number of reasons. But keep in mind, Kiseki of today is not the same as vintage Kiseki. I also omitted to mention Hana; they also make excellent modestly priced cartridges. And my other main point is that I do not at all subscribe to the idea that there is any sort of linear correlation between price of a cartridge and sonic excellence. Mijo, Yes, I am still listening to the MP500 but switching back and forth with some others. |
FWIW, have owned a Kiseki Purpleheart NS for several years. Recently installed a Hana Umami Blue just for a change. So far the Kiseki sounds better to my ears. Excellent cartridge. The Blue is fine, but there’s a magic to the Kiseki; it is full sounding, sweet, detailed, with an excellent and realistic mid range that is clear and unmuddied. The Umami probably has some time remaining to fully bloom, but the Kiseki is special; certainly preferable to the Ortofon Cadenze Bronze I ran for years. |
I've had the Virtuoso wood on a Clearaudio Solution table, and really was left wondering what the big deal was. It never impressed me over $200 cartridges. I recently bought a Hana moving coil but haven't taken the time to switch over (I have to pull my preamp out, open it up and reset the tabs for the correct load) and then take the time to dial in the new cartridge. I do it soon as this summer I just haven't had time to do much critical listening. A dealer I spoke with likes the Hana's and Dynavector MCs for under $2K for what it's worth.
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