Crazy Downstairs Neighbor


Hi,
My downstairs neighbor is a lunatic with keen ears for sympathetic floor vibrations. So, I use sonus faber guarneri homage speakers - lovely sound, but not a lot of bass energy. I just bought an Immedia rpm table and arm along with the basic Ear phono stage (modded). My vinyl guru set up the table with a benz glider until I got my Lyra Helikon. Everything about the Lyra is better, except the bass volume and energy, which is proportionately less when compared to the benz glider. (I don't mean extension, which is better with the Helikon). With the benz glider, I discovered that the guarneri's are capable of more bass volume proportionate to the mids and highs than I have found with my Wadia. More bass energy, but not so much as to excite the monster downstairs. So (finally), here is my question. Is there a cartridge that will give me more bass energy than the helikon plus the good stuff the Helikon does well.

Another way to put it: What is a cartridge with proportionately more bass that also does all the other stuff really well?

I thank you (my neighbor probably will not). Jeff
jj2468
no bass energy with Helikon??
i used for a long time benz M.09 and when i changed it to Helikon the first thing came up is the energy almost like a CD player has!
Hey Jeff, Good taste in equipment. Have you played with loading the cartridge? I love the Benz because of the warmth but it should not be tons more bass than your Wadia. Both should be accurate with the Wadia being harsher and more foreword in the top end. Have you played a lot with VTA till your soundstage exploded?
There are more choices than this but the cartridge I heard that killed the Benz was the Clavus but I don't know if it will work well on your arm as it has no cantilever.
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All Benz cartridges have a FAT bloated mid-bass, lacking in extension down below .
>All Benz cartridges have a FAT bloated mid-bass, lacking in extension down below .<

What truck did you fall off? That's just plain stupid.

Oz
Nsgarch,
I'd consider paying more than what I did for the Helikon. Perhaps twice as much or so.
Elizabeth, you state:
A gun carrying crazed neighbor who wants you dead is no fun
Man, you must live in one tough ass neighborhood! Although every time some car passes playing "rap" and the bass is nothing but total muddled distortion [but hey...it's LOUD...so is your horn...but it's not music!] I have the urge to murder the woofers!

Rule of thumb...always take the GROUND floor in an apartment or condo!
You fell off something that's fer sure. And hit your head....HARD. I have owned Shelters, Ortofons, Grados, Dynavectors etc..... and I love my Benz L2. It may not be for everyone, but your description is ridiculous. It sounds nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like that.

Oz
Yes, in the future I will take the ground floor apartment.

As a point of clarification, she doesn't have a gun. Her revenge: she has a vacuum cleaner she likes to run at 4am or she likes to blast Tina Turner on her bookshelf speakers at 5am. No offense to Turner fans, but I'm not sure which is worse; the vacuum, Tina or the crap ass system she blasts it on. One time, she did drive her car really fast at me.

The fancy stands under my guarneri's do a remarkable job at decoupling the speakers from the floor, so I can get away with a little more bass, just so it's dispersed through the air and not just into the floor.

Jeff
I do admit myself that Benz is extra warm in the bass but I love them over all because in that price range there are a lot of thin sounding tables and arms ie. Rega and Clear Audio.

As for the thread leader, you could also put 2" thick marble all over your floor. LOL (Mass is the only thing that holds bass in)
This reminds me of the most satisfying audio upgrade I ever did: move from an apartment to a house.
Jeff, if she's blasting music at 5:00 AM, in most communities, that considered to be "disturbing the peace", if the sound is loud OUTSIDE the building. Most apartment leases have a clause prohibiting loud noises or music in the "wee hours". Driving her car at you may constitute "assault with a deadly weapon", which is a FELONY charge. Finally, since you live above her, get the urge to exercise at 1 or 2 am...preferably skipping rope, or "jumping jacks". Barbells and dumbbells can also "slip" and hit the floor...she'll get the message, whichever avenue you decide to pursue!