I have a $250K stereo system that I never play because I don't want it to wear out. I just look at it admiringly while listening to my Bose Wave radio.
Do You Play Or Save Your Best Cartridges
I suspect I am like many here, I have a small collection of cartridges. Until recently I would keep a casual playing cartridge set up and I would save my "good" cartridges for evening listening sessions where I am focusing on listening to music at the listening chair. I always had a casual cartridge mounted on an arm, maybe an Audio Technica OC9 III or something along those lines. These days its either an Ortofon MC3000 II or MC5000.
Earlier this year I finally decided to use the DAC in my Trinov pre amp, and this involved getting a subscription to Roon, and hardwiring the computer and preamp to the router with CAT 6 ethernet cable. The sound is remarkably good, to the point where this can easily be my casual listening format.
I almost wonder if its necessary to have a casual cartridge. Or should I just play my best ones as often as I want and bite the bullet and know I am getting a new diamond fitted every few years.
Anyone else go through this kind of decision process?
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As many others in this thread have said, you should just pick the best one you have and play it. Then if you like it and it wears out then just get a new stylus or get a new one. The only reason I might need more than one cartridge is if I spent a lot of time listening to old mono recordings, then I might want a stereo one and a mono one. I would tend to keep one tonearm though and just have a different head with the cart on it. That's probably a moot point though as stereo listening is 99% of what I do. Pick one, sell off the others, and listen away. |
Yes, but our own auditory equipment is deteriorating daily. I'm with @mulveling on this - use your best until you discover something better. |
@macg19 of course it is. Although diminishing returns must play a role. Our ears can only do so much for us. I tend to think that there is a price point where you get the best return for a given media and room size ("normal people's" room) |
@grislybutter Absolutely. I am fortunate that I have a decent job, no kids and a wife that is reasonably understanding about my obsession. Some folks here have speakers that cost way more than my entire system so I guess it's all relative:) |
I don't have a removable head shell, but if I did, I would not be swapping out carts. Streaming is what I go to for casual listening.
They do. But the upgrades are pricy. I went from an AT33ev ($450) to Hana ML ($1200) to Aidas CU Multicolor ($4,350). All huge differences, I'd buy another Aidas in a heartbeat but they re-tip/rebuild so hopefully I dont have to. |
I am sparing when it comes to enjoying my London Decca Reference and Jubilee. John Wright has retired, and the new owner of his business is an unknown quantity. I got essentially nowhere asking if the Jubilee could be converted to mono (something John did all the time). However, reports of rebuilt cartridges are beginning to come out and the owners are happy. All the same, I enjoy my mounted Reference once a day. The Jubilee is waiting as a backup. After the first LP of the day, the rest get played on other cartridges. |
I have a Cartridge Keeper with a selection of Cart's ranging from Ceramic, MM, HOMC and LOMC. I have a few LOMC Cart's still remaining on Tonearms>TT's infrequently used. I have collected Cart's with a shortish user life for R&D Purposes. These are available to be used in conjunction with owned Cart's by others, from the Same Brand and Same Model. This is for the purpose of A/B Comparison of equipment, where a Cart's change over is not desired during the demonstration, this improves the experience when comparing, when two very closely mimicking Cart's are mounted. I also have a few Cart's that are destined to be Donor Models for a rebuild design, that I have agreed with Third Party Service Technicians to be undertaken. These are the ones I enjoy the most, there is a lot to be discovered, by bringing a material into use not commonly found in the mainstream today. A skilled Technician also gets fired up and quite creative when the challenge is presented. |
After an extended session of finding out why one speaker wasn't sounding quite right, I listeneed to my vinyl again for the first time in a while. I have my Zu Denon 103R still mounted, and with the new (to me) Herron phono stage in the system, I've been surprised at just how good the Denon sounds. It does, though, have the ESCCO cantilever mods, but it really sounds good. I listened last night to Chick Corea Plays Wonder, Chopin, Scarlatti, etc. It sounded so good, I just relaxed completely, turned off the lights, and ejoyed music more than I have in some time. Happy days at Danville! Regards, Dan
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I only own one cartridge at a time. Investing in the very best I can afford. But, then don’t spin vinyl that much… maybe one a day. I now listen to streaming most of the time.
However, since you started streaming. If you dedicate some money and effort to your streaming it can sound as good or better. Might be a good long term strategy… then nothing to wear out. |
The last couple of years I work from home, so I am able to listen to the stereo for 1.5 hours to 2 hours before work starts, and as a general rule 2 to 3 hours in the evening. So that is 3.5 to 5 hours a day. That adds up to a lot of time on a cartridge in years period. In the past I would play vinyl in the morning, but the digital is so good I can use it for morning play. That way I am looking at about 2 hours a night on vinyl. That is still 700 hours a year on a cartridge or a bit more. So that is 2 years on a diamond as a rule of thumb before it is out for service. I could rotate between two of my best cartridges on one table if i really wanted to. But I do have a second table with two arms, and one cartridge is currently installed on each table, with a third arm on the second table in which I keep a third cartridge. As I was thinking about this process, I believe I have sussed out my solution. I have two Ortofon MC2000 cartridges, one with OEM cantilever the second I damaged last year. It has been fitted with a boron cantilever and diamond. Sounds quite nice actually. I think I will set the arm up for the OEM MC2000 and then also install the second cartridge on a different headshell. I wont change VTA settings but rather have that one as the casual cartridge, That way I don’t have to change SUT or anything else. That should be good enough for a casual cartridge, and meet my desire for good sound. A slight VTA variacne isnt going to be the end of the world. Who knows perhaps if I pick the right thickness of headshell everything will line up without any issues. |
I have a strong tendency to hoard while saving the "best" for later. However, with cartridges and vinyl that rather defeats the purpose of having them in the first place. So in fact my best cartridge (Blue Lace) on my best arm (FR64S) gets the most play time. On the 2nd arm I rotate though many other MC cartridges, where no one cartridge (including other Koetsus) has emerged as a definitive #2. I keep looking for that other cart which will match the Blue Lace’s enjoyability factor - and that certainly is possible in the short term (a sonic flavor change is always refreshing) - but getting this to stick in the long run remains elusive. That said if you have OOP / NOS cartridges in your collection, that would certainly increase the instinct to "save it for later". |
