Was it problematic to find fully working original sample?
I use only original cartridges, all my FR and Ikeda are like new, fully original. I wouldn't do any rebuild of any special cartridges handcrafted by masters like Ikeda. I would rather find another original sample in mint condition if something wrong with those carts, but luckily mine are good.
If there anyone else who will rate Miyabi cartridges over FR-7f and Fz ? |
If you speak about Ikeda cantileverless yes it's difficult to get it as new. Mine CV had some distortion in left channel. Not much but after a while it was evident that I have to look for service. In Ikeda canleverless is you start to get distortion ussually it doesn't mean that diamond is worn it means that magnet gap is filled with debris and coils can't move freely. You have to keep your very records clean if you want to use it for a long time without worries. Cleaning isn't the service which changes sound or Ikeda ideas. Also Ikeda used quite tricky method to align coils and to void vobble of stylus but it can be adjusted quite fast if it is known what to do.
Em price in Yahoo japan was circa 200 eur so I was too curious not to try. This time it won't be easy as master will have to do new coil but for such peanuts it's worth to try. Diamond is good.
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@bukanova interesting, i know Nandric blame me, but my Ikeda 9 III still on the shelf along with FR64s + b60. I like the convenience of conventional cartridges like the FR7fz and Miyabi. It seems like cantileverless Ikeda is not so convenient? |
bukanona, the biggest worry of us both (my friend Don and I )
was if and where possible repair can be done. It is nice to have
two repair services. I will ask Don about the price of his repair
for comparison sake.
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Dear chakster, ''not so convenient?'' You should chose some other
hobby . Say stamp collection (grin).
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You should chose some other hobby . Say stamp collection (grin).
I already collect records |
If to sum up records not convenient at all. Takes too much place and if to use cantileverless better no wraps and they have to be clean.
Hard life. |
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just try to push it a little bit more - up to 2,3-2,5g. It will be OK for you and your records. |
bukanona, the new stylus for Ikeda's cantileverless 9 series
cost 278 GBP by ''Expert stylus''. If other repair possibilities
are available is unknown. But, as I already mentioned, the
owner of ''Expert stylus'' is good friend of the Decca owner
so, possibly, they can figure out what can be done.
BTW their own stylus is called ''Partrace'' an version of micro
ridge.
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Addition, I forget to mention the following. The stylus by Ikeda's
9 series cantileverless kinds are fastened in different way to their
''holder''. This means critical reg. stylus length. However ''Expert
stylus'' also produces styli and can cut them at the right length.
This may imply that other ''repair services'' can't provide the
right styli. To me the repair possibility is necessary pre condition
to buy any cart.
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That is good news, thank you Nandric, now I do have plan B.
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Yes , special for ''choose chakster'' . I am wondering why he
bought Ikeda 9c, III without insurance that the precious can
be repaired in the West? But he may think that provided the cart
is new or NOS it will function for the rest of his life.
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But he may think that provided the cart
is new or NOS it will function for the rest of his life.
No, i don't think there is any cart in my collection that i will use for the rest of my life, still searching for "my sound" and this is the reason to try so many. Each MC i compare to my best MM. |
Dear chakster, comparing apples with pears is curious business. |
The only way to understand is actually HEAR/USE the cartridges. I don’t want to change/swap cartridge or toneam utill i understand the sound character, the reason why some carts waiting in line. It’s the process, time consumming. I am stuck with Miyabi because it’s a pure pleasure to listen to it, so nice that i don’t even want to change anything. On the right side last night there was my Glanz 61 on EPA-100 and it was also great, but different. |
My Gosh what an romantic picture. If this picture say something
about you than I understand your problem. But there is this
prosaic saying : ''love make people blind''.
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I can't compare MM against Ikeda cartridges against MM -transient response and and fluency of orchestral passages is in another level.
Thus if MC cartridge is in pair with any MM/MI cartridge I am skipping it.
It's not limited to Ikeda - I like SPU Gold Reference especially for jazz vocals.
Also I have heard some prototypes MC frontcoil with electromagnet which was very special.
IMO if it's good cartridge MC has to be superior. Don't get me wrong - it's my opinion, it's subjective to my hearing apparatus :) |
IMO if it’s good cartridge MC has to be superior. Don’t get me wrong - it’s my opinion, it’s subjective to my hearing apparatus :) It depends on the choice of MM/MI, i don’t use ordinary MM cartridges at all, after a years on audiogon i realized that some people never tried a good MM and don’t know about certain models. I’ve mentioned convenience earlier, this is the goal of MM (when we have many spare styli with different profiles, different cantilevers). Actually MM/MI can be very good even compared to top MC. But anyway, i like both types (MM and MC) and it’s interesting. In my system i have two identical turntables with 2 tonearms on each turntable, so i can compare everything. FR-64fx with N60 and FR 7fz cartridge is always there in use. I do not listen to classical music as Nandric, jazz, funk and soul from the 60s/70s is what i listen to (mostly). |
Dear chakster, there was an thread about ''old school tonearms''
or similar. There are of course also ''old school gentlemen''.
Your kind of music was (back) then not considered as ''decent''.
Decent was only classical music with exception of national (folk) music. The excuse was of course patriotism.
Curious how ''decency'' can change as function of time. I got
so to speak an reproach in the sense ''those old people like only
classical music''. However those ''old scold'' regarded your kind
of music as noise not as music. Comparing funk with, say, Bach
is a kind of sacrilege. No wonder you like MM kinds (grin).
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However those ’’old scold’’ regarded your kind
of music as noise not as music. Comparing funk with, say, Bach
is a kind of sacrilege. No wonder you like MM kinds (grin). @nandric Impressionism in Art was considered as rubbish in the beginning, so what? Different strokes for different folks. I was working in Saint Petersburg Philharmonia for half year and was listening to classical music live on stage, not on the records. This is one of the best place for classical music in Russia. But my musical taste is different than yours, what’s the problem? My age is also way different. For me and for many others the 70’s is probably the best period of time for music in many genres, no matter is it rock (which i don’t like) or jazz-funk and soul. If i stuck in 20th century then where you’re, in the 18th century? P.S. I like both MM and MC cartridges, but i do not listen to classical music at all, sorry. I have Bach LP, local pressing from the 60's, never played it, the cover looks very nice :) |
Dear chakster, I was only teasing you. On the Balkan we have very
exciting folk music. It is more popular than classical or jazz.
But what do you mean with ''My age is also way different''?
I see that you admire many carts which I also admire. Those
are primary MC kinds but our consensus suggest no relation to
age (grin).
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Discovered an interesting sample of the Fidelity-Research FR-7f
The cartridge body is silver color just like older FR-7, but the model is FR-7F (which is normally black).
Silver body version of the FR-7f must be rare, probably from the first bunch with low serial numbers.
The difference is only color (since visually it's FR-7f) ?
Anyone ? |
Diggin’ deeper in Fidelity-Research products from the past I finally received the latest models. It’s MCX-3 designed by Ozawa-San for FR in the 80s, later in 86 Ozawa established Shelter. Look at the images of my NOS MCX-3 This New Old Stock sample has been stored for over 30 years and I’m a second owner. Opened the box yesterday, what a beauty! Some interesting facts from his webside: “Born in Tokyo Ozawa-San was fascinated from boyhood by the timbre of music instruments and started self-designing audio products to realize high fidelity sound reproduction. He designed many tube amplifiers when he was in junior high school age, and majored in electrical engineering at the university with aiming an amplifier designer, but he found the charm of analog pickup which can practice the whole design of sound reproduction that he imagines. In 1982 he joined Fidelity Research (FR) and started his career as a phono cartridge designer. He participated to design MC phono cartridges of MCX-3, MCX-5 and other products during his work at FIdelity-Research.” Few month ago I bought my first Shelter, it’s model 5000. Same style of packaging, very nice display case (similar to PMC-3, but bigger). So many great cartridges in the vaults now. I’m excited |
