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Fremer's review of the Anna cartridge

Fremer reviews the $8499 cartridge very positively, but it takes three different samples of the cartridge for him to get there. The first sample exhibited "an incompatibility between the adhesives used and the elastomer of which the cartridge's damper is made." Fremer notes "[e]vidently, however, this problem didn't affect every Anna that left the factory." Wow, what a relief. In the second sample, apparently "some the glue that secures the stylus in the cantilever had dripped." The third sample, after 100 hrs of break-in finally delivered. Fremer suggests buying and using an USB microscope as part of the cartridge buying process.

Does anyone else think this is absolutely nuts? It seems to me, at this price level, every single cartridge should be absolutely perfect. Haven't Ortofon heard of quality control? This also applies to Lyra whose $9500 Atlas cartridge had the stylus affixed to the cantilever at an angle that made it virtually impossible to get the SRA of 92 degrees.
actusreus
syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
... doesn't reflect the actual cost to the manufacturer of that repair. That's why SoundSmith and many others can do the same repair for much fewer dollars. The manufacturer is counting on audiophilia nervosa to drive the consumer back to him no matter what the cost.

The manufacturers get the same money. The difference is the mark up for the Importer and the Dealer. Both want money for writing a new address and buying some stamps for shipping.
sarcher30
596 posts
 
Thanks Raul, It's interesting to read how people do their setup. I've got a good system down that works for me but I'm always willing to learn something new. Cheers.
blammy
8 posts
 
Dear syntax / Thomas,

That's not always true. I have asked the German distributor and also Soundsmith directly for a for a replacement cantilever for my StrainGauge. There was no price difference including import sales tax and p&p.
ebm
9,311 posts
 
This cartridge is a big turkey!!
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,218 posts
 
I read the review and thought it was good reporting. Fremer clearly outlined all the problems he had with the product and gave a description of what he heard. I would catergorize the comments in this thread about price, cost to retip and cartridge life as besides the point. This is a cutting edge product reaching for state of the art performance and either you can afford it or you can't.

Ortofon is probably the largest cartridge manufacturer in the world. I applaud Ortofon for trying to advance vinyl performance. The cutting edge has never been plug in and play.
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