From Benz to?

Sure, an Ortofon Windfeld Ti should do the trick and it will out track any benz. Top stylus, very quiet. 

i have spoken to quite a few cartridge dealers and most say that the LPS is one of the best all round cartridges - period. All said apparently the Audio Technica ART 1000 is a pretty impressive cartridge. cartridges are a real pain because you never get to try before you buy. Why not find a member called @syntax he has a huge cartridge collection and gives superb advice

"Sure, an Ortofon Windfeld Ti should do the trick and it will out track any benz. Top stylus, very quiet. "

FWIW The Benz won't track the torture tracks on the Hifi News test LP, but this doesn't seem to be  a problem with real world music.  Those vintage MMs I was trying out had no problem at all, nor did the Delos. That Windfield looks amazing.  I suppose "astonishing neutrality" is what I'm looking for.

"Audio Technica ART 1000..."

Good call, wasn't even thinking along the lines of AT.  I've heard very good things, but my Zestos Deluxe does 68dB max, would that be enough for 0.2mV?  Man I love thinking about cartridges more than anything else in audio.

About 7 years ago I was also looking for something different from the Benz LP. I tried the Ortofon Windfeld and never looked back. I would highly recommend that cartridge and yes 68db gain setting will work fine with 0.2mV 

After starting out with two Benz Glider SL's and then trying many different cartridge "houses" I ended up with a VdH Crimson Strad and a Lyra Etna Lamda. The Lyra is my favorite but I love the VdH too. I own a slew of Ortofons. I find them a bit boring and I actually prefer the Benz's. 

Was seriously considering the LPS last purchase but went with a Charisma Signature One. Never compared them but the Sig One is very fine indeed. By reports maybe a bit less warmth than the LPS but the treble on the Charisma is absolutely perfect in my system. About the same money.

I am running both a Benz variant, the Scheu-MC and a Zyx Universe. The Benz is nice and has a lot of jump factor, in terms of fine detail, spatial resolution and timbre the Zyx is clearly superior.

Third vote for a Winfield Ti.  After a Benz Ruby then a Ruby Z, I simply cannot believe how good the Ortofon is: beautiful tonality, extremely clean sound with  amazing tracking.

Very low output though, high gain phono required.

Good luck!

I still rate the LPS in the top 3 I have heard and would gladly live with one for the rest of my years..

I have a Benz LPS, and a number of other cartridges. I think you should look MY Sonic Lab cartridges (https://mysoniclab.com/)

The soundstage was larger, better retrieval of detail, and not bright, but not as warm as the Benz LPS.

How does someone shell out $5,000 for a cartridge and not notice how it is spelled. Windfeld is the last name of a guy named Per Windfeld who was an important guy at Ortofon 

I went from the Benz Ebony L to a Zyx 4D. As much as I liked the Benz, the 4D is an all around better/bigger sound. A little more lively but not in your face

Lots of good suggestions here, and lots of ways to blow through my bonus. : ) One aspect of the Benz LPS I enjoy is its "warmth" without obscuring detail, at least not overtly. The LPS is more detailed than my mid - fi(ish) digital setup (RME ADI-2) for example. I almost wish Benz had another model above the LPS! The Windfeld looks like a contender. On my Zestos, I think 68 db (+6 for balanced) will be enough for 0.2mV. Surprised at the Windfeld’s only ~25dB channel separation though, but I’d bet that is measurements only and doesn’t translate in sound.. The Zyx look great, measure well, but I’m a bit overwhelmed with the models they have. Some are above my pay range. In any case cartridges are one of those pricey purchases easily snuck in the house past the wife, so I’m willing to stretch a little. : )

I went from the Benz LP to a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua. I chose the Te Kaitora Rua at the suggestion of the technician at Goodwin's High End.  He said it would be more laid back than the other Dynavector models.   I enjoy the sound.  It is a little more detailed than the Benz so it goes well with the Spectral gear for me.

My set up is Eggleston Rosa speakers, Spectral monblocks and preamp, VPI Classic 3, and Southerland PhonoBlocks with lots of acoustical room treatment.

No one has mentioned the Koetsu line. Their Urushi line and up would be a nice replacement for the LPS MR. I wanted more resolution when i went from a Benz, so the Lyra Kleos was the answer, albeit requiring a much much more precise set up than the Benz to sound good.

"I went from the Benz LP to a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua."

I’m definitely interested in Dynavector, was thinking either Te Kaitora , or stretching a bit for the DRT XV-1s. Funky looking cartridges! I’ve never read anyone describe anything negative about upper level Dynavector.

"No one has mentioned the Koetsu line. Their Urushi line and up would be a nice replacement for the LPS MR."

I’ve lusted after the stone body Koetsus for years, mostly because of the way they look. Just gorgeous. Admittedly, I’ve never heard one in person. Do they sound and perform as good as they look, or is it all show?

"I wanted more resolution when i went from a Benz, so the Lyra Kleos was the answer"

I had the Delos for about a year before I went the Benz route. I suppose I didn’t have the Delos set up 100% correctly, cause I found its treble fatiguing. If I were to revisit Lyra, I’d probably just pony up and go for the Etna, and take the time tp properly set it up. The Delos definitely did track better than my Benz. That said, with the Benz LPS I forget its there and I just listen to music. My ideal cartridge would embody the balanced, effortless nature of the Benz, albeit with more detail retrieval. Thanks all for your suggestions, I’m actively looking at my next cartridge. Of course my dealer has suggested upper level Clearaudio MCs, I only have experience with the Concept MC. It was just OK.

@gakerty The Delos ( like all newer Lyra’s with the new angle technology) will sound bright and fatiguing in the treble if the set up is not 100% spot on. This is why we hear of folks leaving the Lyra line and naysaying their experience. IME, the Lyra’s are the most complex to set up, because loading also needs to be considered and will again off-set the performance if it is wrong. While i respect what JCarr has done with the designs, I would surmise that the precision required in set up has led a number of owners away from his brand.

The Koetsu's ( at least the one's i have heard) are not as resolving as the Lyra's, but they are very nice if you want a cartridge for the long term and just want their midrange beauty. I have NOT heard the very top models like the Coralstone, but I suspect they would have a family resemblance...like the Tiger Eye, which i have heard.

The new Etna Lambda, if in budget, would be a big step up over the LPS MR, again IME.

The Lyras are a pain to set up however once they are set up correctly, they sound great.  I had the same problem a few years back.

Lexus

Maybe you consider miyajima Kansui sweet & natural .

Have Gullwing SLR then kansui and now Rua . Pair well with my 3D VPI arm .

My dealer often plays his personal Benz LPS on an AMG turntable in his main demo room. It's a great cartridge as you know however, his alternate cartridge is the Clearaudio Stradivari v2 MC cartridge. Given your description of the sound you are looking for I think the Stradivari might be what you are looking for. I used and loved the Benz Ruby for many years but eventually moved on to the AMG Teatro when I upgraded my TT to a Clearaudio Performance DC. I love the sound of my system with the AMG but the Stradivari is tempting me to upgrade. Good Luck!

Don't overlook...EMT and My Sonic Lab. If the latter, you would want to consider the gold body carts. There is some info as to the differences on the MO-FI site. I have the TSD 75, and the Hyper Eminent. Both lean to the warm full bodied side of the spectrum. 

+1

fjn04

1,487 posts

03-23-2022 at 05:24pm 

Don't overlook...EMT and My Sonic Lab. If the latter, you would want to consider the gold body carts. There is some info as to the differences on the MO-FI site. I have the TSD 75, and the Hyper Eminent. Both lean to the warm full bodied side of the spectrum. 

OP

The LPS is unlikely to sound its best with the built-in SUT in your phono, or perhaps with any SUT with 20db gain. The Ebony L would be a better match.

@vusi_khumalo 

Interesting.  Why is that?  The Ebony L actually has a lower output (.26 mV) vs LPS (.34mV).  Or is the mismatch of the LPS + built in SUT due to something else entirely?

Impedance: 38 ohms

Not recommended for use with SUTs by Benz, however I believe one with 4-5 transformation ratio will work if the total (phono) gain is still in the mid 60s min.

@vusi_khumalo

Thanks, is it a general rule of thumb that cartridges with lower internal impedances are more optimally matched to SUTs than those with higher impedances? There is quite an impedance difference between the Ebony (~8ohms) vs the 38 ohms LPS. Never noticed that before. Still I’m impressed how well the LPs fares with the Zestos at 1000ohms (this is max for MC on the Zestos), even though this whole time I haven’t been running it optimally. I think it’s pretty obvious I’m a set it and forget it sort of guy and probably should look into this a bit more...

1. Lots has been written about LPS | SUT mismatching/incompability, you may Google...

2. I doubt XV1-S can touch Ebony L in performance, and since you like the LPS then L will sound similar but better with your phono.

3. Consider demoing & buying an ’active’ phono and keeping the LPS.

4. The Ebony L costs $2k NIB for the last few years from a seller on Audiigon, all carts that may better its performance cost much more than that.

Personally, I preferred an XV-1S to the LPS. I found the LPS very coloured with a very distinctive voicing. The XV-1S is still on the warmer side of neutral but is faster and more dynamic, and less coloured. It also matches well with an SUT.

But like others earlier in the thread, I sold my LPS and XV-1S (and my earlier Lyras - Delos and Etna SL) and went in the direction of Ortofon. I have the Cadenza Black, Bronze, Windfeld Ti and Jubilee. All are great, the best tracking cartridges I have used, without the colourations of the wood bodied cartridges, neutral and yet musical and dynamic. The Windfeld Ti is excellent if your phono stage can cope with the very low output. But personally, my favourite is  the older MC Jubilee, which I bought new from Ortofon last year as part of their "Treasure Trove" release of re-built cartridges.

FWIW The LPS sounds much better through the Zestos vs the active SS Pass XP15 that preceded it but that may be a function of how well the Zestos is designed, and its tubes.  Thanks to all for your suggestions!

I too like Ortofon Cartridges, there is a family sound and the Jubilee and Windfeld are both Flagship models and have been the Cart's with proportions of their technologies that have trickled down to the Kontrapunkt and Cadenza ranges.

The Windfeld Ti is a little on its own, as it has not got a range born from it, but I am hoping the Verismo, with new technologies on board, might end up with a trickle down range to share proportions of the used technologies, maybe the Cantata Range is to be released to the masses.

I also am familiar with a Miyajima Cartridge used on a Glanz Arm in a friends system, I am always very impressed with this set up, recently when demonstrated with a perfect matched SUT, the ease of the presentation along with the usual qualities was mind bogglingly good.