From Cadenza Black to A95...
I recently acquired an Ortofon A95 cartridge to replace my Ortofon Cadenza Black. I wasn't in the market for a new cartridge. In fact, the CB is a great sounding cart that I have been very much enjoying. The CB has a clean and open presentation that reveals the music in the grooves with confidence and clarity while being on the slightly more revealing side of neutral. (It is the yin to the Cadenza Bronze's slightly warmish yang.) I've been very satisfied with the CB to the extent that I haven't seriously thought about replacing it until now. So why the change? Well, I came upon a screaming deal for the A95 that was just too good to pass on. (By the way, feel free to skip down to the Listening Impressions sections below if you just want the summary.)
After having heard the A95 is various setups over the years (particularly those with VPI turntables), reading the very well written reviews by Andre Jennings (Absolute Sound) and Myles Astor (Positive Feedback), and knowing Ortofon cartridges to be consistently strong performers across the board, I decided to take the plunge. My vinyl rig consists of a VPI Classic 3 turntable with Classic 3 tonearm------> Nordost Valhalla tonearm cable terminated with XLR connections on both ends------> ASR Basis Exclusive phono preamp. Wireworld Gold Eclipse XLR interconnects lead out from the ASR to the linestage. The VPI Classic 3 (now called Classic Signature) is known to be a bold and assertive table. I've read it described as the "American muscle car of turntables," which I think is an apt description. So I had a slight concern that combining the A95 with it might be too much of a good thing. Otherwise, I was eager to get the A95 in my system and hear what more than twice the MSRP ($2,730 vs. $6,500) would give me from an Ortofon perspective.
Though I've done some cartridge installation with lesser cartridges before, I decided to have the A95 professionally installed by Scott Dalzell at Viva Hifi here in the DC area. Initially, I decided on a VTF of 2.38 during the break-in stage of about 50 hours or so. I loaded the cartridge at 95 ohms, just shy of the recommended 100.
Music: While I listened to a lot of different music during this time, I particularly listened to the following for setup and evaluation--
1) The Stanley Clarke Trio (with Hiromi and Lenny White)- Jazz In the Garden; tracks: Isotope, Bass Folk Song No. 5 & 6.
* Chosen to test bass response and groove distortion. This Heads Up (Telarc) pressing exhibits quite a bit of groove distortion with the CB.
2) Laurel Masse- Alone Together; tracks: Alone Together, Body and Soul.
* Chosen for female voice and tracking ability. The spindle hole is off-center, so the record does not rotate symmetrically.
3) Loose Ends- Zagora; tracks: the entire album.
* 80s electronica-funk dance music with very high musicianship. Chosen to test ability to image while holding the musical portrait together.
4) Thad Jones- The Magnificent Thad Jones; tracks April in Paris, Billie-Doo.
* Chosen to test ability on mono recordings.
5) Gregory Porter- Liquid Spirit; tracks: I Fall In Love Too Easily, Time is Ticking, Water Under Bridges (Rubato Version).
* Chosen to test how black the background is during quiet passages.
Initial listening impressions: Wow! While I expected some improvement, I didn't expect this much and certainly not so immediately! As I said above, the CB is a great cartridge, but the A95 is substantially better is every way you can measure. It presents a wider and deeper soundstage (not an easy thing in my 11.5' x 19.5' x 8' room), it images better, micro-dynamics are presented with more clarity and ease, and the entire presentation has more body and presence. And this was what I heard from the very beginning! In particular, the A95's assured presentation of spacial cues improved the overall flow of the music. If I was to use one word to characterize the A95, it would be dynamic. Although it plays softer and quieter music with finesse when called upon, this is not a cart for those who want a laid-back presentation. The one (minor) criticism of the A95 in the early hours of break-in was that if anything it was too bold at times with certain albums, but I attributed some of that to the initial gain setting in the ASR (66db) and the slightly heavy initial VTF. Since I'm running balanced from the cartridge all the way through to the amps (the ASR phono pre is designed to operate that way) and my Cary SLP-05 is a high gain preamp, I could back off the gain despite the A95's 0.2 output voltage. After some tinkering, I eventually set it at 52db, which was much more ideal in my system.
After 50 hours or so: At this point, the VTF was adjusted to 2.26. That adjustment removed any remaining over-aggressiveness that the A95 had displayed during the first 20-30 hours of play. The music is now presented with a more self-assured ease without losing any of the dynamics or weight. The bass is more articulate. And micro-details and spacial cues are not spotlit or presented in a show-off manner (not that they were before), but as part of the musical whole that just flows better. The CB certainly does not produce a flat presentation, but with the A95 the music is just fuller and therefore more realistic sounding.
To put it in another context, the A95 is the first component that I have changed within the same brand that improves upon the previous component in every way possible. I've had 3 previous Cary preamps before the SLP-05, 2 previous pairs of Martin Logan speakers, and 2 previous Cary DACs/Disc players. None of my current successors comprehensively improved upon those previous components like the A95 does compared to the CB. Even the SLP-05, an all-time great tube preamp, only equals the bass slam of the SLP-2002. The CB is an exceptional major leaguer that is an occasional All-Star. The A95 is a perennial All-Star that will receive strong HOF consideration when all is said and done. I'll post more listening impressions after 100 hours or so, but make no mistake, it has already exceeded my expectations. Ortofon has hit a grand slam with the A95.
