This model might be different from the older Glanz MFG 61, but i'm sure it's better than all others and it looks close to my MFG 61 which is fantastic cartridge.
GLANZ MFG 610LX
I have been searching for this uber rare GLANZ cartridge since mid 80´s as I missed my opportunity to purchase one when it was for sale back in the day. I knew its reputation as one of finest cartridges available but I just missed it, young and foolish I was. In the same price category, I bought SHURE V-15V-MR instead.
Now thirty years later I owe one, NOS found in a barren town near the Arctic Circle. It sounds just fantastic out of the box. I am very lucky as this model is so seriously rare.
Now thirty years later I owe one, NOS found in a barren town near the Arctic Circle. It sounds just fantastic out of the box. I am very lucky as this model is so seriously rare.
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It’s on ebay right now along with many other glanz and astatic cartridges (NOS) from the same seller. He’s got multiply stock and actually it’s on ebay for a long time (unsold). So the hype is over? 61 is the best Glanz so far, special stylus tip and cantilever material makes this model superior over the others. I've noticed that Mitachi made their cartridges even for Jamo and they are branded Jamo. |
My adventures in the land of snow and ice are quite different to another seeker´s, my dear old friend. Long ago in the Russian hills, near the Arctic Tundra, a famous pole explorer Father Tiresias found the regal Hogweed by a marsh. He captured it and brought it home. But that is another story, and not quite a happy one like mine. The old man from whom I acquired the cartridge said " We must keep this place in secret", and he gave me his last spare cartridge and vanished into snow flurry. I will never reveal his hiding place. Oh yes, I have known that Japanese site for a long time but I´m not quite sure if it´s a true NOS. That´s why I bought a genuine one. Anyway, whatever the case, I strongly advice to grab on those while they are available. |
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I have a sneaky suspision all those come from one Jap seller on ebay. Grabbed an Esoter and Victor X-1 from him, both crispy brand new. Esoter is nice sounding cart can tell you honestly. Have not too fundamental knowledge to qualify it as there are so many Glanz/Astatic line-ups, maybe it is equivalent to G-40 (?) or maybe MF300(??) I tested G-40EX which he has listed recently (with blue stylus plastic), it sounded supersonic. Esoter is on par with G-40 to my ears. Last month the same seller sold Glanz G-40 which had a yellow stylus plastic and carried no letter abbreviation after '40'. If anyone knows difference between G-40EX and G-40 please respond. No info around the Web. |
@hymanroath none of these cartridges are close to the Glanz 61, because the cantilever and stylus tip on 61 is absolutely different. I’ve owned all of them, when i received Glanz 31L i was very impressed, this model is equal to Astatic MF-200, then i’ve managed to get Glanz 71L which is equal to Astatic MF-100. Those two comes with Line Contact stylus and you can find so many feedbacks about Glanz from audiogon members: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/glanz-moving-magnet-cartridges But the Glanz 61 kills them all, this cartridge compete with the best of the best (MMs and MCs), so much details, ultimate highs and deep bass, absolutely amazing cartridge and super rare, never turns up for sale! I’m not sure the Glanz 610LX is equal to the rare MFG-61 model. I have two Victor X-1 and Victor X1II - they are great cartridges! The Azzurra Esoter comes with spherical/conical stulus and that’s why it is not expensive, but the MF generator is the same on all Glanz models, it’s is probably equal to Astatic MF-300 or MF-400. But Azurra is unknown and that’s why it’s cheaper than Astatic or Glanz. I got one as a present from Nandric last year, i have tested it and i was impressed, mainly because it’s easy to re-cantilever and te-rip them in Germany by Axel to upgrade this cartridge to another level! Axel can easity repair suspension as well (just for about 60 euro, i did it once with my NOS Glanz 71L). Then i managed to find more sampes of Azzurra in original boxes with manuals, but not from Japan (japanese guy selling them without boxes and without manual, unfortunately). Anyway they are great for radio broadcast and for professional use, conical tip is less fuzzy to tonearm/cartridge settings. Here is what i know about Azzurra Esoter Limited Editon series of the MF cartridges: In 1983 Italian yacht Azzurra from Sardinia won Louis Vuitton Cup held in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The City of Newport is located approximately 119 km south of Boston. Azzurra, skippered by Mauro Pelaschier (Yacht Club Costa Smeralda), came 3rd in that competition. The original Azzurra team won 24 of 49 races and developed a large and loyal following in Italy. The largest high-end distributor in Italy (Giancarlo Bonetti) teamed up with Japanese Mitachi Corporation in the 80’s to released a dedicated custom made phono cartridge called Azzurra Esoter! The Moving Flux generator, patented by Mitachi Corporation, has been successfuly used before in Japanese high-end cartridges under the Glanz brand. Those revolutionary MF systems brings together the advantages of the MC and MM technologies. In fact, while behaving sonically as a Moving Coil, its output voltage of 3.5 mV did not require the use of a step-up transformers or high gain. Azzurra Esoter is a mid compliance cartridge, tracks well at 1.75g, comes with a very well polished conical stylus tip. The sound is warm, lush and seductive with its unique Moving Flux signal generator. |
@ Chakster, dears, i am going to build a reference turntable but using vintage items only... I bought a SME3009 IIIs tonearm and a great piece of black granite .. needs the motor and plate.. I went in the deposit where I know there is a boxed blaupunkt turntable of my father.. very heavy... looking enough strong mechanic with quartz controlled speed.. I have performed general cleaning and I found a GLANZ MFG 61 cartridge with violet stylus named HAH.. I tried to find something on internet but nothing... inthe meantime I plug the turntable into the system (pre-phono Teac, pre-amplifier AM Audio, Amplifer CHORD and ESS AMT Monitor ... start playing .. YENTL by Barbara Streisand... volume very low (it’s very late and family is sleeping)....WOW and WOW and WOW !!!!!!!! And again WOW !!! I cannot believe what I am listening... now is playing Beautiful Blue Danube ... it’s wery dynamic, low noise, speedy, clear.. all instruments at right place and equal presence... the 3D scene is something “real”.. I have Stanton 881S on Luxman PD 264 (MicroSeiki tonearm) and Shure V15 mk III on Technics SL 1400.. beautiful cartridges... but very far away from this GLANZ! It’s another word! I’m really impressed... so I insist to find something on Internet and I found this forum ... happy to see that there are other happy owners of this fantastic cartridge ... I need specs, manual.. some one could help me please? For sure I have now the reference cartridge for my DIY reference turntable !!! Thanks papa’ for This gift I found 26 years after you gone .. smile 😃 |
@lartecafe Fantastic, lucky you! You've god the best cartridge Mitachi ever made, extremely rare and expensive Moving Flux pickup with nude parabolic stylus tip on Boron (or Beryllium) cantilever. And you got it for free, i've got my Azzurra *by Mitachi) from our member Nandric also for free, but it's entry level, you've got the top of the line model. BTW by Glanz MF-61 also came from Germany, but without any docs, so i don't have the manual. You dad did the right choice! |
Yeah, they are still on ebay from the japanese seller along with a few lower, but also nice and relatively cheap Glanz (New Old Stock) models. Great price for MFG-610LX ! Everyone can try a decent Moving Flux cart with Boron Cantilever and Line Contact stylus (from the 80s). Glanz is killing your Nagaoka MP500, new Audio-Technica MMs, new Garrott and many other modern MM cartridges of any price. For about $400 is a steal ! Then we can talk about it here. |
The chart in the pictures of this listing shows the Glanz MFG 610lx, one step below the Glanz 71l https://www.classicaudio.fi/product/glanz-mfg-610lx/76/ |
In the good old times when we discussed only 3 Glanz ''versions'' which I was also able to remember I was one of the ''experts'' regarding this ''brand''. Alas the nomenclature moved in the AT direction so while I still own MF 31l and MF 71 l I have no idea what they are worth at present. I must also confess that I sold my MF 61 because of hum. Back then there was just one member who ''pretended'' to own one. If this MFG 610LX is ''one step below 71 L'' I have no reason to panic. Qua cartridge collection I am still ''one step above'' chakster. |
@acman3 The chart in the pictures of this listing shows the Glanz MFG 610lx, one step below the Glanz 71l No, it’s 10 steps ahead, look at the cantilevers (Boron vs. Aluminum). 71 has Line Contact stylus, 61 and 610LX have Parabolic stylus, lower mass etc. I have owned MFG-71, even MFG-31 is better, but the MFG-610LX has unique cantilever and unique stylus tip, i think this model is very close to the MF-61 which i have. You can search for some other users comments regarding the Glanz 61 on audiogon, you will see this is way different from any other Glanz or Astatic (or anything Made by Mitachi). Here is my 61 and 71: https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10570339_1205709682780530_1387528252583949179_n.jpg?_n... |
Chakster, I have never heard the Glanz Cartridges in question, so I am going from the chart I provided. The 71l has a slightly higher channel separation than the 610lx, which normally dictates the better cartridge. Also Frequency response deviation is tighter on the 71l versus the 610lx They both show to have the same solid diamond line contact stylus. I wish we could see the rest of the chart. I was wondering where did you learned the MFG 71L was aluminum and the 610lx was boron? Could they have been modified? Anyway, I am sure both are great, just found that chart and wanted to add it to the conversation, so we might get some of this convoluted Glanz/Astatic information correct before we die and our wives through them out. :) |
@acman3 I’ve learned everything by buyin all of them, the 71L has huge aluminum cantilever, the 31L has conventional aluminum cantilever, actually ALL Glanz and Astatic comes with aluminum cantileevers, except ONE model - the Glanz MFG-61 (extremely rare, went for 1500 pounds about 5 years ago). It is not modified, it’s the original top of the line Glanz cartridge that has no analog in Astatic line. That’s why it’s such a great cartridge. The MFG-61 has Paroc stylus, it is also line contact type, but special. The cantilever is Boron. As i said earlier the 610LX is not exactly like the earlier 61 model which i’m talking about as the reference. But 610LX looks closer to 61 than any other Glanz. And you will not find the 61 in that chart (manual). What you can do is to look on ebay for 610LX pictures of the cantilever and then look at any other Glanz/Astatic cantilevers. All of them comes with conventional aluminum cantilever like this The only difference is the lower models are not nude (the diamonds). If you think the 71L is better go and buy it, but 610LX has better cantilever (maybe Beryllium or Boron), i’ve bought my 71L NOS, it was shipped to Axel to change the damper only, the cantilever was intact. You will find Glanz thread on audiogon to find more information. 71L and 61 is day and night in terms of sound, materials and price! To make the story short: the best Glanz ever made is MF-61 with Boron Cantilever and Paroc nude diamond. |
Dear chakster, Your basic premise is obviously that boron is ''better material'' for the cantilevers than ''aluminum'''. What if your premisse is not true? The most aluminum cantilevers are actually ''alloy''; usually with magnesium. Then the advantage of aluminum is that the stylus can be pressure fitted . In all so called ''exotic materials'' the stylus need to be glued. So there is glue between stylus and cantilever. Pressure fitted styli have more rigid connection with the cantilever. Then you own FR- 7f with aluminum cantilever which you seem to like very much. Takeda san used aluminum for his Miyabi. Ikeda used aluminum for the most of his cartridges. Andreoli used aluminum for his Magic Diamond (+ other carts) while lately ''our own'' Dertonarm used aluminum for his Archon, Aiwon and Palladian. In my own ''modest'' collection FR-7fz, Magic Diamond, Miyabi and Archon belong to my ''best'' next to Allaerts MC2, Benz LP mr, Urushi Blue Sky , Ikeda 9C , Transfiguration Phoenix and ZYX Airy 3-X. |
@nandric i’m talking about this particular Glanz MFG-61 cartridge with Boron cantilever and Parabolic stylus and all other Glanz cartridges with Aluminum cantilevers and Line Contact styli that i have tried. If all those Glanz have more or less similar sound, the 61’s model sound is completely different (much more refined on both ends). Now you can look at the Glanz MFG 610LX model here If you think there is a big amount of glue let me know. As i can see the nude LineContact diamond has been mounted using laser with minimum amount of glue, remember technics hollow pipe boron cantilevers with nude diamonds fitted almost like with the aluminum? It’s all about tip mass, the lower is better. Yes, the Ikeda’s cartridge sounds good with LineContact diamonds on Aluminum cantilever, but FR-7f generator is LOMC AIR CORE and i don’t see any single reason why should i compare this and that ? |
I assume after you will compare it to Astatic and Azzura these two will collect dust or will be for sale soon. Go for it, it’s the best Moving Flux available today. The MFG-61 (not 610) is still doing well after 5 years. Rarely used, but very nice |