2. analog
  3. 181217-111416

Grace F-9E

After reading a lot of rave reviews of the Grace F-9 cartridge, I've decided to get me one. Those are quite rare, since they were made back in the 1970s (and were discontinued in 1989). I managed to purchase a used one, but upon receiving it, realized that it did not come with the original stylus. It came with a cheap bog spherical stylus. Nevertheless, the cart performed really well and easily surpassed both my Denon DL-103 re-tipped with micro ridge stylus on boron cantilever, and my Empire EDR9 carts.

Needless to say, I was mighty intrigued -- how is it possible that a moving magnet cartridge with $10.00 spherical stylus sounds so much better than a moving coil cartridge with micro ridge stylus on boron cantilever?

So, I started looking for the stylus replacement for my Grace F-9. I couldn't find a suitable one, however I lucked out and found another used Grace F-9 cartridge, but that one was fitted with the F-14E stylus. I ordered it, and when I got it and installed it, I was startled by the way it sounds.

This cartridge completely transformed the sound of my stereo. I've never heard anything like the sound that Grace F-9 with F-14E stylus produces. It is shockingly alive. Full of energy, the instruments and voices leap out of speakers. The dynamics are otherworldly. Often times startling.

This cartridge excels both in vivacious and engrossing sound, as well as in delicate and intricate presentation. Plus it throws an amazing soundstage.

What is the secret sauce that makes this cartridge stand out?

crazybookman

Showing 2 responses by wrm57

wrm57
988 posts
 

I picked up a NOS NIB F9e a few years ago and quickly replaced the stylus with the Soundsmith TOL, which I found superior to the decades-old, if unused, original. To my ears it needed to load at 100k for best results. Grace apparently thought the same; the included spec sheet had all measurements at 100k. I really liked it.

To my surprise, a year or so later I found NOS NIB F14 body on eBay from a Japanese seller. No stylus; they actually sold them this way. Using the same SS stylus, I preferred it to the F9, which I quickly sold. The F14 is more coherent, tonally realistic, and balanced top to bottom to my ears. There’s a winning rightness about it that holds its own against my much pricier MCs. The main differences from the F9, from what I’ve been able to glean, are a lower internal impedance—fewer windings or something—and improved wire. Loading at 47k is perfect. Still, the F9 is a terrific cart, and a great reminder of how good vintage MMs could be.

wrm57
988 posts
 

@lewm , understood about about the universally high internal impedance of MM carts. My point about the F14 having a lower impedance was speculation about why it sounds best at 47K while my F9 was best at 100K, not so much about why it sounds better than the F9. I’m extrapolating, perhaps erroneously, from the MC world, where lower DCR typical works better with lower loading.

The source of the idea about the F14 having a lower internal impedance is a web posting I read somewhere when I was researching the F14 before purchase. Some techie user picked one up and tested its impedance, finding it quite a bit lower than the F9 (though still high).

As for the superiority of the F14 stylus, that might well be but as I said, mine came with no stylus--packaged and sold by Grace as "Body Only"--and all my experience has been with the top SoundSmith F9 assembly. The F14 lit that came with the body implied that the styli are interchangeable between the models.

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