f9e or original with fine line stylus by peter lederman is still one of my all time faves... am hoarding several still (even though i hardly turn on the analog rig anymore) :(
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?
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@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. |
You cannot modify cartridge inductance. And if you could, you’d do it to the cartridge not the phono stage. Fret less, listen and enjoy more. Likewise for loading an MC cartridge. If you stick to the 10X or greater rule (load R is at least 10X the internal R of the cartridge), any load R that lies in that domain of values has little effect in SQ, if any. |
One of the reasons I started experimenting with moving magnet and moving iron cartridges is that they seem less fiddly with regards to impedance loading. I was having hell of a time trying to find proper impedance load for moving coil carts. I even purchased Lehmann Audio Decade phono preamp because it has the ability to let users custom load the impedance. Alas, I did not realize when I was buying it (online) that I would have to unscrew the body and open it up to be able to access the slots for the resistors. Too cumbersome and inconvenient. So I kind of gave up on that. With Empire and Grace, at least I don't need to worry about that issue. But since I'm using Dynaco PAS-4 tube phono stage, I have no idea how would I modify the inductance? Or even if that modification is needed? |
wrm, internal impedance of an MM is always very high. So too is inductance, which is typically the difference between less than 50 micro-Henries (for MC) and hundreds of milli-Henries (for MM), i.e., as much as or more than 10,000X. So I doubt that internal impedance is much of a factor in any SQ differences among the various Grace MM cartridges. But I take your testimony to the superiority of the F14 as valid. One reason the F14 Level II may be "special" is its use of a more advanced stylus shape compared to the Ruby or F9E, namely a microridge or line contact (I think Chakster mentioned microridge) vs an elliptical. That may account more than anything else for the SQ differences. For that reason, I wonder how the F14II would compare to a Ruby with the SS line contact stylus. (Mine actually has the OCL version from SS.) |
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. |
FWIW, Soundsmith make a complete replacement stylus and cantilever assembly for the Grace Ruby cartridge, which was naught but an F9E with a sapphire or ruby cantilever. Best of all, the SS product comes with one of their line contact styli, which should (and does) surpass the performance of the OEM elliptical. This is my opinion, but I can back it up by the fact I own two Grace Ruby cartridges, one OEM and one with the SS replacement stylus. Both are superb but the SS version is best with better treble extension and a cleaner midrange. And yes, this cartridge will blow away many MC cartridges that are adored here. The F14 is good too, based on the testimony of the now absent Chakster. I have not heard an F14 |
@crazybookman Soundsmith makes a replacement stylus for the F-9 FYI |