Have you heard the Goldring Ethos Cartridge?

The Goldring cartridges I have heard have been surprisingly good and I see no reason this one should not be excellent. It has a great stylus, a powerful magnet and a low internal impedance. Reviews are positive across the board. It is also a great cartridge for those contemplating a transimpedance phono stage. It may be the best value in a low impedance cartridge. The others I know are $5000 plus. I would not hesitate to buy one. I was seriously considering the 2500 which is a high output moving iron cartridge. But I am also planning on getting a Channel D Lino C which is a transimpedance phono stage and the Ethos would be a strong consideration.

Thank you!

Yes, I had a Goldring years ago on a Roksan turntable.  It was spectacular for the money.  I'm wondering if this cartridge can really compete with carts in the $2-3k range.  My sense is it can. 

I have an Ethos.  It betters the EAT Jo No. 5 (which I really like) in resolution and dynamics in my system.  It's the first Goldring cartridge I have owned and so far I'm pretty happy.

Bill

I'm wondering if this cartridge can really compete with carts in the $2-3k range.  My sense is it can.

Then you have to compare it to make sure. 
In $2-3k range you can find absolutely amazing cartridges (old and new) with some unique features, materials, design. 

Yes Chakster, that’s the way to do it. Problem is carts are tough to audition. We always take a leap of faith.  

Thank you WBS. that is helpful!

The Ethos is good value for money. It has a good balance of resolving details but still being musical. I use it to listen to Classical Violin Music and Mainstream. It will not have the resolving power, dynamics  and depth of stage like a Lyra Kleos and will not be as expressive as a Benz Gullwing in Jazz. 
If I only had 1 Cartridge to choose from the Ethos would be high on the list because its a very good allrounder.

I have had an Ethos for a couple of years. It is amazing, with heaps of detail yet smooth, warm sound. Love it.

Thank you @jorgjean  and @allenric .  I had a Goldring made, Roksan badged cartridge about a decade ago on a Roksan Radius turntable that I loved.  It punched about its price class. 

I just bought the Ethos. Should arrive tomorrow. Cannot wait!

I've been running in the Ethos now.  It's likely too early to give an accurate assessment of the cartridge, but here's what I noticed. 

--Setup was a breeze. The body and the cantilever provide easy viewing for setup. They aren't obscured. 

--Packaging was first rate. As good or better than the last few carts I bought--AudioTechnica ART9, Benz LPS, Kiseki Purpleheart. 

--Sound is particularly big, bold and lively. Bass, midrange and treble are pretty equally distributed.  

--I would like it to open up with a bit more air on top. I have only a few hours on it so we shall see. 

It's been another week of playing records with the Goldring Ethos.  It settled down very quickly. After the initial 5-20 hours, it's broken in-from what I can tell in my confirmation bias/subjective mind. :). I don't hear it changing now. 

What a stellar cartridge for $1600!  This is a keeper.  If I had to describe this cartridge I would say it's totally balanced.  It doesn't avoid romanticism, bloom, or euphonic texture. The first order of business, though, is dropping everything I've heard that I've liked into equal parts.  Not one area is overemphasized.  Or so it seems to me.  Highs, mids, and lows are equally pronounced and curtailed without feeling rolled off.  

Enough of me trying to find the terms. Here's my behavior...

I almost took the day off to listen to records. 

I've bought more records (and I own a bunch). 

I came home from a dinner party, put the wife to bed, and stayed up til 3 am just listening. 

There's a gravitational pull into my music room.  Great job Goldring. 

PS If the Ethos is below your price range, don't scoff. If it's above your price range, maybe try another.  I had a Roksan Radius that came stock with a Goldring 1042 or something. Damn, if I couldn't find anything to beat that MM. It rivaled with ease an Ortofon 2m Black.  Takeaway : Goldring makes great cartridges that should be heard.

PPS. I have no affiliation with the company.  I'm just elated that I didn't spend $10k on a cartridge that moves me and keeps me up at night--in a good way! :)

 

I bought a used original Eroica for a few hundred and wasn’t expecting much. It was the go-to affordable cartridge in the 90s. It’s so much better than it has any right to be at that price. I could live with it. It does lack some textural detail and inner resolution, but these are errors of omission that you only notice after listening to the cartridge for many hours.

I decided to buy their flagship, the Ethos. I was curious about what a value-oriented company can do when it pulls out all the stops. It retails for $1,600 but I found a new one for under a grand in Greece, so I have to wait a couple weeks for the shipping. I’m excited. The reviews are inconsistent in their description of the sound but consistently favorable. It sounds like a giant killer at best and a triumph of value at worst. Also, it looks really cool in my opinion. 

@jbhiller and @dmbaudio I know is been a while since your last post but am thinking about buying an Ethos and was wondering if your opinion has changed since last September.

I love the Ethos.  It's a very balanced cartridge and that's a really good thing.  The sound never gets old. I also find I just like listening to it. 

It's bigger and bolder sounding than my ART9 and Kiseki Purpleheart.  The ART9 is a bit more polite and the Purpleheart is rounded and warm and just a bit backward leaning in its presentation.  The ART9 is more conservative but equally as good. The Purpleheart is sweeter than them both--but I haven't played the ART9 right before or after the Purpleheart in awhile. 

It is not aggressive or harsh. BUT its presentation is big, bold, clear and somewhat powerful.  The loud end is robust and not bloated.  I recommend it without reservation.  It is well worth the price. 

I'll say this-- I feel like I'm missing nothing but magnifying glass detail around things. The Ethos doesn't miss the detail, but rather it doesn't highlight as much as the ART9. 

It's amazing you get this much good sound for the price. 

PS My system has some warm components but my main speakers are horn loaded.  I also like it with a set of ribbon tweeters. 

To add to the praise, in the current (April 2024) issue of Stereophile, Herb Reichert has a nice write up of the Ethos in his column that is very positive in every respect.

Thank you both and for the great compare to the ART9; it is very valuable as it was one of the carts I had been considering.

You cannot go wrong with the ART9 either. I LOVE that cart!

I have an Ethos, i am upgrading to the new Ethos SE. That cart will sound different on every table. I have a Audio mods Series 6 Tone arm, and it is a delight on that setup.

Any update on the benefits of the SE over the regular Ethos?

There was a pleasant difference, the presentation is bolder. Be attributed to silver coil wire. This cart is sensitive to counter weight adjustment. Took awhile to get it correct.