Lewn,
Good point. I forgot about the issue of the Allaert having very thin coil wiring, and therefore, being prone to damage from any current from what it is connected. A transformer would cure any DC offset issues. |
I know several people who have very expensive Allaerts (one person's cartridge is over $10k) and they all love the cartridge. In just my casual listen, I think they make terrific, natural sounding (not flashy) cartridges. But, they do have very precise requirements for loading and the particular phonostage/step up transformer that is used. One friend is currently working on optimizing it into the Boulder phono stage (this is an incredibly flexible and adjustable stage, so, having difficulty with this stage says something about how touchy this cartridge can be).
I have two friends with Orpheus cartridges and I had the Orpheus in my system for two weeks (replacing a Lyra Titan) just to hear how it sounds. This too is a fantastic cartridge. It is, compared to the Lyra, just a touch midrange prominent and not quite as open and "fast" sounding on top. It was, overall, a bit less detailed, but also not as dry or analytical sounding. Great cartridge. I also got to listen to a Phoenix cartridge in a familiar system, although the table/arm combination was new to me (Linn/Naim Aro). This vinyl rig sounded fantastic. Very dynamic, vivid and lively (also a touch midrange prominent).
I like the current Orpheus and Phoenix a LOT better than the Temper series. The Tempers I listened to sounded a bit too polite and drab for my taste. |
Sir Speedy,
I agree with everything you say. It's not that I am slamming the Temper V, it is just that I prefer something a little more dynamic, which is what the Orpheus happens to be. My Titan is too new to justify replacing it (besides, I like its virtues too), otherwise the Orpheus would be on my short list.
The top of the line Allaerts are VERY special -- refined, detailed (without being strident) and musical, but yes, perhaps a little dynamically laid back. The setups with the Allaerts that really sounded good to me were custom designed and built horn systems.
I know people who have had both Transfiguration and Lyra cartridges for a long, long time, and both brands seem quite reliable and do not wear out very quickly. But, frankly, that can be said of any high quality cartridge. Many, many years ago, when I was using cartridges, such as the Shure V-15-V, I recall having to replace the needle at surprisingly short intervals, which was not that big a deal given the price. Still, my Lyra cartridges last many times longer before the needle shows signs of wear. |
Hi OEM,
The Allaert works well with the very expensive step up transformer from Audionote (uk). I don't know if it works well with others. The two Allaerts I heard have very low outputs that require really high gain and/or a step up transformer. The distributor for the Allaert said that the loading (impedance match) must be pretty much exactly as specified, which, for the Boulder owner, means getting a customized card (even then the gain of the Boulder is not enough).
The Temper V is a nice cartridge, but, if you can swing it, the Phoenix should be on your list. That is a pretty nice sounding cartridge for less than the Orpheus. |
Sirspeedy,
Oh no, I fully realize the context of your statements. I find your comments to be well informed and reasonable.
Phono involves balancing so many variables that is hard to be certain ANY comment on sound quality has some universal "truth." Yes, I do recognize certain characteristics of various cartridges that appear whenever I hear that particular cartridge, but, I am often shocked at how different systems can sound by small changes. I could drive myself crazy, I suppose, just swapping different brands of tubes in my phono stage (three different types are employed) or changing the loading (requires opening up the case and soldering resistors across the input terminal while avoiding a whole bunch of very thin wires).
I end up liking a lot of different gear, even when they can sound dramatically different. I liked the Orpheus when I had it in my system, I like my Lyra, I liked the Phoenix in a Linn/Naim system I head, I liked various Allaerts in the systems I've heard them in, and I was even intrigued by the explosive dynamics of a Colibre (I don't think I want to live with it, but I've tried to convince someone else to buy it just so I can listen to it more).
I have not heard the Soundsmith or the Airtight yet. Both sound intriguing. |
Sir Speedy,
I'm too lazy to do much more than tube swapping. I have experimented with different 12AX7 variants. The "crazy expensive" pair for me was a set of Telefunken ECC 803Ds. As it turned out, I prefer a "free" pair (given to me by a friend) of Telefunken ECC83s.
Good luck with the Phantom. A friend of mine runs an Orpheus on the Phantom (Basis table). That is a very nice sounding combination. |
Hi Goldeneraguy,
What did you end up with after selling the Graham arm? I wonder if the fact that it is easy to fiddle with adjustments on a Graham actually encourages obsessive behavior and so a difficult to deal with arm would be the answer (Shroeder?).
I have a Vector arm so I almost NEVER fiddle with it. It is almost impossible to move the counterweight in small, predictable increments, mine has no VTA calibration device, the arm is tricky to remove to change the level of the dampening fluid, etc. |
Goldeneraguy,
I am not certain of which iteration of the Vector I have, except that I know it is not the latest. I've been told that the reason to upgrade to the latest is for the better tonearm wiring. I would probably also opt for the VTA adjustment micrometer if I ever upgraded the arm.
I have very carefully set up the arm, although once set, I generally don't fiddle around with adjustments. My Titan cartridge is extremely sensitive to VTA setting, so I did do that carefully. I use homemade spacers cut from 1/2 inch PVC pipe, that fit under the fluid well part of the Vector arm. I prefer this type of spacer to things like a deck of cards because the deck of cars approach is not particularly repeatable (the cards compress too readily). I have spacers that go up in height by about .5mm increments. It is easy to hear that little difference in height at the armpost.
What I find interesting is that adjustments of VTA is sort of interactive with changing other aspects of the system that relate to tonal balance. For instance, if I change cartridge loading, I often find that the ideal VTA setting has changed slightly as well. The same is true when I change tubes in the phonostage. Just think of how crazy you can drive yourself by juggling three variables. |
Hi Goldeneraguy,
I have not had the opportunity to hear the Linea. I got the Emotive Audio linestage first, and then went looking for a phonostage. In any event, I would not have the room for the Linea, which has a monster-sized power supply unit (just like the phonostage).
The Viva fono is so dead quiet and I bet the Linea shares that characteristic. The Emotive Audio does have a little bit of sputtering, and unless one selects the 12B4 tubes for no noise, the tube will put out a soft "ping" once in a while. But, this is simply one of the best sounding linestages I have heard in the not-overly-romantic/warm category of tube linestages. |
