I'll wait for you to listen to the Kiseki a bit longer and then hope you have another listen to the MC2000, for a formal ABA type comparison. Incidentally, I had my Koetsu Urushi re-tipped (just a new stylus on the original cantilever) by Expert Stylus. I think it took 3 weeks round trip from the East coast to the UK and back. I have now got several hours on the Urushi, and I keep thinking it never sounded as good as it does now, even when it was brand new 14 years ago. Cost was around $350. They were very professional; I could not have asked for better service.
Installed A Kiseki Black Heart Today. Lovely Cartridge
Last year I sent off a Kiseki Black Heart to Allclear Audio for a new diamond. I checked it briefly when it returned, and set it aside. During the fall I also located a lovely first generation Sota Sapphire turntable. I also acquired a low mass version of the Audiomods Series Six tonearm for this table. I had a Sota Cosmos arm board that was cut for a SME arm, and was able to repurpose it for this installation. I put it all together and ran my Ortofon MC2000 on it.
This afternoon I thought it would be interesting to install the Black Heart. So I put it on and finished the alignment. These long body designs where the cantilever is hidden underneath the body are truly a pain to align, but it is amazing what you can do with an iPhone these days.
I finished the install and hooked the table back up to a Musical Fidelity NuVista Vinyl phono stage. The sound is warm, textured, layered, and utterly captivating. Allclear did a great job replacing the diamond as this cartridge is utterly silent in the groove. I am playing Seasons by Gabriel Lee at the moment and it sounds just lovely.
What amazes me is how a cartridge of this vintage sounds so fine. The Black Heart was released in the late 1980's and had a price tag of $2400 it seems. I did find a review in a print magazine an internet acquaintance sent me about an Absolute Sound review for the cartridge, and apparently the reviewer liked is better than the TOTL Lapis Lazuli, which sold for around $5000 at that time. I have no idea if that is true, as it seems so few of that cartridge were produced and are probably in the hands of the most ardent collectors now.
I like to believe cartridge technology marches on. With improved materials, more sophisticated engineering, and precision engineering techniques...well...today's cartridges should be better. But with listening to the Black Heart, some doubts can be raised. Now this is not a colorless and utterly transparent cartridge. The Black Heart seems to be shaded to the romantic side of music, but not in a way that gloms over the beauty of the music. In the past I had read where the goal of the original Kiseki was to out Koetsu Koetsu. You can see that play out I suppose.
All I know is that the Black Heart is a fine cartridge. It makes me wonder what the earlier Gold and Silverspot cartridges were like. Of course there are a few versions of the Purpleheart. But I wonder if any are worth seeking out, or if the Black Heart is innately superior to them.
All I can say is these cartridges are worth seeking out and refurbishing.