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is the Grace F9L cartridge. equal to the newest MM, like Ortofon, Clearaudio, Rega, etc?

I was offered a Grace F-9L  cartridge for about $300. I was informed by the seller that Grace cartridges work well with Thorens TT....However,  Grace has been out of business for years   So I am a little wary of its viability.

Therefore, need some info as to what its last retail price may have been??  And whether its reputation and performance is worth the investment     BTW, there is no possibility of retipping it with Grace out of business   I have  a Thorens TD-145 which is crowned with a AT 440MLB moving magnet. Good, but not great

Note:  I have been considering 3 used tables. Rega RP6 with an ELYS 2 cartridge; A Project 2Xpression with a low output Blue Point Speical Evo III cartridge, and a VPI Scout Jr. with a Quintet Red low output MC ( which is the most expensive of the three.   

There is also another table under consideration I would purchase  new: The: Project RPM3 prepacked  with a Sumiko Blue Point 2 high output MC .

My gut tells me that any one of  the 4 tables mentioned above would be a better investment than Grace F-9L and  the Thorens.  Therefore,  any info and comments will be greatly appreciated.   Thank you 


sunnyjim

Showing 1 response by chakster

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@sunnyjim from what i’ve learned about Grace i’ll tell you that F9L (Advanced Luminal Trace) is a lower model compared to affordable elliptical F9-E (Extended Range 4). Grace F9-L is not only cheaper, but it has higher tip mass, narrower frequency response, lower compliance and higher output compared to F9-E. The price you have mentioned is normally is an average price for F9-E in perfect condition which must be a better choice.

Grace F9 Ruby was their top of the line model, very expensive, i have not tested yet.
The next to Ruby is F9-F (Discret 4) with Shibata Stylus that can track stereo and quadro records with frequency extreme up to 60kHz!

I have few samples of F-9F and it’s terrific cartridge easily compete with top quality vintage MM. This is not so expensive as Ruby, but much more expensive than F9E and L. Anyway this is a top choice cartridge! Next to F-9F is F-9U with special U/Utility stylus instead of shibata. I have it too. This is rare cartridge and not easy to find as popular F-9E.

I doubt any modern MM cartidges in this price are close to wonderful Grace F-9-F or F-9-U (can’t speak about Ruby).

Retip is not a problem with Axel in Germany. As far as i know Jico Sas stylus is also compatible (waiting for Neo Sas).

P.S. Those Grace must be loaded at 100 k ohms (not at 47 k ohms) according to the manufacturer recommendations. Honestly, i have never tried to load them at 100k ohms, i believe it will be an improvement.


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