Is There An "Absolute" Best Cartridge?

I guess I will find out.

Got one of Raul's worlds best cartridges - Technics EPC-P100C-MK4 in transit.

Will be fun comparing it to my Ortofon A90 after it arrives.

Perhaps someone might want to try Technics current top of the range cartridge. Technics EPC-U1200.

Now that would be a fun review :-)

Raul, you up to it?

http://www.joynetmall.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=60_64_376&products_id=3704&osCsid=wzwufbvqrx

Trav

I was somewhat tongue in cheek with my Technics EPC-U1200 post.

Just goes to show how the mighty have fallen, but it does have a glow in the dark stylus :-)

I picked up a NOS Technics EPC-P100C-MK4 and have been playing it for about a week now. I might disagree with some of Raul's rants, but this cartridge is absolutely wonderful.
Just looking at the straight frequency response is very impressive. It lookes like someone has used a ruler!

This cartridge has amazing transparency and see thru nature all the way from the mids and upper frequencies. There is zero brightness or any tendancy for edge. The bass is different in that it does not have the weight of say my Ortofon A90. This has got better over time so will no doubt get better.

It is quite amazing how good my 30 year old Exclusive P3 DD table with 28 year old EPC-P100C-MK4 is sounding. You do begin to wonder how far analog front ends have come in 30 years if at all.

BTW, I prefer tubes over any SS amps & phono stages I have heard in my system. Not there is anything wrong with SS, if it floats your boat.

cheers

What about the Munich hifi show in May?

I have the "magical" Technics EPC-P100C-MK4 & Ortofon A90.

Raul can bring his vdh aligned Technics EPC-P100C-MK4

Dertonarm - you can bring a miyabe and your secret cartridge.

Lewm can bring his Ortofon M20FL super as the overachieving low cost cart.

Syntax, what are you going to bring?

Now, lets spend the next month debating about what gear to put with these wonderful cartridges.

Then we can debate what music we each want to play.

with so many variables, there will be many different results one would guess :-)

It may still go back to individual taste

Lewm

So who are you really Pete or Roger?

Oh thanks a lot Raul

Who wants to buy my Technics EPC-P100C MK4 ?

Its clearly not cartridge of the month anymore :-)

Gents

Bad luck boys, its just my Aussie dry humour.My Technics EPC-P100C MK4 ain't going anywhere, except to van Den Hull for a re-build one day.

I have had it on my P3 for a couple of months now - and it passes the long term satisfaction test easily, not just the short term WOW factor.
This is the only way to judge a cartridge, or any piece of equipment - not just a few hours or a day or so of joy.

It is the only MM cartridge I have heard that is truely world class. the others are just nice and a bit of fun to play with.

cheers

Lew buddy

I'll swap you my Technics EPC-P100C MK4 for the current cartridge of the month - Acutex 315III STR :-)

Perhaps we can get a MM swap club going as it seems that not many of us keep any one cartridge on our tables for any long term listening/evaluation.

Its no wonder every new cartridge sounds better than the last, and even if it doesn't after a few hours, one would never know if it got better as we have moved on to the next.

this way we can all get our short term fixes :-)

While it is good and may seem logical to have your 8-9 prime demo cuts you always go to when evaluating a new component, it is also fraut with danger - "familiarity breeds contempt".

We humans can have a tendancy with very familar material to all ready have a " preferred sound" we are evaluating in our heads. We begin to somewhat stop listening to the music and listen to our pre conceived "preferred sound" checklist. As Lew said, you then play less familar/new music and the results are not always as convincing.

I fully agree with Lew. You need to live with a new component and play LOTS of different music over a reasonable period of time, then go back to see if it really was an improvement or just different.

Of course, like Siniy said - there is no perfect cartridge for all music genres or recordinds within a genre - but sweepeing statements that MM is good for ex and MC's are better for y is also not correct.

And, I feel a lot better within myself that my Technics EPC100C is back as equal " best cartrigde" :-)

cheers

Hi Travis

I agree entirely and you for one would understand given your great collection of Japanese audio treasures. There never has been one absolute best cartridge. It is impossible for anything to be best given all the variables with equipment, rooms, musical taste and our ears.

I have found that the tunrtble to have a bigger contribution to any sound I hear than any cartridge. Especially when comparing excellently designed belt trive to DD drive tables.