Levinson actually discovered Takeda as a 'cart master' and this fact can be added to his other merits. Takeda made 3 'versions' for Levinson : MLC (?), Cello and Red Rose.
The last two are obviously connected with Levinson's company names. To put it rude those are 'the same' carts, one would even say 'identical'. Tu put it 'cultivated' those are 'equal' carts. That is to say that small variations are possible because they all are hand made and individualy 'tuned' by the master. This also apply for the later Miyabi Standard which is, uh, 'the same' cart. But qua looks and to me personal Cello is the most beautiful cart ever made. Takeda also made 'the same cart' for Krell (KC 100) which I own and regard as one of my best carts. The other two are Benz LP S and Magic Diamond.
Regards, |
I think, a true answer will be very difficult to find, because Takeda always delt via Japanse distributors and those with the rest of the world. So, every answer you will find can be true or can be Marketing. He made carts for different manufacturers (Cllo, Krell, Red Rose....) but the only real answer I found in the year 2000 in a discussion with an Importer (before Sakura Systems got them) was a sentence from Takeda that the Standard is after all those years THE one he prefers and his favorite from all. A body can be used for all kind of Miyabis, but no one knows what kind of diamond is (was) used, what rubber, what suspension and so on. Probably there are differences. Some Designers are able to create a sound, vdH was such an example. When you had personal contact to him and the right amount of money, he tailored (Rock, Classic, Jazz, fast, full, whatever..) a cartridge for you. Miyabis |
Thank you!
Nandric, have you heard/compared the Dynavector XV1s to your Miyabi ? Actually I am in the middle of choosing between one of these. |
I had both carts in my system. The Miyabi is generally miles better from tonality (much more true), Holographic body, Speed, Soundstage, high frequency area.
Those who don't know how to rate a Miyabi STANDARD, some had probably heard a Lyra Olmpos. Both are very similar, very lifelike.
A pity it is History, that was one of the best carts ever made. |
Hi Pani, If you post your Dyna XVIS to me I will be glad to
compare them. I never owned any Dyna whatever somehow
quessing rightly the opinion of Syntax. |
Hi Nandric,
I am yet to hear a Dyna xv1s, let alone using it. But I have had the fortune of laying my hands on a brand new Miyabi Red rose. I am currently burning it in. I have done about 15hours and the sound is changing quite a bit. Lets see where it goes to after 50-70 hours. |
BTW, Syntax and Nandric, have you tried the Lyra Titan i or Skala ? How do they measure against Miyabi ? |
Dear Pani, Syntax is a kind of my mentor.So for questions
about any cart whatever you should address him and for
only some carts me: Sony XL 88, 44l, Benz Ruby 3S, FR-7,
Phase Tech P-3G, Miyabi Standard (aka Krell MC100), Benz
LP S and Magic Diamond. The MM kinds are to many to name. |
Dear pani: I owned what was now the legendary Myabi Ivory that in its times was very well regarded and very expensive too.
I heard the ML and the Red Rose ( are the same: M.Levinson founded Red Rose company after gone from ML/Madrigal and Cello where he was Collangello's partner. ).
That mr. Takeda prefered the standard means almost nothing to me because what likes to those japanese audiophiles normally only likes to them. Mr. takeda was an extraordinary cartridge designer but: is it an extraordinary universal audiophile too?
Never mind, you are listening to the Red Rose and after it's ready broken and before you buy another cartridge ( any ) IMHO you need to decide : how it compares in your Vector4 against what you already owned/own?, I can't remember if you still own the ZYX or Benz.
After that comparison then you can decide to buy another cartridge as the top ZYX or the Titan i that's more accurate than the Olympos.
I know you like rock' and roll. The XV-1s as the Delos or the Colibri are great on that kind of music as almost any top Clearaudio but for that kind of music it's a must to test a top MM/MI cartridge that are superb about.
Regards and enjoy the music,
R. |
Hi Raul,
I agree that Japanese tastes are not universal, possibly because their homes and systems are very different from the rest of the world. However we should agree that many great products come from that country and it is because those Japanese engineers take this much more seriously than the rest of the world do. They are not exactly running after quick money. They rather dedicate their life to design something special and finally money follows.
Anyway, we are drifting. I have now about 25 hours on the Miyabi. It is changing continuously. At the moment here is what I hear:
Positive:
1. Tonal Neutrality - Thankfully here is one cartridge which is high resolution but doesnt mess up with the tones. Old school music sounds "old school" and newer recordings sound "new age". This may look trivial but to me it is not, because many modern cartridges (e.g ZYX) sound too modern.
2. Midrange Dynamics - The ability to surprise the listener even on very well known music by the virtue of clean dynamics is a strength of this Miyabi.
3. Decode Rhythms: This cartridge can unravel very complex rhythms in a very simple way. A crowd of instrument which previously was heard as a crowd now has a meaning because every individual instrument is not only separated spatially but also has different amplitude of loudness. That makes the purpose of those hidden instruments very clear.
Negative:
1. Previously I had a ZYX which presents a huge sound space almost enveloping the listener. Music is all over the room. That sense of space is somewhat missing in this Miyabi. The Miyabi has a very cut to cut soundstage, very focussed and neatly laid out.
2. I am also missing a little bit of warmth and bloom at the moment. The color saturation could have been a little more. I know I can get this by adding a tube gear to my all solid state system but I dont want to do anything so soon. I will let it burn in some more and see how it develops.
BTW, I sold the Vector tonearm within 2 weeks of purchase. My 47 Labs RS-A1 tonearm absolutely massacred the Vector. The Vector has a neat and clean sound but it is lifeless when compared to the 47 Labs tonearm. I know 47 Labs looks like a "not so serious" tonearm but please give it a try someday I am 110% sure you will learn something new about your music. |
Dear Pani: I owned the RS-A1 and you are right: it's better that what it looks but IMHO nothing more than that. The important subject is that it fufil your needs/priorities on music sound reproduction.
Nandric, for your post seems to me that you already listened to the MD and you rated at the top. Is really that good?, for what I heard through my Spectral cartridge and if my memory does not " falls " this Spectral beats the MD but maybe I need to hear this one " today " in my system.
Anyway, good that your MD is running in your system.
regards and enjoy the music,
R. |
Hi Raul, I forgot to mention that I also use one MM cartridge which is the Empire EDR9. I bought it after reading your thread. It is nice but it doesnt beat the top MCs in my system. Possibly I dont have the right tonearm for it. The 47 Labs tonearm is a medium-high mass so the MM carts dont like it. The 47 Labs is very good with cartridges with compliance between 5 to 12. I am surprised how good the Denon 103 anniversary sounds on this tonearm. |
Dear Raul, You know that I trust your ears and not your
philosophy. My first impression is that Magic Diamond is
too good for me to judge. I am an amateur in this hobby ,
not musicaly educated with average hearing capability.This
cart 'deserves' the so called 'golden ears' in my opinion.
I wish you was my next door neighbour. In no way I consider
to post the cart to Mexico but I should in some
'objective sense'. That is btw what private ownership is about.
Regards, |
Raul, one more thing. After hearing MM I know one thing clearly. There are some areas of music reproduction where MM excels over MC, no matter how good the MC cartridge you select it cannot beat the MM in those areas, possibly because it is a fundamental strength of MM technology. It is like comparing Ink Pen to Ball point pen. I would love to listen to a London Decca cartridge some day. |
Dear Pani: Agree, the MM/MI is an alternative that all of us could try.
Regards and enjoy the music,
R. |
