Mono Cartridge Question

@wallytools Of course not all grooves are the same size. Just after shellac 33 1/3, the vinyl groove was at it’s widest, then came the microgroove and now we grooves equal to the size of a stereo record. So I’m not sure which of these grooves you’re talking about but I’m assuming you're referring to the microgroove. If someone is using a 1.0 ml stylus on the early mono records, it is reaching very far down into the groove but slightly less in the microgroove. Most likely only a 0.7 ml stylus should be used for later records and recent remasters. Pretty much any cartridge designer will tell you not to play newer records with a 1.0 ml stylus. So I’m curious,what are the variables between the different stylus and the different groove sizes?

When I found the DaVa to be the most high resolution cartridge I heard, I was initially worried how 3.5g tracking force and conical styli would affect valuable, high priced original records. Also, I am mainly a fan of linear tracking using Vyger especially with Top Wing Red Sparrow, which tracks below 2g, especially as I was introduced to it by an LP collector who had tens of thousands of LPs, some priced well over 10k. I also think that the issues pivot owners face because of the offset angle, aligning the cart right, and getting anti skating right, coupled with varying cartridge samples, can lead to incorrect set up causing harm to the vinyl. This is fine as most people are using reissues, or inexpensive vinyl, and it can be replaced easily, but expensive originals cannot.

As a background, my other favorite cartridges are VDH stradivarius and the Lyra Atlas Lambda. Also, Zyx, Allaerts, airtight, MSL, GFS, Decca, are all nice, and at lower prices, SPU is musical with less details and some rolloff, and Hana and Audio technica are good value for money. But as with Denon 103, you can hear less details.

Therefore when I liked Dava, conical and 3.5g tracking was initially a concern for me, but the sonics were so good, and there was so much more musical information, I decided to check with owners who use good LPs, and repeated play on their favorite ones using DaVa did not wear out the LPs. To start with, if you use fine style to track at 4g, you will cause harm, but with conical styli the pressure is spread over a greater area. What Darius then explained to me, is that most conical styli are 0.6 mil tip or more, he keeps it at 0.5 as per Shure documentation, which he found to get past that issue.

Regarding detail and resolution, he said if he used his conical styli in similar ways to how others use finer styli, it will be less detailed. But his cartridge is designed to kill eddy currents, which mask details, and the lack of eddy currents is what increases the detail. The higher detail and resolution via DaVa against any cartridge should be easy to hear, whether on rock, jazz, or classical. If you want more technical details of how the eddy currents are suppressed you will need to check with Darius. So I decided not to generalize with other conical styli, DaVa for me is onto something and they are changing things.

My further DaVa experience here. Please note one point there, I like TD 124 but normally find it has less resolution that higher level tables. However, on the TD 124 with basic DaVa vs Continuum Caliburn with Etsuro Gold, I found the 124 to have higher resolution. The owner also sold his continuum after that, and now bought a restored commonwealth to play the DaVa. This owner also has a Vyger with Red Sparrow.

After I receive my Dava, I will do a compare of it with Audionote field coil (another owner who had AN field coil put in sale after listening to the DaVa), and with Top Wing Red Sparrow on a Vyger on another system (not same as one above but a Cessaro Zeta), but this will take time. 

To clarify, my DaVa comment was on stereo and not mono. I haven't heard the mono. 

Look into the Miyajima Infinity mono cartridge. One of, if not THE, best true mono cartridges.

If you read the OP you'll see that Miyajima was on my radar. I understand though, that it is a cartridge with no vertical compliance at all.