Moving coil with a bit less leading edge

Opus88,

Do you use other sources (CD, SACD, etc), and if so, how do they sound playing classical music? Knowing how the rest of the system sounds would at least help to determine if your issues are isolated to the analogue part of your system.

If the issue IS in the choice of analogue gear, and not a adjustment issue, I think you need to focus on the combination of cartridge and phonostage. A "wrong" combination would be most obviously manifest in handling of upper frequencies. I find that with any given cartridge, a wide range of results can be had with different phonostages and it is not easy to "predict" the outcome based on the reputation of the products.

Thus, at best, I can only offer a rough guess that something like the lower price range Koetsu cartridges might work. Perhaps some non-MC cartridges should also be considered, such as Grado cartridges (somewhat blunted transients).

If you stick with MC cartridges, you might want to look into alternative MC step up transformers (SUT) and to bypass the SUT in the EAR phonostage. I am not personally familiar with your EAR phonostage, but, others have reported that the built in SUT is not as stellar as the active stages. The "wrong" SUT can sound excessively edgy and sibilant. There are MANY different separate SUT on the market and perhaps one would work better than the built-in unit. It is also easier to arrange to audition transformers than it is to audition cartridges.

Great post by Larry, IMO, which per my earlier comments makes perfect sense from a technical standpoint. Particularly given that the EAR phono stage only provides two loading choices for LOMC's, and no choice as to how that loading is allocated between the primary and secondary sides of the transformer.

Best regards,
-- Al

Larry: After making various adjustments to my tonearm's
height I was able to get rid of the hardness and stridency
and achieve a much more listenable sound. You mention
classical music. I listen to it almost exclusively, and feel
it's the most challenging kind of music to get right with a
sound system. I do have a limited number of cds and can
connect my old Marantz 63 Special Edition player directly to
my Air Tight ATM-3 monoblock amps. However, there is a
limiting factor associated with the latter. Quite some time
ago I had the amps' volume pots removed to attain a purer
sound. Doing this automatically left them at their full
volume level. This reduces my range of flexibility regarding
gain levels on both my Marantz cd player and my EAR 88PB
phono preamp. As far as cds go, this poses no big problem
for me, since I prefer lps. As for the EAR preamp, it
has output capability of at least 75db. The direct
connection between it and my Air Tights requires me to use a
very low output moving coil(.3mv or less), AND
simultaneously keep gain levels relatively low. This does
not affect my ability to hear and enjoy music. Besides, I
don't like things particularly loud anyway. Now since I need
a very low output mc, I believe the Koetsus wouldn't fit the
bill. Some of the less expensive cartridges in that line
have sounded too polite at the top for me. The more
expensive ones might be better, but I deem them too costly.
Otherwise, I have previously owned some Grados, but have
never been nuts about them either.

I've not had a significant problem regarding sibilance with
my EAR preamp. It is a pretty revealing unit however.
Perhaps in combo with my Dunlavy SC-4 speakers(also quite
revealing)and my Dynavector XX-2 MK2 cartridge and TW
Acustic 10.5 tonearm(both revealing as well)I might have
been experiencing a bit of "information overload" at
times. The two elements of my system I've sometimes
considered to be most at issue have been precisely those
you have mentioned---the preamp and the cartridge. Like
cartridges, my choice of preamps would be limited, based not
only on how my amps are functioning volume wise, but also my
preferences: a direct connection to the amps, a volume
control, significant gain and tubes in particular. Regarding
a different kind of transformer, I honestly wouldn't know
where to begin. Incidentally, I failed to mention I have a
spare preamp, the GCPH phono(yes, solid state), which I
recently connected to the amps, only to encounter the same
issue I had with the EAR before modifying tonearm height. By
the way, I should also say I've never heard anyone describe
the sound of the Air Tight ATM-3 monoblocks as strident,
hard, etc.

I have not abandoned the possibility that a new or different
cartridge might help provide further improvement in my
system's sound. That was the impulse that generated my
thread's initial query. But since fiddling with the tonearm,
I've put aside for now any serious concern regarding
replacement in gear. If things revert for the worse however
my first order of business will be to re-visit the cartridge
situation, and if need be after that, the preamp.

Sincere thanks, Larry and Al, for your offer to assist. It
is most appreciated.

So I was am not surprised that it came to this. I am guessing that the Delos will keep getting more enjoyable. I went through this same experience where the Delos was almost intollerable. I fiddled around for 6 weeks with loading, tubes, cartridge / tonearm setup. As the cartridge slowly broke in I undid the soft tubes, the extreme VTA adjustments, and finally the SUT load resisters. It sounds great now. I am listening to Rostaprovich and Ozawa on Erato doing the Dvorak concerto. It is beautiful. I hope it progresses in the same way for you.

I just reread the thread. It was Pani who had problems with the Delos. So my comments are meant for him. Good luck with the Dynavector.

Opus88, you could also try different tubes in your phono stage. It's less expensive than new gear and can make a huge difference. Just a thought. Glad you got the sound near to where you want it.

Thanks Wrm, yes I've tried different tubes in the phono pre,
nearly from the beginning. It uses four 7DJ8s. Of those
tried--Tungsram, Telefunken, Tesla and the stock Ei Yugo--I
consistently return to the Teslas for the nicest and most
even sounding tonal balance.

Thanks Ttbolad...and you gotta love that Dvorak Cello Concerto!!!

On western classical music I too enjoy the Delos a lot. The startling dynamics this cartridge brings to the table really helps a lot in reproduction of western classical. Where I find its flaws to be prominent is while listening to classic rock (Led Zep, Knopfler) and more pop-ish recordings. I also find it lacking when playing string instruments, I hear more edge and less body.

I agree with people who say that live music has a very crisp sound but it also has a tremendous body which is very difficult to detach from the leading edge. The edge and the body are one coherent entity, we dont hear the edge separately from the body in a real instrument. It is a one whole thing which is crispy, full bodied and rich at the same time. Trying to hear the same effect at home is great but when one starts hearing the leading edge as a separate entity (due to cartridge, phono or whatever else) then it is no more natural. A reasoning that live instrument is crisp may not be a good one in such a case. Many times one has to choose between leading edge and body, that is when opinions split.

I am getting crisp, full bodied, rich sound on all genres from classic rock to western classical, jazz to Indian classical, gamelan to Techno, western country to Celtic. If you want to try something that has the potential to burn your ears, try Ram Narayan playing sarangi.

So I can only say that it took a very long time for my Delos to settle in. I was so irritated after the first two weeks that I contacted the distributor and manufacturer. From my description of the sound and my setup they agreed to letting me return it for an inspection. I came very close to doing that.

I listened to a record last night that is far harder to get right than Led Zep. It is Bruch's Scottish Fantasia with David Oistrakh and the London Symphony, CS 6337 Blueback. That recording has very high screech potential. It sounded fabulous through the Delos. Followed that up with Spam Allstars (high energy techno-jazz with Pee Wee Ellis); then Travis Tritt (country / southern rock). Got a lot of pleasure listening through the Delos.

I should mention that I added a K&K Lundahl 1941 SUT when I got the Delos. So I am not sure which of the pieces was having the break in problem. Could be that they both were.

In any case, if you have less than 100 hours on the Delos, you may want to stick with it a while longer.

You are very fortunate ttbload.
I will definitely listen to my Lyra more.

Ttboald-- My K&K SUT took quite a while to lose its edginess, so that might have been part of it.