I just came across this discussion after buying the Cartridge Enabler, and I thought I would add my experience. I got the Enabler because for years I wondered why no one addressed the cartridge/headshell interface. I suppose I'm sensitive to this question because for many years I used an air bearing turntable (platter and arm). Those designs, of course, are aimed at completely isolating the cartridge from the rest of the world. so when I went to a pivoted tonearm (the Clearaudio Satisfy arm and Virtuoso Wood cartridge) I was very aware of where the cartridge was contacting the world. Thus my question.
So when I saw that Origin Live was in fact addressing this issue, I decided to try it, and I'm really glad I did. For me, the difference was dramatic--everything was cleaner, purer, and better organized. The ambient cues, especially, were much more present. Lyrics were easier to understand, and individual singers in a group were easy to distinguish. In other words, a whole of gunk was gone.
I'm a musician, and my whole approach to audio is subtractive--I want to remove anything that is between me and the sound that was originally recorded (I mention being a musician because it means I'm hypersensitive to the true sound of instruments). But I'm often unaware of those obstacles, or at least unaware of how much they are getting in the way until they are removed. That's what was happening here.
My primary measurement tool for gauging any audio component is my feelings. And here, too, I may sometimes be unaware of how I'm feeling listening to music until it changes. In this case, I realized after installing the Enabler that I was no longer tensing up in crescendos. Before, I was finding that my rig could sometimes get harsh and aggressive as the volume of a recording increased, so every time a crescendo came along, I start to brace for the assault on my ears. Not that I knew I was doing that before--it was only after I installed the Enabler that I noticed how relaxed I was as I listened. That tension was gone. In fact, every rough edge is now gone. I can listen to and enjoy even very poor recordings, which is something I was avoiding until now; again, to avoid that harshness.
I've read all the comments above about why the Enabler can't work, but for me the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and these days I'm a glutton for what this little thing is doing for me.
A note about installation: as someone else here says, you will probably need new, longer bolts to make enough room for the washers and the pad. And you may need to adjust VTA a bit and possibly the azimuth (this is easy by slightly tightening or loosening one of the cartridge bolts). You'll have to fiddle some to get everything lined up, but if you go slowly and carefully it's pretty easy. And well worth the effort.
So when I saw that Origin Live was in fact addressing this issue, I decided to try it, and I'm really glad I did. For me, the difference was dramatic--everything was cleaner, purer, and better organized. The ambient cues, especially, were much more present. Lyrics were easier to understand, and individual singers in a group were easy to distinguish. In other words, a whole of gunk was gone.
I'm a musician, and my whole approach to audio is subtractive--I want to remove anything that is between me and the sound that was originally recorded (I mention being a musician because it means I'm hypersensitive to the true sound of instruments). But I'm often unaware of those obstacles, or at least unaware of how much they are getting in the way until they are removed. That's what was happening here.
My primary measurement tool for gauging any audio component is my feelings. And here, too, I may sometimes be unaware of how I'm feeling listening to music until it changes. In this case, I realized after installing the Enabler that I was no longer tensing up in crescendos. Before, I was finding that my rig could sometimes get harsh and aggressive as the volume of a recording increased, so every time a crescendo came along, I start to brace for the assault on my ears. Not that I knew I was doing that before--it was only after I installed the Enabler that I noticed how relaxed I was as I listened. That tension was gone. In fact, every rough edge is now gone. I can listen to and enjoy even very poor recordings, which is something I was avoiding until now; again, to avoid that harshness.
I've read all the comments above about why the Enabler can't work, but for me the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and these days I'm a glutton for what this little thing is doing for me.
A note about installation: as someone else here says, you will probably need new, longer bolts to make enough room for the washers and the pad. And you may need to adjust VTA a bit and possibly the azimuth (this is easy by slightly tightening or loosening one of the cartridge bolts). You'll have to fiddle some to get everything lined up, but if you go slowly and carefully it's pretty easy. And well worth the effort.