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Ortofon Cadenza vs. old Ortofon MC30 Super2 ?

I've been using an Ortofon MC-30 Super II for over 10 years now... it's an old design, but I love the sound.  
I bought a Soundsmith Zephyr mkII about 3 years ago, and while it's great, I simply don't love it as much as my old MC30.   Yes, the Zephyr is more resolving & lower distortion, but the MC30 is more punchy and musical.

I'm considering an Ortofon Cadenza.... Red or Blue...... probably Blue.    
Can anybody here tell me if Cadenza has a similar Ortofon family sound to my old MC-30 Super II ?
They've gotten rave reviews, but so did the Zephyr.... it's just personal preference & synergy at this point.

My Table is a 30yr old SOTA Sapphire/Premier MMT arm/Parasound JC3 preamp.  


mirolab
theflattire
174 posts
 

@mirolab 

I just upgraded my Modwright PH9.0 to the XT and I haven't really had the time to do any A/B stuff with and without the SUT.

Being pretty lazy and having a couple of 0.2mv carts, I just kept the SUT in there.

I really should compare.  Before the upgrade I did some A/B and didn't notice a drop off so I just kept them in.  I do loose some dbs using the just PH9.0.

I do have the switchable build. I mostly use the 1:15. Sometimes I use the 1:30 if the vinyl is really quiet.  The gain on the Modwright is already high so sometimes I even use the -6db attenuation.  Silent for me.

SUT placement is kinda critical too as it can pick up all kinds of hum. 

I went with the 7s cause the gain on the 3s is kinda too much for me.

I don't know what the MC stage in the JC3+ is, whether its a SUT or active.  If it's active, I'd give the Hashimotos a try.  There's also the HM-X.

At this point I'm liking the sound with the XT upgrade and the SUT so kinda don't want to mess with it!

Hope that helps.

mirolab OP
208 posts
 

@theflattire Yes.... certainly if you're happy.. then leave it alone.  

The MC stage in the Parasound is active.  I had the JC3 for ~8 years, and happy with the sound, but the noise bugged me.  I liked my SUT sound too, but there was that resolution trade-off.  I recently upgraded to the JC3+ which has lower noise floor, and that cost me $1000 to do.  While I'm happy with the upgrade, I think MAYBE that money would have been better spent on a better SUT.  Hard to say. 

mirolab OP
208 posts
 

Looking at the Modwright description, your MC input is an internal SUT.  So your noise spec should be great either way.  Just comparing the sound of 2 different SUTs. 

theflattire
174 posts
 

I would say to try it.  Using an SUT may give you a blacker background.

I would go with some used Cinemag 1254s, just to try and then maybe more expensive SUTs if you find it helps.

Listening last night without the Hashimotos I didn't notice any kind of drop off.  At this level IMO any difference is going to be small.

Is it worth it? I kept looking for that last 5% but not anymore.  While I appreciate the difference, it's not how I listen so I realized I'm chasing bragging rights.  If you know what I mean.

An SUT does make a difference but like anything else it's also synergy.

I would try it, just for peace of mind.

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