"Harder" cartridge recomendation

Used underwear?........I dunno.
Used Classic car?.........oh yeah!,
I bought my 1963 Porsche 356B Super 30 years ago and drove it every day to and from work for 25 years.
It is the best car I have ever driven ( and I have had current Mercs. BMWs, and Audis also for 30 years).

I bought an FR-7f which had a poor stylus and had it replaced by an expert in Tokyo who replicated the original conical configuration.
Setup in an FR-66s tonearm......it bettered all my previous high-end (expensive) cartridges except for the ZYX UNIverse.
When that new stylus inexplicably exploded one day......I sent the cartridge to Axel who recommended replacing it with a nude line contact pressure-fitted into an aluminium cantilever.
The performance of the FR-7f with this stylus easily exceeded the previous original one and can be heartily recommended.

Bydlo,
An FR-7f is for sale from Tommy at TopClass Audio who sells only the best of items and checks them all out.
This cartridge has been checked by Ikeda himself who states it is in excellent condition.
Unfortunately....you must pay for this consideration?
FR-7f

Bydlo,
There has been a strong second hand market for the FR-7 range of cartridges for some time now.
The good ones seem to be sold to waiting buyers without much advertising?
Having been through the process myself......I really wouldn't worry too much about the condition of the stylus or cantilever?
If the price is right........I would snap it up and send it to Axel who will install a new nude line contact stylus pressure-fitted into a new aluminium cantilever for EUR160.00.
The 7Fz differed to the 7f by having an elliptical stylus rather than a conical one I believe........so I think you'll be pleased with the results?
You of course do need an appropriate tonearm to handle one of these beauties?
Good luck.

Bydlo,
I have no experience with the SME 3012R arm so cannot comment on its ability to handle the FR-7 series cartridges.

Please don't be upset with my friend Nandric.......he is Balkan.
That should explain everything?!
He is blessed/cursed with a sense of humour which is sardonic, sarcastic.....but inevitably keen and meaningful.
Perhaps it also suffers slightly from the translation to English?
I'm sure he will be mad at me for suggesting that mostly........he doesn't mean to offend anyone?

Pani,
Leaving aside my preferred MM cartridges and comparing my FR-7f (Axel modified) to the 10 or 11 LOMCs I have heard in my system.......I would say that the FR-7f is my 'go-to' cartridge when I wish to listen to a MC.

For 6 or 7 years.......the ZYX UNIverse was my favourite LOMC (and I'm on my 3rd one).
The UNIverse has few faults and one doesn't tend to segregate its sound into the famous three divisions of Bass, Midrange and Treble when listening to it, such is its neutrality.
Above and beyond this near perfect frequency response......is the UNIverse's ability (rare amongst any cartridges)......to emotionally connect to the music hidden deep within the vinyl grooves.
The Dynavector XV1s is a good cartridge IMO......but it doesn't posses the neutrality nor the purity of the UNIverse. Nor does it connect as deeply with the emotion of the music. But it can sometimes impress by deceit?

The FR-7f(Axel modified) sounds almost identical to the UNIverse with just a hint more excitement and high-frequency extension.
Whilst its soundstage can be wide.....there is a slight lack of depth if that is important to you?
And its bass.....whilst all there....is not as tight or controlled as some other cartridges.
The original FR-7f with the conical stylus (which I had before the Axel modification)....had all the sonic characteristics described above but without the ultimate finesse, extension and clarity.
This put it....in my ranking....just behind the UNIverse whilst the Axel modification places it just ahead of the UNIverse in my system.

With an output of just .18mv.....you need a phono stage with plenty of gain and those who prefer their valves can reach Nirvana with an appropriate SUT.
A heavy cartridge with low compliance.......the FR-7 series requires a high-mass ultra-rigid arm with perfect bearings and negligible friction.

Beloved by those German and Japanese audiophiles in the know......some would say that with the FR-7f, one can close the chapter on phono cartridges?

I however....have heard the celestial sounds from the mountain peak and consequently maintain an open book?

I would expect that this environment would be very unforgiving of any forwardness in the mid to top end.

Dover,
Only a fool or a genius would believe he can predict the sound of an ‘unheard’ system by ‘expectation’?
From your history of postings on this Forum……I don’t believe you’re a genius?
Most intelligent contributors here, never criticise another’s system yet you seem to enjoy doing exactly that?

You have absolutely no idea what my speakers sound like as they are not commercial products and if you had any knowledge of acoustics…..you would know that the ‘volume’ of a space is a more determining factor than the ‘area’?
The ‘volume’ of my listening space is 90 cubic metres(3,178 cu.ft) which is equivalent to a 20x20x8ft listening room but in my experience…….a smaller floor area with a higher ceiling than 8ft generally sounds better?

I would venture that you have never heard a ‘nude’ Victor TT-101 turntable with any of the arms or cartridges I have…..yet you presume to ‘predict’ the sound of such a set-up?

Whilst you carefully avoid listing your own ‘System’ with photos of your listening room and set-up…..your bombastic self-anointed ‘expert’ status on this Forum is rather tiresome.

Dover,
Yes.....polished stone and glass are reflective materials.
Every auditorium, performance space and listening room requires a blend of reflective and absorptive materials.
For drama.....the requirement for reflective surfaces to absorptive is different than for the performance of large scale orchestral works and this can be calculated quite accurately by acoustic engineers.
In my listening space....I have a 3.3mx3.5m heavily texture wool rug occupying 53% of the floor area. Semi-absortive cushioned furniture occupies another 20% of the floor area.
The wall behind the speakers is masonry and thus, generally reflective whilst one side wall is acoustic plasterboard with 50mm fibreglass insulation in the studwork on top of solid masonry. The rear wall is uninsulated plasterboard allowing for reflection of higher frequencies whilst allowing mid to low frequencies to pass through.
The one wall of thin(6mm) glass....allows the reflection of higher frequencies whilst passing all lower frequencies. The two sliding glass panels allow me to hear the effects of reflection by opening half the wall in a variety of infinite proportions.
There is a flat plasterboard soffit 2.7metre high(9ft) directly over the speakers and then a 5.7metre(19ft) cathedral ceiling which slopes down to the listening position.
Do you believe you can estimate what this room sounds like?
Oh.....and I've listened with the glass coffee table in and out and much prefer it in!
Am I wrong?

Dover,
Apology accepted. Like Nandric I too often enjoy your humour and value most of your contributions.
I don't believe the glass table is accountable for my preference for MM cartridges?
I do think that I hear differently to most others.......and I am definitely in the minority with almost all of my peers in this preference so I have no problems in accepting that I am wrong.
I still can't listen seriously to digital and yet most (including Raul) either prefer it to analogue......or at least happily listen in equal measures?
This makes our hobby very hard to predict from an 'objective' point of view and making absolute judgments is fraught with danger?

Dover,
I feel you misunderstand the reasons for my preference for MMs over MCs?
I do not hear an abundance of high frequency exaggeration in MCs.
I have at least 3 or 4 MM cartridges which give a greater and more detailed extension into the upper frequencies than any LOMC cartridges I have heard in my system.
I also have an equal number of MM cartridges which can plumb the depths of bass with greater authority and better control than any of the LOMCs I have heard in my system.
There is one magical cartridge (the Professor knows it)......which performs both these feats (and more) at the same time!
Brightness has never been a problem in my system or listening room unless the pressing or cartridge presents as such.