as things go...I picked up an immaculate TX today, it has a serviceable MMC4 but......so Peter I shall be in touch...
Soundsmith - Thank you to everyone.
Beautiful
Too beautiful to go back to sleep
The morning sprite before the sun
black silhouetted trees that edge the world
respeak stillness as night’s undone
in quiescent twilight day is birthed
So perfect in its offering
infinite outcomes by love conceived
Immaculately separate from our suffering
To taste the dew that’s offered up
One would have to sacrifice
The comfort of one’s darkened view
The tradeoff believed that will suffice
So it’s a crow that breaks the dawn
Unravels peace that must unwind
And signals end to mornings birth
To usher deeds of manunkind
Too beautiful to be believed
timeless in its continuing
Miraculous to be conceived
So fragile in its offering
Peter Ledermann
66 responses Add your response
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Thanks for the explanation Peter. In going through my things many years ago I stumbled across a NOS B&O MMC2. I purchased the Soundsmith acrylic adapter for it and to this day still use it on a Denon DA-401 tonearm which is mounted on a completely refurbished Denon DP-3000 table. I notice some of your dealers still have the Boheme in stock so I will get one and enjoy it. |
It is a sad story about the Boheme. That cartridge punched so far above its weight class for performance that it confused the entire lineup of models we make. So under great duress (from my marketing manager at the time) we discontinued it. That would have been the closest thing to the original SMMC2 we made. Right now, there really is no equivalent in our lineup. Maybe the Aida now, for the SMMC2, and now, absolutely the Voice for the SMMC1. But bear in mind that these B&O models we make are high compliance and very tricky to use with medium mass or especially high mass arms. One would have to pay VERY VERY close attention to anti-skating (directions on our website), avoid eccentric records and beware of rumble/low frequency sources to use them with our 1/2" adapter on NON-B&O tables with medium or high mass arms. . Peter Ledermann |
What is MY personal philosophy (not for everyone) is when I find something I enjoy, whether it’s an audio design, dinner dessert or woman? Don’t look around too much. It runs the risk of taking the joy out of what you hold in your hand. Well said Peter. I have a Grace F9e and bought one of your ruby stylus replacements for it and have been very satisfied. At some point you made some changes and updated your website, but if I recall, at one time you had Soundsmith versions for the B&O MMC series cartridges. Instead of numbering them though, you gave them names (again if I recall the Boheme was one of them). Can you tell me which of your designs is closest to the MMC2 and MMC1? Thank you for all you have done for this industry and for this wonderful thread. |
Dear John; It has long been part of my audio faith tradition to never tell anyone what they are going to, or are capable of hearing. That is in part why my responses are sometimes possibly not understood or appreciated if one does not consider the position I speak from. That said, you will hopefully understand that I cannot tell if you will notice a difference from the ES series to the Aida you currently have. I have a customer who has bought much from me (Strain Gauge and more) who insists that I am the absolute worst salesman in the world. I am not sure if he appreciates that I take that as a compliment. It’s sort of like feeling good about failing the test to become an insurance salesman. That said, I pray you are NOT an insurance salesman or I have lost you forever or longer. Do we rebuild from one design into the other? No - too many changes. Too much to do to "convert". If you love your Aida, enjoy it. And then get it fully rebuilt by me for 20% when it wears out or breaks. What is MY personal philosophy (not for everyone) when I find something I enjoy, whether it’s an audio design, dinner dessert or woman? Don’t look around too much. It runs the risk of taking the joy out of what you hold in your hand. Peter Ledermann |
Mr. Ledermann, I have been quite impressed by your informative videos, and the dedication you have to your craft and associates surrounding it I was wondering . . . I have an Aida cartridge that you personally built and adjusted for my use . . . now that it has been updated with a new body -- could my cartridge be upgraded with a new body . . . or do I have to purchase an entirely new cartridge to obtain the benefits? Thank you . . . and thank you for your contributions to an oftentimes either abused or overinflated industry. I am glad you are there for the affirmative side. Be well, -- John 3:16 |
A couple of years ago, I sent my beloved SONY XL-88 MC CARTRIDGE to Peter to see if he could repair my cantilever, bent due to the idiotic design of the Sony stylus guard (no...I'm not accepting blame for this 🤪). After many weeks and unanswered Emails....I requested that he return my cartridge so I could send it to someone else. It turns out that Peter had suffered a death in his immediate family which required him to travel. I then received this Email:-
The cartridge was sent to me in Australia, fully returned to 'mint' condition.....and at NO CHARGE 🤯 My father and his sister fled in 39; their parents escaped in 42 - a miracle. More than a miracle Peter...... The Jews in Germany were the 'lucky' Jews...... Strange isn't it 🥴 But from 1933 to 1939, all of Germany's 500,000 Jews were permitted to leave the country (leaving property, bank deposits, art and possessions behind) by paying the Government for the privilege. All who could afford to do so and leave Europe entirely....escaped the War, the Concentration Camps, the 'Death' Camps and The Holocaust. The 50,000 remaining German Jews (together with the 50,000 remaining Austrian Jews) were sent to Lithuania in Dec 1941 where they were immediately executed by the SS Einsatzgruppen (with the help of the Lithuanian Police). To be a Jew, remaining in Germany in 1942 would have been extraordinary let alone appearing as an Advocate in a Court of Law as did your grandfather Adolphe Solomon.....😱 Thank you for sharing your story and for being a true mensche....
I knew three out of four grandparents. I knew NONE of my grandparents..... Keep well and safe Peter. Kind Regards Henry |
Peter, I can't find the words to express the joy you've brought into my life. I was easily in the digital audiophile camp. Some CDs, but hundreds of files. I still maintained a very modest vinyl rig, but mostly it sat idle. I realized that vinyl had something about it that kept drawing me in, but I still resisted the pull. I decided to upgrade my table to a VPI, and noticed a significant improvement. But still, I played more files than wax. As (mis)fortune would have it, I damaged the stylus on my V15VxMR. The replacements are pricey, so I went looking for an upgrade. One of my friends suggested the Zephyr MIMC☆. I thought to myself "self, are you stupid? Putting a $2k cartridge on a $1800 used table?" Well, I took the plunge and could not be happier! My music playback is now 80% vinyl. My streaming service is for discovering new music to buy on vinyl, and my files are neglected! I'm currently restoring an old Denon dp-35f table, and have both an Otello and another MIMC! I'm looking forward to seeing how much performance I can extract from this 35 year old table! All because of you, Peter, and the beautiful, wonderful works of art that you produce! Thank you, so much! |
I wrote this for Rose and Heather The river Isar Polluted for all time By Nazi ash Can it ever be Cleansed ? Just go ask Heather She can look directly upon the face of Jesus For advice Now He said Next time Don’t play In the street Yet you must Love those Who killed you For an evil idea Killed you Like a dog in the street Yet you must Love them As you love Yourself Leave cleansing of the river To me |
The Cohens or Kohens (pronounced "Co-Hayns") were the rabbis of the first and rebuilt Holy Temple. The Levis were the custodians. Back then being a custodian of the Temple was tantamount in status to being a doctor or lawyer. I am supposedly a Levi. I only ever aspired to pass a KGB test. It is all downhill from here. Back on point, Peter Lederman, you are a most fascinating man. I have three of your mid-tier cartridges. You called me once. I had a hum problem and I had sent an email inquiry. You were patient and kind on the phone. You talked me through the process of identifying and eliminating the hum problem. It did not help in my case until I got rid of my VPI deck. But it was a great lesson nonetheless. |
Regardless of how it came to be, one of my relatives did an exhaustive search and found that my family’s original name was "Telushkin" and that we came from a village long ago decimated, the Village of Slutzk. @fsonicsmith So you passed KGB test. Telushkin is indeed Russian surename :) Sounds good. Of course i don’t know how it works when immigrant came through Ellis Island, but i have jewish roots myself, my grand-grand mother’s surename was Cohen, she was a daughter of Rabbi in western Ukraine. |
I am Russian, never ever hear this name "Tallan" and never met anyone with this name in Russia.Are you challenging me? Perhaps you are unaware that when immigrants with long names came through Ellis Island, the names were truncated and "Americanized" often not by the Federal officials as commonly believed but at the request of the immigrating family. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian-did-ellis-island-officials-really-change-names-immigrants-180961544/ Regardless of how it came to be, one of my relatives did an exhaustive search and found that my family's original name was "Telushkin" and that we came from a village long ago decimated, the Village of Slutzk. https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/slutsk/slu-xi.html Anything else Chakster? |
Above someone asked my about my family. My father and family was from Breslau, my mother from Frankfurt-am -Main. My father and his sister fled in 39; their parents escaped in 42 - a miracle. My paternal Grandfather - Georg Ledermann, was major industrialist. He was "protected" by "friends" - and although sent to a camp for 8 weeks in 1940, was "returned" home, starving, by means he never discovered. They nearly starved till 42, when by a miracle my father got them visas to Cuba. The US was NOT allowing refugees into the US by then, they were considered "enemy aliens" and were not allowed into the US - even though they were fleeing for their lives. They took a train from Breslau, to Barcelona, and before boarding the boat were stopped and "arrested" by German soldiers who asked them to produce passports. For those who are not aware, those passports were stamped "JEW" in red. A priest who was across the street came over and told the German he could not arrest them - did he not SEE the medal my grandmother was wearing? She wore a small gold chain with many tiny medals, each the size of a dime, that had belonged to her grandfather. ONE medal was the Isabella award, (Wikipedia) given to her grandfather by the king of Spain for his 30 yeas of service as German council. It meant, technically, that he, and ALL his descendants, were "honorary" Spanish citizens. He let them go. I have the award. They spend 14 months in Cuba, and when entering the US, were detained for days and shown maps of Breslau, to point out what was made in each factory - something my grandfather well knew. The US and British soon leveled Breslau to six feet of rubble. The rest of the Ledermann and Ehrlich families died in concentration camps. My mother’s father was a general, and head legal council to the German army in WW1. By WWII, many of the military brass that has served under him - who were now Nazis - "protected" him, his wife and my mother till 42. He was a "war hero" and also a war criminal, as all German generals were after WW1. His name is on the treaty of Versailles. In 42, my mother was crying as she left a government office, and was grabbed by a Nazi who recognized her - he had served under her father. He helped arrange a bribe to a fellow in the Visa office, but they were discovered by another in that office who demanded that my grandfather "defend" his brother, a murderer of his own wife and daughter. Jews had been stripped of their right to practice law, medicine and more many years earlier, But in 1942, my grandfather, Adolphe Solomon, defended a murderer in a Frankfurt court. The judge didn’t have the guts to tell him - "I’m sorry Dr. Solomon, you are not allowed to practice law in this court". He won, or I would not be typing this that you are reading. He fled to England with wife and my mother. His son, Gerard, had fled in 39, missing the Nazis that came for him by 30 minutes. My uncle Gerard fled to Paris, where he designed/sold a folding boat that could be carried in two small briefcases. I often wondered why he did that. Then it hit me. He realized that if/when the Nazis came to Paris, Jews could paddle across the channel to England. He moved to the US, married a Jew, and converted to Christianity. Changed his name to "Sandersen" and tried to pass himself off as a Swede. He knew there was a lot of antisemitism then in the US, and he was "done" being Jewish. Thank God there is no more antisemitism now here or anywhere. He lived in Aspen Colorado, - He was "Sandy, the silversmith. An artist, poet, inventor, silversmith, stained glass creator, painter, architect, musician, teacher and more. I loved him. I knew three out of four grandparents. It should not have happened. Peter Ledermann |
Peter, I'm the last person to accurately comment on accuracy Lol. But before acquiring the Straingauge, I used to run a Transfiguration Temper Supreme, and then their Orpheus. Compared to my more coloured carts...Roksan Shiraz, Zu Denon 103, Lyra Skala and Parnassus, I would have sworn the Transfigurations were the model of neutrality. But not so, far from it. So, w the SG, I now GENUINELY hear tonal discrimination and timbral accuracy that makes every lp sound different (no homogenizing or smearing going on) and voices and instruments sound genuine, authentic and familiar. And the other areas that totally convince on the neutrality/realism thing is lifelike speed and bass impact. So, I'm not a musician, or an audiophile who's heard everything. But I've devoted 22 years to this hobby, refining my sound away from euphonically coloured and twds accurate and musical. And my Straingauge cart is the one component along w my LT air tonearm that absolutely nails the accurate/musical balance. And that I believe follows from it's ability as a high resolution but even handed transducer. And Peter, I need to get on w ordering those repl stylii, please contact me. |
So many questions......so little time or room. First; my preamps. They are very high end designs, but we don’t make much $$ on them. Why, you may ask, do we make them. For the same reason that I do many things that don’t translate into money. It is for the music and my customers. In a way, I am glad it’s not too popular. I would start losing lots more on them. Fremer and Holmes BOTH got what I did when I designed them and in their reviews of the original Sussurro and MCP-2 said the same thing: "If you have X $ to spend, don’t split it on a cartridge and preamp, buy the Soundsmith Sussurro and MCP-2 - you will be far ahead of the game". I made our preamps high end but low cost them so folks COULD save $ and move up the food chain in our line of carts and get far more result. I listen to and demo the Hyperion with the MCP-2 ($1199) - which has compared favorably to preamps costing 4X as much. I also introduced continuously variable loading - on the fly - from 10 Ohms to 5K - so you can tune it by ear to what sounds good to you. Now on the point of different cartridges for different music. MOST cartridges are not neutral. Neutrality however, is my design goal always, above everything, regardless of products I make - speakers, amplifiers, preamps, cartridges, etc..... . The technical. reasons for LACK of neutrality are many, but let me put it this way. If you were to take a Grace F9, and look at the "sine" wave produced, you would be shocked. It is NOT sinusoidal. How does it sound? Great. One must separate the wheat from the chaff. When I was director of engineering at Bozak, Rudy Bozak taught me an important lesson regarding loudspeaker design. He said "There are 10 things you’d like to do when designing a loudspeaker - you’re only going to get to do 3 of them. You’d better pick the right things". So linearity in and of itself is not the whole key to sonics, but does cause coloration when its bad. Many people don’t know HOW to listen to a cartridge. The same could be said for me in the sense of art - I LIKE art, and own some, but I don’t know how to look at it - NOT like an artist. A cartridge has it’s WORST moment when things get busy. That tells you about transient performance, and certain aspects of the design. So you have to look at the whole elephant. Good for riding through a riotous crowd, getting rid of excess peanuts, helping you wash your car, not good as an indoor pet. The Grace is like tube gear. If you do a harmonic distortion analysis on tube gear, you see LOTS of distortion. What kind? even order (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc....). Many solid state designs? ODD order. Even order is MUSICAL, and adds pleasant harmonics. Odd order? Horrible. Is a tube amp/preamp "accurate"? No.Is it nice to have as a pet?Sure. I am the last one to tell folks what to own - that they MUST own something "totally" accurate. I made an audio discovery 45 yeas ago of a device that puts you in an alpha state after 60 seconds of listening to music with it. It is "linear"? No. Does it make you smile? You bet. Will I ever bring it to market? No - I don’t have the resources. It, like over a hundred inventions I have, will go with me to the next world, IF they let me take any baggage. You know how airlines keep changing the rules. Because I do what I do, and have the philosophy I do, I am compelled to yearn for truth and accuracy and to discover how to accomplish that. That requires years, much thought, experimentation, failure, intuition. Is extreme accuracy always the best? Hard to answer. In life, one often needs to find out what it’s NOT, before one can know what it is. Same for engineering. So what happens when you play a less than perfect record with a very accurate cartridge? Well, it’s the same as getting too close to a fallen goddess. You will be awash with imperfection. What happens if you were up front and close to her before she fell?~ It would take your breath away.~ Peter Ledermann |
@retipper Dear Peter, here is an interesting question: Some people always recommend a cartridge for certain genre of music, i always thought it's a nonsense, because a good cartridge must be neutral. But we often read "this is a cartridge for rock" and "that is a cartridge for classical" or "this is for jazz" ... Would be nice to read your opinion. Thanks |
I was hanging around in the room he helped sponsor and sitting next to him and he looked at me at some point and asked "so what kind of name is Tallan?". I told him it was Russian (true) but I couldn’t help wondering what prompted his question. I am Russian, never ever hear this name "Tallan" and never met anyone with this name in Russia. |
You have a German-sounding last name and your first name, I don’t need to tell you, is not one common to us JewsI have eight 'Peters' just amongst my close Jewish circle of friends. And I think the 'Jewish' Apostle St Peter knew his name was more popular in the ancient lands of Canaan than that of St Paul (Saul) or even Joshua (Yeshua)...Jesus himself 🤪 |
The ox I love you, pious ox; and mild a feeling Of vigor and peace to the heart infuse me, Or that solemn as a monument You look at the free and fruitful fields, 0 that at the yoke bowing happily The agil opra de l’uom grave seconds: He urges you and pricks you, and you with the slow Giro de ’patient eyes answer. From the broad wet and black nostril Smoke your spirit, and like a happy hymn The bellowing in the serene air is lost; And of the serious glaucous eye within the austere Sweetness is reflected broad and quiet The divine of the green silence plan. |
Peter, this has become a wide ranging question and answer process so I hope you will field another; You build and sell some very expensive and complicated cartridge designs and yet your phono stage designs are relatively simple and inexpensive. Can you explain why? My guess would be that at the end of the day, you don’t have the resources to compete with the manufacturers of top-tier phono stages but maybe your answer is totally different. Also, and I must confess to being a bit apprehensive about even bringing this up, but your remark; Maybe some people have not looked hard at my last name. Ledermann. My parents were holocaust survivors.confuses me. I am Jewish. I am 60. There is nothing in your name that would cause me for a second to suspect your parents were holocaust survivors. You have a German-sounding last name and your first name, I don’t need to tell you, is not one common to us Jews :-) Care to elaborate how or why your parents were gathered up to the camps and how you ended up with the name of Peter? Also, a perhaps-amusing aside about Mr. Van den Hul. I met him at Axpona of 2019. I bought one of his Crimson Strads from one of his distributors and he signed my box and he happily posed for photos with me looking proud and happy to have one of his better cartridges. I was hanging around in the room he helped sponsor and sitting next to him and he looked at me at some point and asked "so what kind of name is Tallan?". I told him it was Russian (true) but I couldn’t help wondering what prompted his question. |
Suspensions tended to fail with long term age. They WERE great carts. Indeed, depends on environment/storage, i am not afraid to try and after trying as much as possible NOS Stanton samples i’ve never seen one with softened suspension like those notorious Technics mk3 and mk4 low riders from the 70’s with softened suspension that can’t hold the cartridge and can’t resist even 1.25g tracking force. I think softened suspension is the biggest problem and material that Technics used was bad choise. But Stanton and Pickering choosed the right one, well maybe compliance is not that high anymore (it was 30cu), but the damper is definitely not bad, but more important the sound is so silky smooth and so pleasant, especially this one from early 90’s Walter O. Stanton Signature Collector’s Series 100 with their best Stereohedron II profile. The ONLY model from Stanton with Sapphire Coated Aluminum Cantilever. Actually Stanton made so many models and styli for all formats (stereo, mono, 78), but the cheap models are bonded. What a great brand is was until Walter sold it. Reading this old Stanton Product Catalog from the golden age of analog is a pleasure. It’s amazing that in the late 1940’s Mr. Stanton’s slide-in stylus made it possible for users to replace a needle assembly when it wore out, instead of having to send it back to the factory. He ran both of his companies until retiring in 1998, but Mr.Pickering wasn’t happy about it until his death, even dying in his chair Pickering mentioned Stanton in M.Fremer interview. However, even after Stanton bought and run both companies he did not shut down Pickering brand, here is the latest from the mid 90’s. It’s a strange story that identical cartridges have been made under two different brands by the same factory, the different was the design only. Walter O. Stanton was Norman C. Pickering’s plant manager. In 1950, Walter Stanton bought Pickering & Company, the audio component manufacturer that first sold his patented stylus. Here is another forgotten video interview with Norman Pickering. And one mode video with him. Very interesting! My favorite comment was from Walter Stanton, who during a large meeting with sales reps, was asked "Why do the diamond styli cost so much?" LOL Reading some fact about Walter Stanton i found this: "Mr. Stanton was known for holding outings on his boat near his longtime home in Laurel Hollow, N.Y., and playing jokes on employees." BTW (since you’re all from NY area): Grado is another very old NYC family business, a person who invented stereo MC decided to go on with MI only :)) Here is a video tour. Joseph Grado Signature XTZ (from the 80’s) still my favorite MI. Its Special twin-tip Grado nude stylus still available from Grado. |
Peter - yes my own and thank you. The muse is an ancient Labrador we have had since she was a pup - next month she will be 17.5... blessed with a heart that has saved many a child - kids read to her as part of school literacy programs...her name is Esperanza- Hope so lovely how your rescue came and became the rescuer.... I will give you the Kona but insist that beyond Dogs we include in the trinity a decent Rye. blessings good man, you made me smile |
I have to say that as a person, VDH has befriended me from the beginning, and upon meeting and seeing my work, asked me "Are we competitors, or colleagues?" I said it would be an honor to be considered a colleague; so he said "GOOT!" and shook my hand heartily and said - "What ever you need - always call me!" Brilliant! :)) Dynavector 23 and similar, due to low mass (but terribly fragile), some Ortofon MI designs, Grace, and of course the B&O, upon which my line has evolved from. Very nice, glad to see Dynavector and Grace in your list. One of the rarest cantilever from Grace in my private collection of their original styli is Ceramic for LEVEL II (and Ceramic version for F14 model) made in the 80's. Never seen any other cartridge with thin black Ceramic cantilever in my life. I think this is the most exotic type of cantilever, if you're familiar with Ceramic cantilevers it would be nice to spread the light, because it's such a rare type. Would be nice to hear your comment if you seen anything like that, Peter. Grace is the only company to my knowledge that made nearly all kings of cantilevers for their styli (Aluminum, Beryllium Pipe, Ruby, Sapphire, Boron Pipe and finally Ceramic Pipe). Also different diamonds (Conical, Elliptical, Advanced Luminal Trace, Discrete 4, Utility 4, and finally Micro Ridge for the latest models like LEVEL II and F14). P.S. Surprised not to see any American manufacturers in your list :) Michael Fremer managed to record an interview with Norman Pickering, link to the audiofile is there. The interesting point is how Walter O. Stanton took Pickering's company and started Stanton Magnetics Inc. I remember then because of the MC versus MM subject: Stanton and Pickering very low output (low impedance) MM cartridges was an alternative to LOMC. An interesting design with Stereohedron tip. |
Obviously Strain Gauge designs, although none have survived well, which is why I don’t work on them. Early Fairchild Stereo units. Some still are fantastic. Stax, for its cleverness, Dynavector 23 and similar, due to low mass (but terribly fragile), some Ortofon MI designs, Grace, and of course the B&O, upon which my line has evolved from. I have to say that as a person, VDH has befriended me from the beginning, and upon meeting and seeing my work, asked me "Are we competitors, or colleagues?" I said it would be an honor to be considered a colleague; so he said "GOOT!" and shook my hand heartily and said - "What ever you need - always call me!" I have never taken him up on that, but I am always warmly welcomed by him whenever we happen to meet. The generous invitation was more than I needed or deserved. Indeed a gentleman and innovator, at a minimum. There is much to the man. Peter Ledermann |
@retipper Very diplomatic answer, but i’m curious about inspiration, as i can see your friend Frank Schröder is definitely inspired by classic tonearm design from the past, his Model B looks like very old Grey Research and related tonearms. As far as i know B&O developed their cartridges before you signed contract with them to improve the line of B&O carts. This is a predecessors of SoundSmith own line of cartridges? I have seen some damping materials in MC designs turn to cracked stone in 2 years, ones I assume worked extremely well when new. Many of us here collect vintage MC cartridges, turntables and tonearms and rate them high even in comparison to the new ones. Suspension of some brand new cartridges sometimes fail quicker than old ones. One example of LOMC cartridges with suspension that never fails is FR-7fz designed by Ikeda-San. A low compliance heavy monster, but Air-Core Coil, we have huge fan club of this series on audiogon. Others are 40 years old and work perfectly. At least you said that, fair enough. It is true, because there are great cartridges that passed the time test and works just fine. Those were made with the right combination of materials. Some materials are no longer available like Beryllium cantilevers (here is a Gold-Plated Beryllium that was an ideal material according to the old AT engineer later replaced with Gold-Plated Boron on another version of AT-ML180) or Hollow Pipe Boron cantilevers with ultra low mass or like this Grace LEVEL II BR/MR with micro ridge stylus tip mounted without glue (a tip mounting hole made using a laser beam). or this short gemstone cantilever invented by Dr.Tominary of Dynavector. Or that strange gemstone cantilever/stylus made from one piece of diamond by Sony (model 88D). Way different technology that we do not see anymore in modern design. Ikeda LOMC cantilever-less design or cantilever-less Decca MI or Victor Direct-Coupled MC recently improved and used by Audio-Technica ART-1000 when you reduce the moving mass dramatically as I have done and cannot be done in MC designs, damping becomes orders of magnitude easier and more efficient. A win-win. So there is no telling - even if I DO tell you of some I love, how you will find good ones? I will. I have museum of vintage cartridges on my records shelf. But this is not the advice for me to buy what you liked, it is something that inspired you with your huge experience in rebuilt. It’s about clever design. Something rare and interesting.
I’m curious, what is a well designed MM/MI or MC from the past (not new) in your opinion ? I’ve never sent any vintage cartridge for rebuilding yet, just because my favorite vintage MM, MI and MC are just fine, i use time machine to travel back in the 80’s to find them. |
I love it. Yours?? Beautiful. I get it. https://www.sound-smith.com/memoriam Mine for Sprout. She stuck around after my wife died to take carer of me. Now I have Azul - a mystical Blue Merle Aussie who got loose at 12 weeks old and trekked more than half a mile through brambles inside of 80 acres, to pass out on my porch. Best part - a psychic told me two months before, that a new dog was coming into my life. I asked him where did I have to search - where to go to find it? He said - "Do nothing. He is coming to find you." I cannot describe how bonded we are. He came to rescue me and my soul and heart after so much loss. Peter Ledermann "Proof of God is necessarily limited to a triad - 100% Kona coffee, Cheese and Dogs". |
My sweet old girl Is lost to me again In a world Of her mind Chasing Smells Butterflies Other beach puppies A ragged stick Torn from a rootball By the tide Chasing the rainbow But not the bridge Tide rips move Tennis balls in the Sound She flips her tail At the triumphant turn The salt in her coat Sparkles like diamonds In the setting Summer solstice Sun |
Thanks for your post. The problem with vintage cartridges is that unless they have been traveling at a substantial fraction of the speed of light, they have aged - and part of that depends on the environments they are/were in, and also on the specific formulations used for damping materials. I have even seen NOS EPC451 SG units (Panasonic) where the ultra thin aluminum cantilevers are mainly corroded - just by time/environment. Damping materials are VERY tricky. I have the distinct advantage of personaly having rebuilt many, many thousands of cartridges. THAT is an education for which there is no equal, or shortcut. I have seen some damping materials in MC designs turn to cracked stone in 2 years, ones I assume worked extremely well when new. Others are 40 years old and work perfectly. I am very, very careful to use formulations in my designs that are proven to last 20-30 years or more. Are there a bit better materials that have somewhat better visco-elastic properties right out of the box? Sure. You bet. Will I use them? No. I get away with NOT using those unproven materials because when you reduce the moving mass dramatically as I have done and cannot be done in MC designs, damping becomes orders of magnitude easier and more efficient. A win-win. So there is no telling - even if I DO tell you of some I love, how you will find good ones? It's like hooking you up with an old girlfriend who is looking for love that I have not talked to in 30 years. I have no idea what time has done to her. Its certainly done a hell of a job on me. So forgive me my vagueness - I just don't want to misdirect. What I CAN tell you is what a wonder it is to find a well designed MM, MI or MC that HAS been traveling at 3/4 the speed of light, and after rebuilding, it plays so well........ Peter Ledermann - (NOT aging so gracefully in certain respects) |
@retipper Mr. Ledermann, i enjoyed your two RMAF lectures, very interesting. It’s nice to have industry professionals on our forum to discuss tech stuff. Sadly Jonathan Carr does not post on here as much as he did before, but it was so great to read his opinion about some classic cartridges from the legendary designers and legendary brands. Watching your lectures i see you’re admire MI design over MC. You’re the one who personally refurbished and re-tipped thousands of different cartridges (old and new). I;m pretty sure there are some models that inspired you to go further in cartridge design. Watching Art Dudley’s (R.I.P.) SoundSmith factory tour i see you got vintage equipment in your collection. What about cartridges ? I am interested mainly in classic cartridges from the golden era (70’s/80’s). Without making a free advertising for new cartridges and modern brands it would be nice to discuss some OLD GOLD from the past, discontinued models or disappeared brands. Could you recall some of the greatest, clever design from the past (MM/MI or even MC). I’m pretty sure you learned a lot with those carts from the past. It’s good to share some knowledge about clever design that surpass the time test (if we can imagine we found NOS, UNUSED or MINT condition). I’m curious to read your opinion. *From Russia with Love |
There is a love that is not love It is not the kind that makes you weak It makes you rise so far above It takes your breath, it makes you weep
There is a love that runs so deep Makes all you do seem merciless It implores your soul rise from its sleep And all life’s plans superfluous
There is a love you cannot touch It is not a kiss on fevered brow It gathers all but won’t hold much And hitherto sworn you’ll disavow
But it exists outside of time Yet there’s nothing that’s not held within It cannot die, it needs not find what it gifts it does not rescind
One cannot look away or fake but makes you stop and gather heart you cannot give, you cannot take it’s the reason to stop, the reason to start
I met a woman who had this love It was loaned to her and to keep her well It was not hers, but she stole it not To guard her soul from living hell
Steel shining swords in crosses were Across her eyes and down her breast And o’er her head in midday sun And I that sight forever blessed
I know she lives - it matters not It makes the world make sense of pain Redeemer of the senseless caught Makes every struggle not in vain
For the sake of others, I could see For safekeeping’s sake she held it true It was not for her, it was not for free It was not for me.
It was for you. . . (peter ledermann 4-27-20 |
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Thanks Peter, You and your like are what is needed to drop in to this forum now and then (which it appears you do). Being so far away, I am not in the US flow of audio. I have heard of Soundsmith, but not the cartridges you create. Apart from your web site, I have not seen anything reviewing the “strain-gauge” circa 2019/20. I see the usual parade of cartridges, but will be asking for further information from you once we are clear of this virus and back at work, for those survivors. Lovely poem, like a delicate watercolour. Well done and though there are many other creators in the world of audio, we need more like you. |
Maybe some people have not looked hard at my last name. Ledermann. My parents were holocaust survivors. My family tree goes back in Germany to the 1500's on both sides. And there were some very fascinating and innovating members; in law, government, science and more. My Grandmother (Lisbeth Ehrlich) was a blood relative of Paul Ehrlich I am told, who cured millions of people with his synthetic antibacterial, long before the discovery of penicillin. He eschewed formal education, preferring to intuit the chemical and microbiological world. I seem to have inherited a drive for preference of intuition over formal education as well, and a deep desire to understand the natural and mechanical world. That drive has aided me in my developments, discoveries and work. The SG DOES have more of its DNA in the camp of scientific instruments than musical instruments like magnetic designs must, due to the design. They are mandated that way due to the moving mass. But by no means think the SG is easy to build due to low mas - it is anything but. It is far, far more difficult to build. It took me years (many) to make it a repeatable, predictable design specifically because it is far more of a scientific instrument being a displacement measuring device as opposed to a magnetic velocity generator. Is it ALWAYS the best cartridge to play? No - as is being said some pressings are less than perfect and a magnetic design will sound better. Many systems I have set up for customers have two arms, an SG on one and Hyperion, Sussurro or Paua on the other. For myself, I play the SG on about 90% or more of my recordings in part because I am addicted to it. But very often, I use the Hyperion for many and especially certain records. The Hyperion is the closest Magnetic design to the SG in the world. That explains some of its popularity I believe. If I had to only live with the Hyperion, .........no tears. Peter Ledermann |
