I recently completed a several year quest to acquire a new cartridge. This quest was basically a major PITA and a nightmare!
Why? Well let’s take a look at what will be in store for all cartridge buyers’ in the US...and possibly other countries as well..IF they are seeking a top flite cartridge , like I was.
Firstly, and here’s where a big part of the problem lies: You will typically be unable to audition any cartridge under consideration...certainly not in your own home and more often than not, at your dealers either.
Then we have the fact that these products are closely monitored for who and whom can act as a dealer...which is then severally restricted by territory and distribution. We then add that the pricing is very well controlled...CAN WE SAY PRICE FIXING...which in most states is an illegal practice...but seems to be the rule here.
Let’s begin with my story...and then I am hoping that members will chime in here with their thoughts and probably also their own ’horror stories’....
About three years ago, I decided to acquire a cartridge that would replace my aging but still ok Benz Ruby 2... I wanted a cartridge that would surpass that Benz in most areas...and one that would be priced at about $3-$5K. A lot of money to be spending on this piece of gear...or so I believed.
At the time, I was considering the following models....Benz LPS MR, Koetsu Urushi and Rosewood Platinum and the Lyra Kleos, Delos, a EMT, the Kiseki Purpleheart, Air Tight ( entry level model at the time..cannot remember what it was called) an Ortofon A90--and a Transfiguration Proteus--lastly one of the ZYX models. After some research, i discovered that the Ortofon’s, the Zyx’s and the Transfigurations wouldn’t work with my set up --due to too low an output by the respective cartridges for my all tube phono stage. So this left the Kiseki, the Koetsu’s, the Lyra’s and the Benz’s...and possibly the Air Tight model.
Circumstances changed and my cartridge buying escapade was put on hold...until a few months back. In the few years since my last foray, I find out that Benz have basically gone out of business ( again!!) and so has Transfiguration. Meanwhile, the Van Den Hul line has come into the US again...this time with a new distributor. The Zyx line has totally been updated and the Lyra line is now more available than before...at least in theory. The Koetsu are now handled by Music Direct...who have essentially doubled the pricing across the board! Oh, i forgot, the Lyra line has increased by about 25% across the board ( i don’t think inflation can account for this!!) So where to start auditioning --the answer...nowhere! Instead I am supposed to rely on various dealers enthusiastic recommendation for these products...except for the fact that one dealer tells me that Koetsu’s are the best thing since mothers milk- and the other tells me that Koetsu’s are horrible with all the faults under the sun...( at least the ones that are in my budget..see above!) Can I hear any of these for myself...either in my system, or at the respective dealers...heck NO! ( and don’t think this type of scenario/ behavior isn’t consistent for other brands as well!--irrespective of whether the dealer(s) carries said brand or not!).
Here I am left with the choice of dropping several thousand dollars on a product that a) has no ability to be heard in my own system..therefore having no clue as to the results that I will get, b) has absolutely no return policy c) can be easily damaged by myself or others in the case of incorrect mounting to the tonearm...and lastly...and this is the one that really annoys me the most: I must shop for these products at a very limited amount of vendors who all are naysaying their competitors and acting extremely unprofessionally in the process. ( Do i really have to talk to the prospective rep for the line in order to determine the compatibility of the cartridge under question with my arm, the reasoning behind the asked price, where the dealer is that should be selling me the piece in question ( so as not to cross territorial lines) and on and on!!)
Then we have this little bonbon...The damn Japanese sourced cartridge(s) is available on several Japanese web sites at a price that is usually 50 -60% of the retail price here in the USA!! And that price in Japan is still at FULL RETAIL! ( Yes, I know it cost a ton of money to ship these things from Japan to here ( since they weigh a ton), LOL).
Where does this leave the US consumer in regards to the acquisition of a top flite cartridge...IMO the answer is between a hard place and a rock..You either pay through the nose and get totally ripped off by the likes of Music Direct and the various small independent reps in the US for these cartridges, or you takes your choice and risk buying from a grey market vendor abroad...but at a fraction of the price! BTW, mysteriously most of the top flite Benz cartridges continue to be very available from a vendor in China who seems to have cornered the market?? What’s up with this??
I can go on and about this journey, as I have just began to scratch the top of the heap in this story, but let’s hear from you guys as to your experiences and thoughts.... Was your top flite cartridge acquisition an equal nightmare, or was it something else?
@daveyf - you do like to post provocative matter, don't you? I don't regard the "high-end cartridge" pricing as reasonable, but I also don't think there's much we can do about it. The prices in Japan for cartridges from that country are, I believe, pretty much what the importer here in the States pays- the rest is mark-up for the middlemen- the distributor, and the retailer. I doubt very many people pay full retail for a top tier cartridge, but even at a discount, a cartridge with a 10-15k retail price is obscene. So, what are the alternatives? Beer budget, like the Hana, or lower priced models within a line you like? Retips by someone other than the factory, e.g., Peter at Soundsmith? MM or MI cartridges? I get that you were not looking for advice, and that your post was more in the nature of a rant, but that said, why snipe at folks who are offering alternatives? We are all in the same boat. We either pay the freight or find an alternative. I suspect if you get Jonathan Carr on here, he'll tell you these things --at least the top tier ones using unobtanium materials-- have a very low production, are in many cases made by ancient Japanese craftsmen who hand make each piece, and that the market for them is relatively limited. Whether or not you believe that, I don't know that there is much you can do, other than go gray market, retip or change your cartridge preference. It is true that you can't meaningfully hear a cartridge other than a fly-by at a dealers, but i have had a dealer in the past who insisted I would like an Airtight over a Lyra; he brought it, installed it, and I agreed. (In at least one other instance, he brought over a piece and I didn't think it bettered my existing piece and I nixed it). You pay for that service, one way or the other. (Which is why some people will take whatever risk exists with the gray market and others won't- wanting to know that they have support if something goes awry). My only observation and this is based on knowing you a bit from What'sBest, etc., is that taking shots at people and "LoL'ing" isn't exactly constructive. But, that's your choice.
It sounds like a joke when a buyer of $5-15000 cartridge can't even mount it himself. If a buyer have zero experience with cheaper cartridges then why this buyer is looking for such expensive toys ? It's absurd.
daveyF, a rip off is when someone offers something for sale and misrepresents what it is. If I offer you a Rolex and what I sell you is a cheap imitation then I ripped you off. If I offer you a Rolex at full retail + 20% because it is a rare watch, and you agree to buy it , then no matter what anybody thinks about the value you got for your money, you got exactly what what you intended to buy and that is not a rip off.
Is a night at the Waldorf Astoria worth $600 when you can stay at Motel 6 for $59? Is a bottle of Opus One wine worth $300 when you can get a bottle of red for $3? Is the Rolex worth $30K when you can get a Timex for $25 that probably keeps better time?
getting fools to part with their money is not ripping them off as long as you are not deceiving them.
@herman so if I am able to buy the very same cartridge at retail for 1/2 the price in Japan and the US dealer is asking for twice that price here in the states, having shipped over the cartridge at some enormous shipping price,(if you believe that) that doesn’t strike you as a rip off! Plus, that’s assuming the distributor here is paying retail in Japan, which they may not be... it could be wholesale there. i just question where your comfort level lies with this stuff, but I now have an idea.
Davey, you don't understand what a rip off is. A rip off is when you pay for one thing and get another. You got cheated, swindled, etc. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the object is worth what you paid for it as an objects' worth is solely determined by what you or someone else is willing to pay.
As long as you agree to a price for an object, you understand what this object is, the seller accurately describes it, and the seller delivers this object after you pay for it, nobody gets ripped off.
If I offer you dead rat for $100 and you know you are buying a worthless dead rat, then you will not get "ripped off." You are a fool for spending that much for something worth much less or nothing at all, but you got exactly what you paid for.
@herman I guess we will have to agree to disagree. In my books IF someone pulls the wool over your eyes, then that is a rip off! How often do you believe that the seller’s of these Japanese cartridges disclose the fact that they are readily available in the Japanese market for 1/2 or less of what they are asking here in the States? What you are describing as a rip off, sounds like fraud to me.
Who ever said that capitalism requires parity of pricing across international markets? Better to forget about cartridges and gripe with the US pharmaceutical industry about their Canadian and Indian pricing strategies, which undercut domestic pricing in accordance with local supply/demand. This thread has become a troll exercise.
@br3098 Sure, Mr. Dealer you can always start your own thread about how easy it is to sell high priced cartridges to less than sophisticated folks who are only too happy to buy anything from you...so long as the price is higher than what their neighbor paid! No reason to come back here again.
Out of all the reading I've done, I don't believe I've gained any knowledge; what truth that has been revealed amounts to "So what"; that's the way the game is played, run with the big dogs or stay at home.
so if I am able to buy the very same cartridge at retail for 1/2 the price in Japan and the US dealer is asking for twice that price here in the states, having shipped over the cartridge at some enormous shipping price,(if you believe that) that doesn’t strike you as a rip off!
Official distributor will not ship overseas if there is another official distributor in your country. This is the basics of the manufacturer & distrubutor deal. Also you can not be a distributor if you don't buy certain amount of cartridges (actually a lot of them). Manufacturer can not ask all the distributors worldwide to sell for the same price, custom fees and taxes are all different from country to country. I'm not sure why do you think the price in Japan (where the cartridge is made) and a price in USA or in Germany must be the same?
I haven't read every post in this thread, but I'd like to add my own perspective to the issue. First, their is no "best" cartridge. Only one that keeps you satisfied with the music you listen to, and as long as you can keep the "time to upgrade" demon in check. But that still doesn't address the "how can I chose" issue.
That "how can I chose" issue has been with us forever, even in the seventies. It is one of the reasons Harry Pearson's The Abso!ute Sound magazine took off like a missile ..... Harry had been an environmental reporter, attuned to the real word and balanced reporting. Harry also had a superb ear, the ability to describe what he heard in words with a developed (with Gordon Holt) vocabulary, and access within a few years to virtually every cartridge then on the market. When you decided to buy a cartridge that Harry had reviewed, you still might not like it, but at least you had an idea beforehand as to "what sound" you were buying. You also got a lot of information to help that choice ..... tone arm mass reommendations, VTA recomendations, etc. There were several reasons why this worked. Initially Harry's credibility was raised because he accepted no advertising, and even when this policy changed later, for a period he would only accept dealer (not manufacturer or distributor) advertising. Secondly, he developed a cadre of also-respected reviewers and included second and third opinions on all the stuff Harry really liked (or disliked) as a reality check. And finally, the magazine included a lot of listener feedback, which often was more in support of the assessments Harry made (after laying out their own money) than in opposition.
Now Harry was without his flaws, and he was probably the originator of Audio's "if its more expensive, it most likely is better" mentality once he heard the Koetsu (which he did not describe as accurate, but did fall in love with it's strengths.) The problem with this: by the time the next "great cartridge" arrived, the original had been shipped off to other reviewers for commentary, and sometimes back to the distributor from which it came. So he did not do many direct comparisons, and after awhile fell into the trap of believing he could remember accurately enough to declare "this one better than that (past) cartridge, in this or that respect." Such might or might not have been true, but over time it was likely if the new cartridge was more expensive, or more exotic, it was given the benefit of the doubt.
Initially, Harry and I did share a belief (which I was why I came to play a minor role in the first eight issues) that comparatives could only take you so far and that attending live musical events (lots of them) was the only thing that could attune you to what was present or not present in the cartridge or other component under review. In addition, of course, to only changing one thing at a time.
In my case, back around 1980, when I switched into moving coils I managed to listen to the Dynavector Ruby and the Accuphase AC-2, both of which had been judged neutral-sounding but "musical" by TAS, and finally purchased the AC-2. Two years later I bought two more (used) as backups as audiophiles abandoned them to follow Harry's "latest and greatest and more expensive" cartridges. I knew I would never upgrade my cartridge further, and never have.
Two incidentals: in today's dollars the AC-2 would fall around $1800 and the Dynavector Ruby a bit over $2000. So you might want to consider $2000 as a reasonable benchmark for getting a top-flight MC cartridge. And secondly, I still go to dozens of jazz and chamber and orchestral concerts a year. I often listen with my eyes closed, as I do when listening to my system at home. I get the same listening satisfaction from both. I'm not sure a cartridge can deliver more than that.
In my case, back around 1980, when I switched into moving coils I managed to listen to the Dynavector Ruby and the Accuphase AC-2, both of which had been judged neutral-sounding but "musical" by TAS, and finally purchased the AC-2. Two years later I bought two more (used) as backups as audiophiles abandoned them to follow Harry's "latest and greatest and more expensive" cartridges. I knew I would never upgrade my cartridge further, and never have.
Two incidentals: in today's dollars the AC-2 would fall around $1800 and the Dynavector Ruby a bit over $2000. So you might want to consider $2000 as a reasonable benchmark for getting a top-flight MC cartridge. And secondly, I still go to dozens of jazz and chamber and orchestral concerts a year. I often listen with my eyes closed, as I do when listening to my system at home. I get the same listening satisfaction from both. I'm not sure a cartridge can deliver more than that.
Excellent post Harrylavo.
I agree. The Accuphase AC2 is a seriously good cartridge. I bought one online a few months ago that was missing a stylus but otherwise appeared to be in very good condition in the photos. Picked it up for next to nothing and then had Andy Kim fit a Namiki boron cantilever with Microridge stylus on it and rework the suspension (if it indeed needed it).
So I have about $600 U.S. into this cartridge and it will probably be the last one I own. I'll simply retip it every 2000 hours or so. Should last me a very long time.
I've had pretty good luck rebuilding/retipping lesser cartridges in the past and took a flyer on this one. Alternatively, in a new cartridge I probably would have just popped for the Audio Technica ART 9. But the Accuphase piqued my curiosity based on what I'd read about it and as a low impedance design was a very good fit with my phono stage.
I realize that vintage (either in MM or MC) or rebuilding is not for everyone or at least the feint of heart, but that is where the big value is in the cartridge market now with prices escalating as they have in the past 5 years or so.
Even the Accuphase 5 was over $4000 when it was current; the new Accuphase 6 appears to be that or a bit more. And the Dynavector SV1-S and SV1-T are $5600 and $9500 respectively.
@harrylavo Very NICE post. Thank you for not posting the usual drivel about why are we discussing this subject etc.,
I also read extensively HP’s work. He was one of the very few writers who generally called it as he heard it, as such I think you could put some reliance on his review. Assuming, of course, that you tended to agree with his aural thoughts and discoveries ( which I did). Unfortunately, I think there were two problems in later year with this approach, one of which you mentioned. That first problem was that as time went by, HP tended to rely on his memory, which as you pointed out wasn’t a great way to go. The other problem, which you didn’t mention, is that he was getting the results that he did with matching to certain gear, if there was a synergy, he didn’t report on the synergy aspect, only on the result of the particular piece in question ( which IMO is ok). However, the risk of a non synergistic alliance was still a factor, as it is today! Today, I think the aspect of synergy with the ancillary gear is more important than ever, and will show its ugly head quicker if you get it wrong. That, plus the fact that the writings of people like MF are, at least IME, not anywhere near as reliable in regards to their findings as HP.
@hdm Interesting tale about your Accuphase AC2. There isn’t much forum activity on Accuphase cartridges. I have an AC3 that I purchased new and have run in for several hundred hours on a Kuzma 4PT. It’s a good cartridge, but a bit plush and soft-focus for my tastes. It's probably just average at the $3K price level. I need to try it on some other arms before final judgment. It’s rumored that recent Accuphase cartridges are sourced from My Sonic Lab.
Yes, the Accuphase cartridges tend to fly a bit under the radar, which I think is the primary reason you can still purchase one without stylus or broken cantilever at pretty reasonable prices. I paid $112 on Ebay.
My system is certainly not ultra high end; the Accuphase is on a Jelco 750D with an aftermarket mounting collar and a Yamamoto HS4 carbon fibre headshell (a really nice headshell and a pretty substantial upgrade over the stock Jelco headshell) on a Michell Gryodec running into an Aqvox phono stage. The Aqvox is a current mode stage that tends to work better IMO with low impedance designs so the Accuphase is a good fit there.
The AC2 I have is probably also on the warmer side of neutral, but just slightly and not overtly warm like the lower end Koetsus IMO. My AC2 also originally had a sapphire tube cantilever; I’m just guessing, but I would expect that switching to the boron cantilever when Andy re-worked it probably warmed it up a bit as well.
Rumour has it that the AC2 and the Monster Alpha Genesis 1000 (both Nakatsuka designs-unlike as you pointed out the newer Accuphase cartridges) are essentially the same cartridge but I really can’t confirm that and the Genesis 2000 that I believe followed the 1000 was apparently quite a bit warmer than the 1000 so maybe the AC3 was cut from the same cloth and followed a similar path?
I would think your Kuzma arm should be a pretty good match with the AC3 in terms of effective mass/compliance as both are in the medium camp but perhaps you might have a better match with one of your other arms.
My system does not really warrant expenditures in even the $2K-$3K range in cartridges and from what I’ve heard in the uber expensive cartridges in much better systems than mine I still think there is compromise involved and subjective preferences come into play when it comes to purchasing a single cartridge.
I didn't mean to suggest that the AC2 was the equal of current offerings in the $5k-$15K range-I'm sure there are better cartridges out there. Just not at a cost that I'd like to absorb.
But I’m a bit of a cheapskate and quite taken with my AC2. And if it's as good as the average $3000 cartridge, I am still thrilled! I think I can live happily ever after with it, but haven’t we all said that before?
I have an original still good Dynavector Ruby 23.. Gee $2000?
Paid about $600 for NOS Dyna 23RS Super with MicroReach stylus (they call it Reach, not Ridge) on ebay this summer. Amazing cartridge, will blown away many $2k carts
I'm in the thousand dollar or less crowd, I own an Ortofon 2M black they sell for 8-9 hundred dollars. I listened to a lot of MC carts but felt the black gave me more of what I wanted to hear at a price of thousands less.
I'm glad to find that there are other Accuphase aficionados here. I haven't heard the AC-3 so can't comment, but in no way would I describe the AC-2 as anything but neutral in both transient response and frequency response.
Since I've started using Hi-Fi Shark I've been exposed to trading forums around the world and I have been a bit startled to see how many AC-1s and AC-2s are bought, sold, and traded in the Asian countries, with Japan leading the way. Harry Pearson liked the AC-2 but by that point much more so with the more expensive but more colored cartridges. So the AC-2 never became "big" here as it did in Asia. And to the best of my knowledge neither the AC-1 or AC-3 were ever imported here.
Chakster - I use a 12 year old Benz Ruby 3. Is that considered a vintage cartridge today?
I had a Dynavector Ruby 23r back in its day. It was both relatively neutral and erred on the warm side (but I really liked it). Then I got the original Karat 17 which was really, really fast sounding but less involving and bright (I've been told today's Karat 17x3 is superior). My Ruby 23r stylus wore out back in the late 80s or early 90s.
Van den Hul claims 3500 hours for his longer lasting styluses. Ortofon claims 2000 hours (except for the Cadenza Bronze where somewhere I read 3000 hours for clean playing condition & pristine LP condition leads to excess playing hours).
I have been playing my LPs using an SME IV modified with cartridges in the medium compliance range which is mated to the arm. With correct installation parameters, my Benz Ruby 3 is lasting longer than any of my previous cartridges (of course smog killed/hardened internal parts of many Dynavectors in the 70's and 80s after only 3 years each). Even the earliest Lyra cartridge I owned back in the 1999 to 2006 lasted maybe 1800 hours.
I didn't read all 227 of the current responses but I would seriously consider Soundsmith. A dedicated owner if there ever was one, and not just to cartridges or music but to people. I will be having him rebuild my Sumiko Blackbird for about a third of the cost of a new one.
@fleschleri am replacing my 21 year old Benz Ruby 2, and if it were possible to have upgraded in the Benz line, I would have. Unfortunately, I am told that Benz is once again, no more! This would have made my selection process a lot easier. Nonetheless, the only vestiges of these cartridges seemingly now lies in the hands of one Chinese vendor...who is selling grey market.
Benz was really good, but most other makers and even Benz themselves moved on a lot past that 2 series, I think. You might be very pleasantly surprised if you do take a chance on a reputable makers' cartridge in the 2-4K range. Certainly I'm sad to see Benz go (again), but there are other great cartridge makers in top form today.
I like so many others, started out with MM carts and eventually made the MC upgrade and the phono preamp as well. I started out with basic entry level Denon MC cart. Of course I suffered the same dilemma as yourself. Volumes of hifi magazines and the ubiquitous moving coil reviews. Well being of average financial means I started buying second hand moving coil carts, trialing them and then on selling those carts till I found the cart that was ideal both sonically and economically. I was very happy with the Benz Micro Glider S. The real problem is when you have such a great cart and you close you eyes and feel your there with the artist, you are always going to find it increasingly difficult to find another cart that gives exponentially great performance no matter what price.
Chakster - I use a 12 year old Benz Ruby 3. Is that considered a vintage cartridge today?
No, it's not a vintage cartridge. They are all from the XX century
I had a Dynavector Ruby 23r back in its day. It was both relatively neutral and erred on the warm side (but I really liked it). Then I got the original Karat 17 which was really, really fast sounding but less involving and bright (I've been told today's Karat 17x3 is superior). My Ruby 23r stylus wore out back in the late 80s or early 90s.
I've tried both, but only very rare "S" versions. The difference is the stylus profile, which is MicroReach (aka MicroRidge). Here is my 17DS and 23RS MR. Another nice Dyna in collection from the old days, but not as good as the 17DS and 23RS MR.
I think for the folks who don’t agree with the current pricing, the answer lies in older use the cartridges. As I said in a previous post I felt my NOS fidelity research bested my Topflite VDH in someways and was not quite as good in others. But as a whole I felt it was slightly more enjoyable and definitely offered far far far better value. That folks to think more expensive equals better run out and buy the current top-of-the-line stuff. In five years we will pick it up for pennies on the dollar but it probably won’t be any better than the Fidelity research I’m currently using.
Pretty hard to recommend cartridges for someone. Folks can recommend something that will work compliance wise on the arm but as far as this sounds signature it’s very personal. I find cartridges either fall into the warm and syrupy sounds or into the lean and analytical with everything in between. What you liked will depend on how the rest of your system as voiced.
As long as we are on the subject of cartridges, I want to bring up LAST stylus treatment and LAST record preservative. I started using them in 1967 or 68 when they first came out. What they do for records and stylus longevity seems to be pretty extraordinary. I am still using my original AC-2 which shows very, very little sign of wear. My records, if cleaned with the original record cleaning fluid and the treated with last still sound virtually new (unless somewhere along the way I was clumsy). Not only new, but better than new because the dual treatment of record and stylus removes a lot of high frequency "tizz" and replaces it with smooth, smooth, accurate highs.
The stuff is expensive (it was then, and is even mores o today, but boy does it seem to work.)
I sold a ton of SOTA + Jelco + Dynavector Ruby back in the day....many of them still running.....
and the Gyrodeck :-)
IF someone has a line on a well cared for Ruby and or AC-2, I would love a PM
as for the RP-10, I have a Lyra Delos on a BASIS w REGA arm and am getting great sound.....BUT there is absolutely nothing wrong with an Ortofon black.....
Cardas still sells the Benz Ruby (don't know which version) as a Cardas Myrtle Heart and Cardas Silver Heart cartridge on their website http://cardas.com/cartridge.php These are new cartridges. I really like my Benz Ruby 3 because it balances the warmth and the neutrality/resolution of current cartridges. Several lower priced cartridges sounded good to me at audio shows, the Dynavector XX2 and Ortofon Cadenza Bronze. The
XV-1s is too expensive for me.
Boys, I travel to Tokyo frequently and when there I haunt audio salons in my spare time. You will never see a Lyra cartridge overtly for sale in Tokyo. Likewise for Koetsu, maybe excepting their lowest cost models. If you ask a salesperson about Koetsu or Lyra, they don’t know what you’re talking about. Likewise also for Clearaudio and several others aimed at the foreign market, i.e., outside japan. Other good brands can be found but there’s little price advantage especially considering the lack of a US warranty, like Audio Technica. That still leaves a few relative bargains, e.g., Shelter and Ikeda and a few brands we don’t see here in the US.
I inadvertently posted these comments on the latest Madavid "rip-off" thread (Tonearms), earlier today. Sorry.
I had not heard Benz went out of business (again?). I’m making my way, slowly, through a process of upgrading carts and am just not sure what my upper limit is.
My methodology has been to try a moderately priced cart in the same brand before even considering something approaching $2000 and I’m not sure I could bring myself to even go there.
Considering a Benz Gold LOMC only to see that model missing from one of the major online retailers. Currently own a Hana EL and a Dynavector 10x5 along with my trusty Denon DL103. I could easily one up within Hana or Dynavector based on my experience with both so far. Hana just introduced some upper range carts and Dynavector has quite a few upper options.
I’m spinning on a Micro Seiki BL-51 with a new Jelco TS-550S. Not sure how high I want to go.
Is Benz really out of business? Website simply says it is down for maintenance. Distributor in Canada says they have stock. Have not been able to find any more information other than the original post and a post of the Steve Hoffman forum by the same person.
@ghn5ue You bring up an interesting point. I was hoping that Benz was still supplying cartridges, and had actually made a deal to a acquire the LPS MR from one of my local dealers. He called me and told me the situation, which lead me to cancel the order. I then confirmed this with the distributor for the US...Musical Surroundings. Now, if Musical Surroundings decided that they wanted to torpedo the Benz Micro company due to some internal scenario, that I cannot say! ( and it wouldn't be the first time that a disgruntled distributor has done something unscrupulous like that....!) However, I have no knowledge that this is the case, and no reason to believe that is the situation.
I'm all of a sudden reminded of a scene from the classic movie "Stripes" starring Bill Murray, John Candy and Harold Ramis, where a private named Francis comes into the barracks and says..."If any of you guys touch my stuff.......I'll kill ya". AND... if any of you homo's touch ME.......I'll kill ya. Then you hear Sergeant Hulka say...."Lighten up Francis". lol
I am surprised at the comment that Benz have gone bust. I am sure that is not the case. I am so pleased with my Benz LP that I bought 2! In any even they can be serviced quite happily without regard to going back to Benz. I heard the top of the range Dynavector xv1t at a friend's house and was so impressed I bought one. I am very pleased. I heard the top Lyra in my system and was impressed at how smooth it was. My girlfriend likes it because of that (well she likes me so obviously she is an expert in smoothness!), but to me it was excessively smooth and lost impact along the way. It would have been an expensive mistake for me to have bought the Lyra on spec. I work on the basis that a good dealer (mine) will make great attempts to "accommodate" you on prices once you have found what you want, and if they know what you like then can guide you and narrow down your margins of error. Dealers do not stock new cartridges as that would be horrendously expensive.
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