The Palladian-A step beyond

Wish I could read German...
But that phrase sums it up 🇩🇪

I can't drag myself away from listening....
So review may have to wait 😎
In the meantime, Thuchan, who has all of Dietrich's other cartridges (as well as nearly 100 of the greatest cartridges throughout history) has this to say about the Palladian
https://audiocirc.com/2016/10/31/live-magic/

It’s not often one begins a review by denigrating the product ‘type’ to start with…..

But I don’t like ‘modern’ LOMC cartridges.

I don’t like their exaggerated high frequencies…

I don’t like their recessed unnatural midrange timidity…

I don’t like their pseudo-impressive but unrealistic bass thump…

And I particularly don’t like their near ability to suck the emotional content out of the music…..

I know that the above is a generalisation and that most of the high-end audio fraternity strongly disagree with that sweeping analysis, but after owning a dozen of the respected ‘modern’ LOMCs over the last 25 years, I have embraced the delights of vintage MM cartridges in their place.

 

Vintage LOMCs on the other hand (like vintage MMs) are a different kettle of fish in my book….

The SPUs, EMTs, Neumann DST, FR-7 series, Sony XL-55 etc. project a soundstage and musical presentation seemingly at odds with the ‘modern’ sound.

How did this state come to be?

Is it the quest for seemingly greater detail retrieval demanded by aging audiophile ears and the ‘rational’ that higher pricing is synonymous with ‘revealing’ (I hate that word) cartridges?

 

Dietrich Brakemeier has been a devotee of vintage LOMC cartridge and tonearm design for decades.

I believe he started off in audio re-wiring the great Fidelity Research tonearms, the FR-64s and FR-66s with pure silver Litz.

His admiration for the FR-7 series cartridges (particularly the FR-7f and FR-7Fz) is well known through his contributions to various Audio Forums.

The fact that he has, only fairly recently, been able to launch a new audio company successfully manufacturing only analogue equipment (including the incredible Apolyt turntable) is an encouraging sign for all who love vinyl.

The latest and greatest of his four cartridge designs (Archon, Astron, Aiwon are the others), the Palladian advances on the design of the Aiwon. As Dietrich explains:-

 

“When we introduced the aiwon in early winter 2014 we were amazed by its subtle detail, by its ability to recreate tiny, tantalizing details – minor details which so immensely support the emotional impact and the sense of reality in a sonic picture.

Over the next 18 months we experimented with a few samples of the aiwon trying to further fine tune for even more impact in performance.

But it was not before we made subtle changes in some key inherent design parameters that we entered new ground.

This was the birth of the design which then evolved in the spring of 2016 into the palladian.

The palladian features a hand hammered Timet 1100 Titanium body of unequalled strength and with an unparalleled ability to transfer energy.

In the palladian we find a strong heart with more energy (coil windings), a body more agile with less inertia (reduced moving mass), featuring further a very special, subtle mix of small measures taken to fine tune each and every parameter of performance allowing for a sonic explosion beyond our expectations and hopes.

The hand hammered body, the quicksilverish shine like a dragon’s skin - The palladian Timet 1100 body expresses visually its agility, vital dynamic and live-likeness.

The palladian brings that spark of life back into the sonic presentation of each and every recording.

That spark of life – independent whether large or small – that was there when the performance was once captured.

The palladian is fast, life-like dynamic and breathtaking direct in its color, immediateness and agility.

An incredible agile, dynamic dancer – a reminiscent of Misha Baryshnikov in his prime.

It is subtle, tender and sublime – yet frightening dynamic, with a sonic punch both wall-shaking and stunning physical in its impact.

The palladian is.. live ….. in the very best sense and in the true spirit of the music.

And with the palladian the true spirit of the music is there.

Our statement in phono cartridges ….. our best.”

 

Wow……hyperbole? Marketing speak? Or just plain B.S…..?

 

I mounted the Palladian in the Yamamoto HS-4 carbon fiber headshell (which I had discovered elevates the performance of every cartridge I have tried) fitted to one of my FR-66s tonearms on the Raven AC-2 turntable running through the Kondo KSL-sFz SUT into the MM input of the Halcro DM-10 phonostage.

Straight out of the box, the sound of the Palladian stunned me……

Those who know what an SPU-Ae Gold or FR-7fz can sound like in the right system will know how rare an experience this can be.

An enveloping soundstage filled the entire volume of my lofted-ceiling listening space with shimmering translucent midrange realism…..

No strain…..no brittle edginess….no drone to the nether regions, only a sense of wonder.

A sense of ‘the live event’ Brakemeier had written about.

This was no marketing hyperbole…..

This was what we dreamed it could be like when we listened to music in our homes.

This was the fulfillment of 60 years of promises…..

 

I find it meaningless to delve into detailed descriptions of how particular tracks on particular albums sounded (as most Reviewers now seem to do) for no-one knows what they sounded like before the item under review…?

What I do find illuminating is how a cartridge handles the ‘worst’ of recorded music.

The challenging, poorly recorded or poorly engineered tracks, which normally make you want to stop listening.

For it’s almost certain that these tracks sounded ‘listenable’ on the original master tape, but the distortions introduced in the mastering, pressing and playback stages has pushed the sound past a coherent point.

Only a few cartridges can ‘retrieve’ enough, and distort minimally enough, to render these ‘horror’ tracks listenable and sometimes even enjoyable.

Harvest by Neil Young on Reprise (7599-27239-1) has some nicely recorded tracks (Out On The Weekend, Harvest, Heart Of Gold) as well as 2 tracks (Alabama, Words), which have confounded me with their leanness, lack of real bass, vocal distortion and complete lack of depth. The album was recorded at four different venues with three different Producers and those two tracks share the same Producers and venues.

With the Palladian, I was actually able to listen to these tracks without flinching, and could now clearly ascertain the 'out-of-key' harmonies of Stephen Stills together with the clearly over-dubbed lead guitar boosted above the general sound level on the right channel and the completely flat soundstage.

So clear and cleanly illuminated were all the artifacts of the recording engineer displayed…that it became, for the first time listening to these….an enjoyable and intriguing experience.

 

Respighi Pines of Rome (Reiner on the Classic Records re-issue of the RCA LSC-2436) had always brought my wife storming down the hallway at the 'screeching' Finale whilst I scrambled for the volume control to save my bleeding ears.

Now with the Palladian….the wife actually sits and listens!

The shrill distortions of the complex massed strings and horns previously heard with lesser cartridges, became transparently effortless just as they are in a concert hall for yes…..live music CAN be shrill, complex and congested but also understood and transparent at the same time.

 

George Harrison’s box set ‘All Things Must Pass’ produced by Harrison and Phil Spector and digitally remastered in 2001 has some wonderful music but some dubious sound quality (probably caused by the digital remastering).

‘Wah-Wah’ in particular on side 1…..symptomatic of Spector’s ‘Wall-of-Sound’ signature, is so congested, frequency-limited and distorted that no matter which turntable I use or which arm I use or which cartridge I use (even MMs)….NOTHING can make this track anything but a chore to listen to till its end.

Now I’m not going to say that the Palladian transforms this track into a sonic wonder….but it’s the only cartridge that allows me to listen till the end without reducing the volume or hitting the mute switch…..

 

Of course it’s a given that the Palladian does justice to all your favourite well-recorded albums.

What is NOT a given is how the Palladian projects a force-field into your listening space. A force-field so like the ‘real’ thing that you sit there literally open-mouthed, not quite believing what you’re hearing but transfixed by the majesty of the illusion.

 

Brakemeier has managed to create a cartridge which builds upon the knowledge of the past great LOMC cartridges like the SPUs and FR-7 series whilst pushing the technology envelope to allow even further possibilities.

This is truly as close to live sound as I have yet heard produced in my listening room.

This is a cartridge that Art Dudley would love and understand….

I suspect that even Michael Fremer (who admits to impatience with vintage sound and products) might appreciate the breakthrough the Palladian presents?

Everyone who is serious about the information still buried within the humble vinyl record, needs to hear the Palladian even if he can’t afford the steep sticker price, for sound like this unfortunately….does not come cheaply.

 

 

Thanks for the kind words folkfreak.
Cartridges are very subjective items to recommend and there are many to whom I have extolled the virtues of a particular unit only to find they haven't had the same experience....🙄‼️
In the case of the Palladian......I simply cannot imagine anyone experiencing anything but wonderment....🎶🙏
Please let us know what you think when it arrives....?
Regards

What I do find illuminating is how a cartridge handles the ‘worst’ of recorded music.

Yes. Exactly.

Thanks Sampsa....
Michael Fremer in one of his latest component reviews actually mentions the same George Harrison track 'Wah-Wah' as a test for 'ability'....
So credit where it's due for our 'main man'....👏

Thank you for your kind words bluewolf and also for your interesting thoughts and history.
I admire your system greatly and my gosh.....the Omnigon 😜...‼️
The stuff of my dreams....🙏
I too appreciate the enormous changes the Internet has made in allowing Audio Forums like this to prosper.
And to meet folks like Dertonarm and Thuchan here on A'Gon, has literally changed my Audio life. Their presence is missed...😪
Without them.....I would never have entered the world of the FR-64s, FR-66s and FR-7f.
And I think in some way.....the impression Dertonarm made on many of us here, has enabled him to fast-track his analogue audio company.
And the whole audio world is richer for that.....👏

Btw, makes no sense to me ( knowing the HDM 10 and your SUT. ) not use the Palladian directly in the Halcro phonolinepreamp??????

The Halcro DM-10 phono stage (both MM and MC) is excellent and I've tried direct comparisons with my LOMCs directly into the DM-10's MC input and through the Kondo SUT into the MM input.
The differences are very subtle....but in the end, I think the removal of the extra 'active' stages makes the SUT slightly more transparent.

Help me please: what does this cartridge cost and where can you buy them? Thank you.

Here ya go....

http://www.arche-headshell.de/distributors/

Dear bluewolf,
You seem like a reasonable, rational and personable kind of guy so I need to give you some history and advice about Raul.....😎
It is best to ignore his Posts as any response, encourages him that someone....anyone.....is still reading what he says...over and over and over again 💤
He constantly cites ’opinions’ as if they were ’facts’ and never supplies a shred of scientific evidence to support them.
His naive idea of ’evidence’....is producing a copy of some other hapless individual’s subjective opinion with which Raul agrees...🗿

About seven years ago, Dertonarm (Daniel Brakemeier) and Raul had unseemly arguments on these pages about all things analogue .....from turntables to tonearms to cartridges and especially the tonearm geometry systems of Lofgren, Baerwald, Stevenson etc.
At that time, Raul proudly announced he was designing a tonearm and cartridge and even gave a date at the forthcoming CES where it would be introduced.
Dertonarm wagered that HIS tonearm would be presented to the world before Raul’s...
Fast forward and history shows that not only has Raul’s tonearm never seen the light of day....but Dertonarm went on to start up Acoustical Systems which now produces two tonearms, four MC cartridges, ingenious headshells, tonearm set-up protractors and possibly the world’s most expensive turntable.
Brakemeier even invented a NEW tonearm geometry and could be considered one of the world’s foremost experts on tonearm geometry✍️

I also discovered many years ago...that almost everything Raul thought was ’good’ in the way of cartridges, headshells , tonearms and turntables I found pedestrian. And almost everything he thought was ’bad’.....I found to be revealing and satisfying.

So I urge you bluewolf, to do as my hero, George Costanza once famously did.......
Do the OPPOSITE of everything Raul says to do....😜
That motto has served me well for many years for as the story of Raul and Dertonarm shows......Raul is mostly wrong ‼️

Regards

Last night I was listening to my SS re-tipped Grace Ruby, about a $600 total investment, and wondering whether and how, for example, a ZYX UNIverse will compare to it.

Perhaps you may soon have the opportunity to compare Lewm...😀❓

I agree with Lewm that there are many ways of 'damping'....not only in relation to tonearms, headshells and cartridges but also platters, plinths, rooms, valves, casework and even cables.
Unfortunately, because of the lack of financial return and the moving nature of the technology......there is a dearth of real scientific study and/or published data for this broad hobby called 'audio'.

Every designer of every component for sale in audio, has a 'philosophy' and/or 'science' behind his product that makes it 'better' than what came before and that of his competitors.
If one bought a component based solely on the 'science' of the claims.....one would deserve the sound that resulted 👀
Despite the obvious knowledge of Jonathan Carr.....his Lyra cartridges are amongst the poorest I have heard in my system....on both damped and undamped tonearms....
So how to put that supposed 'knowledge' into perspective?

The most scientific and exhaustive analysis on tonearm design that has been University accredited, belongs to Continuum Audio Laboratories which resulted in the Cobra and Copperhead tonearms.
Using a design team of five eminent specialist scientists under the direction of Mark Doehmannn, they applied a suite of advanced software towards the modelling of both arms beginning with Finite Element Analysis using NASTRAN, PATRAN, and DYSTRAN whilst finalizing the designs in the complex process of Gradient Shape Optimisation using 'Reshape' from advea.com.

The four greatest 'universal' tonearms I have heard are the FR-64s, FR-66s, Cobra and Copperhead.
All four are 'undamped' in the traditional sense 😜

but that does not mean I think any phono cartridge is worth $10,000. +

I agree Fleib....
And when you think that there are now $15,000 cartridges in the market place, the days of $20,000 cartridges are fast approaching 😱
When you consider that on the 'used' market, one can buy the FR-7f, XL-55, XL-88, MIT 1, Silver Meister (new), SPU-Ae Gold and MC-L1000 altogether, for less than the cost of the Palladian.....it makes no sense 🚫
I can happily listen to any of those great LOMC cartridges before even yearning for my beloved MMs.....
But when I return to the Palladian......I realise that this one cartridge  combines every great attribute of all the wonderful cartridges I adore, into a single whole.
And then adds another dimension...
If I had only one cartridge......this would be it‼️

With some companies the name of the game is, 'whatever the market will bear'

.
I think with some cartridges the game may be even more sinister?
There is a wealthy cabal of audiophiles worldwide, for whom the exclusivity that comes with 'high-cost'allows them to imagine that the 'pissants' can never hear that rarefied quality....
The higher the cost of a cartridge.....the smaller this select group becomes and you can see them on self-congratulatory Audio Forums (which shall remain nameless).
I think Acoustical Systems may have erred in making the Palladian almost TOO affordable....for this group already dabble in cartridges costing $12,000 - $18,000.
Had the Palladian been the first to cross the magic $20,000 barrier.....it would have already caused a stir and been seen as the next 'step forward'.
I hope I'm wrong.....🙈

Halcro, did you try the Palladian in another arm? Dirk Sommer who wrote the HIFI Statement review used a Thales Simplicity and an Acoustical Systems Aquilar on a Brinkman LaGrange. He said the cart is his analog discovery of the year.

Quite a statement Fleib...
It seems he was more struck with the Aquilar/Palladian combo that the Simplicity.
Is that how you read the review?

Dietrich was elaborating on the important elements of tonearm design because resonance is but a small factor....
He says the key to tonearm design is the ability to accelerate and optimise energy transfer without getting into self-( by the tracking process...) stimulated resonances in the audible frequency band.
That's why it is about a WORKING spring-mass system and about using materials with superior propagation speed.Thats why it is about using bearings with ultra-low STARTING friction and as hard coupled bearings as possible.
So far I've only tried the Palladian in the FR-66s tonearm..
Seems a perfect match...😎

Being able to unravel the Stephen Stills or Respighi implies omission, like the natural sounding presentation of a 103 with it's aluminum cantilever and conical tip. 

Always dangerous to speculate without hearing.....🚫
A trait of someone south of the border.....❓😎
The "unravelling" is definitely the result of extracting MORE information and somehow distorting 'less'....
I have the DL-103R and I can assure you there are simply no similarities. 

To divert a little.......
It is widely accepted (even by some cartridge manufacturers) that a low-compliance cartridge puts more energy into the tonearm....
My experiences through a dozen tonearms and over sixty cartridges of all types, show that high-compliance cartridges tend to sort the good from the bad tonearms far more readily.
Trying to understand why.........could it not be that the higher movement in the cantilever (both vertical and horizontal) results in an equally greater reaction (according to Newton) that the tonearm needs to oppose?
If so....it may indeed be that the higher compliance MM cartridges put more stress into the tonearm and thus require a better tonearm than low-compliance MCs.....?
Against all current folklore admittedly.....😱

Wouldn't the amplitude (movement) of the cantilever be the same for both families of cartridge?

I see what you're saying Richard.....
Of course the movement of the cantilever is governed by the groove modulation and not by the compliance.....
Silly me 🤓
I can't understand then, why the arms I've ditched. failed the high-compliance MM test......👐❓

Regards

A stiffer cantilever suspension could well mean less cantilever movement and more tonearm vibration.

That's what I think most folk believe, thus putting more stress in the tonearm......
I'm still not totally convinced 🤔
Surely attaching an accelerometer to a tonearm to produce graphic evidence of the stresses would not be difficult?
I'm sure Continuum did....

maybe the reason is down to incompatable effective mass of the arm cart combo?

The FR-66s has the highest effective mass of any commercial tonearm produced.
If there were no audible compatibility issues with it, plus its little brother FR-64s plus the DV-507/II plus the SAEC WE-8000/ST.....I can't see effective mass being the reason....?
At any rate, it was not a low-frequency problem or arm vibration that ruled out the other tonearms.

Fleib and Richard,
If we agree that the movement is the same at the stylus for both high and low compliance cartridges......wouldn't the greater movement at the end of a high-compliance cantilever cause an equally larger reaction (Newton) which the tonearm sees?
Wouldn't that then put greater stress into the arm?
No-one can explain by physics.....why it is claimed that low-compliance cartridges put greater stress into tonearms....🤔

Low compliance carts are stiffer, so it takes more effort to deflect the suspension when playing a record.

Hang on......
We've agreed that the deflection of the stylus at the groove is the same for high and low-compliance cartridges.
Which means that the end of the cantilever must move more with high-compliance and less with low-compliance.
Where does "effort" come into play in a physical sense?
I don't understand the term "effort" in a structural sense either?
Can you put it in an equation?

Thanks Richard,
I think that makes sense....🤓

A pensive post Lewm..🤔
And one which I think the 'High-End Cabal' (which includes reviewers) would like dismissed 🙈
I have just today, conducted a mini-shoot-out between the Sony XL-55, Sony XL-88 (both renowned LOMCs from the Golden Age of analogue-70s-80s) and one of my favourite MM cartridges (also from the same age)..the Victor Z1 fitted with the SAS stylus.
In two words.....no contest 😎
The Victor has all the immediacy and involvement of 'live' music combined with the delicacy, depth, spatial imagery and speed that are commonly used to describe LOMCs....
Yet I have perhaps a dozen other vintage MMs which are virtually as good as the Z1/SAS and each one can be had for a maximum price of $400...😝
The real question is.....how does the Victor compare to the Palladian....❓👀

**Why do they dominate the high end? **

I think you know. Despite their limitations, "they do have the undeniable virtue of costing more."

You've both got it.....😎
When those with 'means', have $200,000 speakers driven by $160,000 monoblocks with $40,000 line-stages preceded by $20,000 phono-stages driven by $120,000 turntables with $35,000 tonearms......it is unthinkable to run it all with a $600 MM cartridge...😱
So I don't blame the cartridge manufacturers.....
They essentially have no choice.
It's not a question of 'how' a cartridge sounds.....
The only question is...."Does it sound good enough to justify a $10,000-$18,000 price-tag?"
Because no-one who buys a high-end LOMC will ever compare it to a $300 vintage MM or even a $1,500 vintage LOMC in their 1/2 million dollar systems.
And those that do......will rarely be taken seriously 😴
So of course the 'wannabe high-end' audiophiles who can never afford the costs associated with a full-blown high-end system, can just possibly stretch to the 'same' esoteric LOMC (or its close relative).
In this way.....having a $4,000-$6,000 LOMC on their $3,000 tonearm on their $2,500 turntable makes them believe that they are approaching the analogue 'nirvana' of their brethren.
While the majority of audiophiles running their $200-$900 modern MM cartridges are wondering if they will ever taste the 'joys' of the LOMC elite.....
And so it will continue to be.....👐

Thanks for that Link Chris.
Interesting to see.....although that dealer is in Queensland, nearly 1000 Kms north of Sydney 😝

You lost me anyway saying the Palladian sounds similar to a SPU - certainly not something I am looking for in a cartridge.

Didn't know you had a Silver Meister II Shane....?
Or are you saying all SPUs sound alike?

Thanks for the preliminary report folkfreak...
As bluewolf says.....rapid improvement is heard through the first 20 hours although straight out-of-the-box, this cartridge will impress 👀

As lewm rightly reminds us......buying an uber-expensive new cartridge is an act of faith.
Best to take the advice of someone you trust. I did.....
I hope that being inspired to take that risk by reading this Thread, has paid off.....🤔❓

Regards

Raul's last post was first hand confirmation of ethical concerns. Do you think he's lying?

You should be ashamed of yourself Fleib.
How does "first-hand confirmation" equate to repeating one person's grievances from years ago, without knowledge of their veracity or merit?
And without hearing the other side's version......or do you believe that common law principles are unnecessary on the Internet?

The jealous and sordid vendetta propagated by a 'failed' Mexican sociopath is able to be ignored.....but your 'excitement' at these disclosures is sickening.
"Do you think he's lying?".......
About what...?!
Repeating scandalous defamatory statements untested by the legal avenues available to the 'supposed' aggrieved?
You should look carefully at your responses here Fleib, because to me they display a great deal about your character.

Yes I like that example of the "Spanish Infantor’s" blue eyes bluewolf......😎
The saddest revelation in Fleib’s blinding adoration of the Mexican failure, is his ignorance of the terms ’First Hand’, ’Second Hand’, Third Hand’ etc.
First Hand is where one witnesses the actual event itself.
Second Hand is where one is told of the event by one who actually witnessed it.
Third Hand is where one reads (or is told) of the second hand rendition of the event.
Fleib appears to absorb the re-telling of the Third Hand rendition of the event (Fourth Hand?) as evidence of the highest stature....🙈
But why bother asking Dietrich Brakemeier for his version (as Fleib has his direct Email address) when he can besmirch his name in tandem with his sociopath Mexican buddy...💩❓
There is nothing this duo can add to the Palladian Thread.....but that doesn’t appear to present a hindrance to their unwanted presence...😷

None of those Chris...
It is a Q4 Shibata EVO stylus as used historically for quadraphonic reproduction.
You can read all this in the English translation of the German review that the North American Distributor kindly Linked in an early Post here...😎

I just received  the new SMARTscrew Timet 1100 cartridge screws from Acoustical Systems.
These are so new they don't yet appear on their Website...👀
Two pairs (of different lengths) are included in the box and they are obviously made of the same titanium alloy material as the Palladian cartridge body.
I wasted no time in exchanging them for the previously installed screws (which had come with the cartridge).
For the past week, I have been conducting one-on-one comparisons of the Palladian and some of my other cartridges but lately have been concentrating on the SPU Silver Meister.
This is such an easy comparison for me as I have the Raven AC-2 set-up with two identical FR-66s tonearms, each one pre-loaded with the relevant cartridge.
Most of us devoted to high-end analogue these days......acknowledge that EVERYTHING in the chain matters...
I've heard all the differences that mats (or no mats) can make....
Even the type/weight/material and design of the record weight can have an effect on the 'sound'...
But far and away for me in my system.....the choice of headshell has made the most significant differences to how a cartridge 'sounds' or how many of its abilities are allowed to perform at their maximum 👐
So it should not really surprise.....that the screws fixing the cartridge body to the headshell.....can similarly affect the sound....
But it does...🤔‼️

For the previous week, the two cartridges were closely matched (a compliment to both) with little differences in the two tonal presentations.
Where the Palladian had an edge was in the soundstage and transparency.....but it was 'close' 😎
Not anymore.....
There was little apparent change to the tonal presentations but in the areas where the Palladian had a slight edge......it now excelled👏
The soundstage became more 3-dimensional with easily visualised, depth and instrumental-location clues.
The width seemed to become wider or at least the instruments on the extreme edges, were now clearer with 'body'....
And the transparency.....❓
When you experience the illusion of instruments in space, but 'real' space....space which you can 'see' around and feel that you can walk into and importantly.....walk into, turn left, walk through then turn right and proceed even deeper to the next plane of instruments....
That's quite shocking if you haven't experienced it regularly....
But it's these screws that do it...
That's the part that's hard to believe...🤔
You need these screws to extract the full capabilities of this cartridge..
So why aren't they included with the cartridge you might ask?
For the same reason that the Yamamoto HS-4 carbon-fiber headshell is not included 😎

Let's face it....
If you want silver headshell leads or silver wiring in your tonearm....you must pay for it.
If you want an exotic headshell of wood, titanium, carbon-fibre or ceramic....you must pay for it.
If you want an active isolation table to support your turntable....you must pay for it.
All these things you choose to pay for....can, or will enhance the sound capabilities of your analogue playback.
These things are not for the faint-of-heart, but those of us who are mad enough...or dedicated enough....or rich enough....

For those lucky enough to be able to afford the Palladian cartridge, it's simply a no-brainer (from my experience) to buy the SMARTscrew Timet 1100 to go with it. After all.....it's the cost of the fancy headshell 😀
Which most users with 'fixed-headshell' tonearms won't even need 🤓

My problem now is.....
What to do about the screws in my forty other cartridges....😱

A stop-press announcement from Acoustical Systems :-

The SMARTscrews are indeed a very recent product only and not yet listed in our portfolio as we have just started production this November.We will offer them as a regular product starting in 2017.We gave several samples away to friends and reviewers in late November and early December.
They were not included with the Palladian, as we first want to have extended feedback from various set-ups till be include them with a cartridge.The Palladian was introduced in May 2016 - 6 months before we tested the first SMARTscrews.
The lack of magnetism, the drawing strength, the extremely  high transmission speed of Timet 1100 Titanium do provide an almost ideal material for fixing a phono cartridge in a headshell / tonearm.
We do machine these screws ourselves - you can’t find them anywhere else.

halcro - Have you ever considered to use the Arché headshell with your beloved FR-66s and the Palladian (or any of your other cartridges, of course)?

I’ve heard only good reports of the Arche headshells solong but my structural-engineering training just cannot allow me to accept the Arche’s design...😱
The headshell must be as rigid and homogenous as possible in order to resist all the vibrations and stresses caused by the cartridge, and whilst I’m sure that Dietrich has achieved the maximum rigidity his design may allow.......it simply (by its design) cannot be as structurally rigid as my preferred headshells...
This is just a path I cannot travel....🙈

I suspect analogluvr......that your intelligence might be easily insulted....🙈

To keep this on track, Halcro, did you use a torque wrench on your cartridge screws? The tension on cartridge screws can certainly affect sonics, for all the reasons you and others reiterate. If one were to draw conclusions regarding the efficacy of this or that fastener per se, then I think torque has to be a constant.

You're quite right Lewm....
Here's what Dietrich recommends:-

If you happen to have a small torque driver to use, the set value to use (ONLY with our cartridges, as they do feature a thread in Timet 1100 material!!) is: maximum 0.85 Nm with M2.5.

Unfortunately......I don't possess a small torque driver so I had to just use the Allen Key supplied with the screws and was careful not to over-tighten 👀
After hearing the results with the Timet screws though.....I might invest in a torque-driver.
Interestingly....in the latest TAS, there is a review of the latest Brinkmann Spyder turntable where the Reviewer comments:-

Like many designers, Brinkmann prides himself on using subjective evaluations.
"Everything has an influence on sound", he writes. "And we have to accept that these influences are real - even if (for the moment at least) we have no scientific explanation. Each single part of the device, no matter how trivial, has an influence on sound. Yes, even the smallest screw"
Through careful listening tests he discovered that replacing one of the stainless screws that affix the cantilever in the Pi pickup with a titanium brought "sound that resembled the original most closely"

We appear to be learning more about vinyl reproduction....and at a faster rate....than even the great engineers and designers in the 'Golden Age' could have imagined 🤓

(To be honest, Henry’s "lack of" response to my offer to buy his Decca earlier, makes me think it is the later....... )

Haha.....
You may be right Chris...😝
But why do you want the London Decca Reference?
Have you heard one...?
And what arm would you put it on?
I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone running it on a straight tracker..
That could be interesting.....🤔

FWIW a friend had good results with a London Decca Reference on his Terminator linear tonearm, then tasted an Acutex LPM320STR and sold the Decca.

I can believe that.....
Did you get to hear the Decca in the Terminator yourself..?

We once bought a camel to keep our kangaroos company.....but the poor thing kept trying to come inside the house.

I have asked the Moderators for an explanation as to why some Posts are being deleted.
It seems that someone (I wonder who) has 'flagged' this Thread so it is being monitored.
It appears that 'terrorist' tactics by certain individuals, can be successfully supported by the Moderators....and that is a shame 😪

Thanks Chris...
Are you sure you don't like L. Cohen....👀😱❓
If you like the recording of Cohen's last album Thuchan......you must hear his triple Live London Concert....
All his greatest songs with simply remarkable recording quality.

Thank goodness 2016 is over...💩
Happy New Year to all 😃

So from audiophile classics to heavily produced digital early 80s country the Palladian pulls out the best in every recording. It also makes each recording sound completely different, seems very honest to the records and imposes none of its own character. With the PC1 instruments such as Loussier’s piano were often blown out of scale, which sounds pleasant, but is actually an artifact and masks other things going on

Well observed folkfreak.....
How has the bass settled in?
I find that some cartridges over-emphasise the bass response....which can sound impressive initially but becomes tiresome eventually.....whereas the Palladian has a totally 'even' frequency response with no undue emphasis across the audio band.

I’ll confess to playing Cohen’s You Want It Darker LP during the Xmas afternoon celebration. It suited my holiday mood and, reflecting upon the profundity of his poetry, may not have been as incongruous to the occasion as one might think. Unfortunately my family strongly disagreed with his sepulchral baritone and the LP was summarily dismounted at risk of indigestion. I’ll try again this New Year’s Eve.

I know how you feel my friend.....
My wife calls it "music to slit your wrists to...." 😱

If however, you're not in the mood to 'end it all'.......his penultimate album 'Popular Problems' is a great antidote which sees Lenny in an upbeat (for him) mood with a solid 'bluesy' undercurrent.
Great sound and recording as always.....😀

Good news folkfreak.....
I'm wondering what material the spacer is made of......and if, perhaps, there may be some titanium screws within the package.....❓🤔

It appears that titanium does possess some valuable qualities for audio reproduction.....at least in the turntable/tonearm/cartridge side of things.
Your SpJ tonearm Thuchan, is a thing of beauty.
Has Dietrich heard it with his Palladian cartridge yet?
After all....he did a lot of the refurbishment on it and was instrumental in connecting you with its previous owner...😎