What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?
I believe that a cartridge and a speaker, by far, contribute the most to SQ.
The two transducers in a system.
I bit the bulllet and bought a Lyra Atlas SL for $13K for my Woodsong Garrard 301 with Triplanar SE arm. I use a full function Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamp. My $60K front end. It is certainly, by far, the best I have owned. I read so many comments exclaiming that Lyra as among the best. I had to wait 6 months to get it. But the improvement over my excellent $3K Mayijima Shilabi was spectacular-putting it mildly.
I recently heard a demo of much more pricy system using a $25K cartridge. Seemed to be the most expensive cartridge made. Don’t recall the name.
For sure, the amount of detail was something I never heard. To hear a timpani sound like the real thing was incredible. And so much more!
This got me thinking of what could be possible with a different kind of cartridge than a moving coil. That is, a moving iron.
I have heard so much about the late Decca London Reference. A MI and a very different take from a MC. Could it be better? The World’s Best? No longer made.
However Grado has been making MI cartridges for decades. Even though they hold the patent for the MC. Recently, Grado came out with their assault on “The World’s Best”. At least their best effort. At $12K the Epoch 3. I bought one and have been using it now for about two weeks replacing my Lyra. There is no question that the Atlas SL is a fabulous cartridge. But the Epoch is even better. Overall, it’s SQ is the closest to real I have heard. To begin, putting the stylus down on the run in grove there is dead silence. As well as the groves between cuts. This silence is indicative of the purity of the music content. Everything I have read about it is true. IME, the comment of one reviewer, “The World’s Best”, may be true.
@mikelavigne I appreciate all your responses think they are spot on. Your integrity is above reproach. Please keep us informed of your listening regarding your cartridges. Thanks @mijostyn for the list of current mode phono stages. A quick search showed the Seta L20 mk2. Anyone hear this unit? |
@mijostyn can you list some current mode phono stages? |
@mijostyn I know in a previous post you said you had not heard the Gold but curious if anyone else in this thread have listened to the MSL Gold Sig? How does it compare to the Platinum Sig? I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the Gold Sig several times now, for lengthy listens and can hear how quiet it is compared to the other cartridges my dealer has had over the years plus the control and ease of how it plays is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. So would anyone know of similar or different the Gold is compared to the Platinum? |
Well said @daveyf +1 |
@normansizemore please inform us what cartridge you are listening to now. |
