which cartridge is good for Well Tempered ref TT

These comments refer to a Well Tempered Super, which uses the Reference arm on the Classic table. I have used the Music Maker 111, Shure Ultra 500, Shure V15 type V MRLE, Grado Master (HO), and the Dynavector DV10X Gold (a factory tweaked version of the DV10X4) Right now, my favorite is the Grado, then the Dyna. I thought I preferred the Music Maker at first, but after trying out the Grado again, I think I will stick with it. The Music Maker probably extracts more fine detail, it does have a tinier stylus. For me though , I need timbre, beautiful tone, and excitement. I absolutely hate changing cartridges because of the gruelling set up procedure, but fond memories of the pristine sound of the Dyna tell me I may switch back to it for a while soon. The Well Tempered table is capable of delivering very extended deep, powerful bass, and the Grado definitely exploits this ability better than any thing else I have tried. Not that bass is it's only strong point, it's just icing on the cake. Back when Carl Smith and Transparent were handling the Well Tempered distributorship, Grado products were the often recommended choice. By the way, don't be afraid to try increasing the arm damping adjustment far beyond what you might think seems proper. I have found there to be a magic spot where clarity is increased along with a more realistic sense of the musicians being in the room after I had exceeded the point where it seemed to sound over damped. Am I making any sense? After I thought it sounded over damped,I kept increasing the damping and discovered another region where the sound actually improved beyond anything previously attained.

I have used a Van Den Hul MC-10 for many years with my WT reference TT and arm and have been very pleased with it. kThat being said I think the WT will accept many cartridges with excellent results.

I agree with Donaudio, when I did use the WTT I tried a few cartridges, but my love was a naked Benz Ruby.
I think, today I would try a Skala/Titan

I also used the VDH 10 and liked it. But in a recent test in HiFi Critic it was the lowest rated cartridge, a result which surprised Martin Colloms, who had tested and recommended it years ago. It scored 35 as opposed to a 20 year old Shure V15 thrown as a references score of 63. So it looks like they have changed it or it is subject to large variations. I am in no way prejudiced against them because I use to use one, was a VDH dealer and may be one again. I was considering one myself till I saw this test. Cartridges have gotten so expensive that I hate to take a chance on one which may or may not be good.

I owned a Well Tempered Record Player with the Record Player arm, but I think the WT arms are all similar enough that my experience is germaine.

If you look at the recommendations above, the common thread is that they are all medium to high compliance cartridges, and my results were the same. I tried many different ways to get my Denon 103R to sound right - lots of damping, arm wraps, more weight at the headshell - but nothing I did cleaned it up. With a Shure V15, Empire EDR.9, and Zyx Bloom it was terrific. I found that very high compliance carts like the Shure needed very little damping; having the paddle only about 1/8" into the silicone was plenty.

Also, make sure you're using an OEM belt. All the 3rd party belts I tried were way too stretchy for the WT bearing design. There's a reason they make the OEM belt out of a harder plastic.

David

Dear Samtse: Donaudio posted: ++++ " That being said I think the WT will accept many cartridges with excellent results. " +++++

and due to WTT unique characteristics I think he is right.

The Musicmaker/EDR.9 are not so " easy " cartridges and for what I read here the people had very good results with it, this confirm that you can go with almost any cartridge.

Regards and enjoy the music.
raul.

I owned a WTT Classic for many years and used it very successfully with a Benz Ruby 2. The WTT will work with a wide variety of cartridges although I would recommend you stay within medium compliance cartridges for ease of use and best results. You can see a list of cartridge brands and compliances in an Acoustic Sounds catalog. The one thing you do not mention is what phono stage you are using and whether it has enough gain for a MC cartridge. While the WTT will mate well with many cartridges, the one you choose must work equally well with your phono section.

Thank you for everybody's opinion.and Elinor,my phono stage is Ayre P5xe.
Sam

You're welcome Sam. BTW, my WTT Classic is still hard at work for a friend after 12 years of hard work at my place. I went over to his place to hear it and I still think it is capable of producing the blackest backgrounds on the planet if set up properly........and that's compared to my new TW Raven AC and Tri-Planar 7! FYI, he is using a $200.00 Shelter cartridge.

I am using a MusicMaker III (which is a high compliance cart so perfect for the Carbon Fiber WT arm I am using). I have the paddle lowered into the silicone fluid about 1/8". Sound is excellent!!! I tried going deeper with the paddle but didn't like it.