Danvignau: exactly.Ā
Who needs a Diamond Cantilever...? š
So suddenly, there seems to be a trend for Uber-LOMC cartridges released with Diamond Cantilevers...š±
As if the High-End MC cartridges were not already overpriced....?!
Orofon have released the MC-ANNA-DIAMOND after previously releasing the Limited Edition MC-CENTURY...also with Diamond Cantilever.
Then thereās the KOETSU BLOODSTONE PLATINUM and DYNAVECTOR KARAT 17D2 and ZYX ULTIMATE DIAMOND and probably several more.
But way back in 1980....Sony released a Diamond-Cantilevered version of its fine XL-88 LOMC Cartridge.
Imaginatively....they named this model the XL-88D and, because it was the most expensive phono cartridge in the world (costing 7500DM which was more expensive than a Volkswagen at the time)....Sony, cleverly disguised this rare beast to look EXACTLY like its ācheapā brother with its complex hybrid cantilever of "special light metal held by a carbon-fibre pipe both being held again by a rigid aluminium pipe".
The DIAMOND CANTILEVER on the 88D however......was a thing of BEAUTY and technological achievement, being formed from ONE PIECE OF DIAMOND including the stylus š¤Æšš½
Iāve owned the XL-88 for many years and recently discovered that it was my best (and favourite) cartridge when mounted in the heavy Fidelity Research S-3 Headshell on the SAEC WE-8000/ST 12" Tonearm around my VICTOR TT-101 TURNTABLE.
Without knowing this in advance.....I would not have been prepared to bid the extraordinary prices (at a Japanese Auction Site) that these rare cartridges keep commanding.
To find one in such STUNNING CONDITION with virtually no visible wear was beyond my expectations š
So how does it sound.....?
Is there a difference to the standard XL-88?
Is the Diamond Cantilever worth the huge price differential?
Is the Pope a Catholic....?
This cartridge simply āblows my mindā...which is hard to do when Iāve had over 80 cartridges on 10 different arms mounted on two different turntables š¤Æ
As Syntax said on another Thread:-
But now Iāve bought myself a nightmarish scenario.......
There is no replacement stylus for this cartridge!
There is no replacement cantilever for this cartridge!
Each time I play records with it, I am ākillingā it a bit more š„“š„
If I knew how long I had left to live......I could program my ālistening sessionsā š¤Ŗ
But failing this.....I canāt help but feel slightly uncomfortable listening to this amazing machine.
As if the High-End MC cartridges were not already overpriced....?!
Orofon have released the MC-ANNA-DIAMOND after previously releasing the Limited Edition MC-CENTURY...also with Diamond Cantilever.
Then thereās the KOETSU BLOODSTONE PLATINUM and DYNAVECTOR KARAT 17D2 and ZYX ULTIMATE DIAMOND and probably several more.
But way back in 1980....Sony released a Diamond-Cantilevered version of its fine XL-88 LOMC Cartridge.
Imaginatively....they named this model the XL-88D and, because it was the most expensive phono cartridge in the world (costing 7500DM which was more expensive than a Volkswagen at the time)....Sony, cleverly disguised this rare beast to look EXACTLY like its ācheapā brother with its complex hybrid cantilever of "special light metal held by a carbon-fibre pipe both being held again by a rigid aluminium pipe".
The DIAMOND CANTILEVER on the 88D however......was a thing of BEAUTY and technological achievement, being formed from ONE PIECE OF DIAMOND including the stylus š¤Æšš½
Iāve owned the XL-88 for many years and recently discovered that it was my best (and favourite) cartridge when mounted in the heavy Fidelity Research S-3 Headshell on the SAEC WE-8000/ST 12" Tonearm around my VICTOR TT-101 TURNTABLE.
Without knowing this in advance.....I would not have been prepared to bid the extraordinary prices (at a Japanese Auction Site) that these rare cartridges keep commanding.
To find one in such STUNNING CONDITION with virtually no visible wear was beyond my expectations š
So how does it sound.....?
Is there a difference to the standard XL-88?
Is the Diamond Cantilever worth the huge price differential?
Is the Pope a Catholic....?
This cartridge simply āblows my mindā...which is hard to do when Iāve had over 80 cartridges on 10 different arms mounted on two different turntables š¤Æ
As Syntax said on another Thread:-
When you have 2 identical carts, one regular cantilever and the other one with diamond cantilever (Koetsu Stones for example), the one with diamond cantilever shows more details, is a bit sharper in focus and the soundstage is a bit deeper and wider. They can sound a bit more detailed overall with improved dynamicsIāll leave it at that for the time being. I will soon upload to YouTube, the sound comparisons between the two Sony versions on my HEAR MY CARTRIDGES THREAD.
But now Iāve bought myself a nightmarish scenario.......
There is no replacement stylus for this cartridge!
There is no replacement cantilever for this cartridge!
Each time I play records with it, I am ākillingā it a bit more š„“š„
If I knew how long I had left to live......I could program my ālistening sessionsā š¤Ŗ
But failing this.....I canāt help but feel slightly uncomfortable listening to this amazing machine.
Showing 6 responses by unreceivedogma
You sound like you find yourself in a situation roughly analogous to that film by Pedro Almodovar where two lovers are in a rapturous embrace, then the female pulls out a knife, and as he climaxes, she stabs him under the theory that his act of dying keeps his climax goingĀ very very hard for the longest finite amount of time. Is it something like that? Please, pray tell ā¦ FILE UNDER: the size of an audiophileās speakers are in inverse proportion to the size of some of his other equipment. |
Edgewear clearlyĀ has no sense of humor, and just as clearly had not seen the film. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_(film) āWhile Eva is telling the detective what she has heard, Ćngelās psychiatrist (Carmen Maura) calls the detective to tell him that Ćngel has seen Diego and MarĆa in a vertigo trance, and that they are in danger. Ćngel is able to guide them to MarĆaās house. Just as the police, Ćngel, Eva, and the psychiatrist arrive, an eclipse begins and they hear a gunshot. MarĆa has stabbed Diego between the shoulder blades and shot herself in the mouth as they were making love. Viewing the scene, the detective says that it is better this way and that he has never seen anyone happier.ā |
Iām finding this discussion to be rather useless, and therefore, exhausting. Do we have any measurable data or blind studies that show that any of this matters? Buy a cartridge that is good enough (any Koetsu, my personal preference, will do), that is compatible with your system sit back and enjoy the music. |
Chakster, if by VdH, you mean Van den Hul: I have been sending my cartridges to him for 25 years minimum. Iām a ānormalā person (if I put aside the fact that Iām an audiophile) and I speak to people there, get emails back and forth, and he is less expensive than Soundsmith by a country mile.Ā Soundsmith is 25 minutes down the Hudson River from me. It would be much easier and cause much less anxiety if I could simply drive my koetsu onyx over to him rather than worry about what Fedex or the USPS may do to my cartridge in transit. But VdH is less than half as expensive as Soundsmith, and thatās including the cost of shipping across the pond and back.Ā I had an experience with Soundsmith a few years back. Two soldered wires in my Beard P505 preamp came loose during my move from NYC to the Hudson Valley. I thought Iād bring it to Soundsmith to fix it. But they wanted $600 up front just to ādiagnoseā the preamp. I said āf#@^ this s^Ā„*ā, I went out and got a soldering iron and did it myself. |