Regards, Nikola: It's easy, just a matter of knowing the right incantations, the correct parts and a properly calibrated caldron to stir them in.
Poem, by Henry Gibson.
Stylus of a Shibata snake, Cantilever at the coil will shake; Banish overshoot add tone of analog, Wool of bass the cantilever's like a log, A pinch of inductance and blind-worms sing, A constrained layer mount to combat barrier resonances' ring, For the charm of powerful treble, Titanium and three poles distortion will level.
Be fast, bold, and resolute; laugh to hear The power of music, not of woman but muses born Come, lively highs or lows; Mids without artifice deftly show!
Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: clown! Thy sibilance does sear mine ear-balls. And thy second cart, shrieks like the first. A third is like the former. A fourth! Stop soon! What, will the grain reach out like the crackle of doom? Another yet! A seventh! I'll hear no more: And yet the eighth appears, sound of breaking glass Horrible sounds! Now, I see, 'tis true; For the conical stylus Banquo inflicts upon me, Finer points, some beryllium is my plea. It's all very scientific. :)
Peace, |
Lewn, et. all, I see you completely got my point. Ironic isn't it? :-)
Having not too recently smacked the rubber vaccuum lip of my Sota with ancient MI technology my TLZ in its current state is utterly useless. I'm open to re-tip suggestions as the ice has left the house so to speak. Roger that, the stylus was no pressure fit. What stylus config will make my TLZ a better player? I am open to suggestions. |
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Tubed1, The MCZ stylus is still available from Grado ($150 I believe), and it is possible that even the TLZ may still be available.
Of that excellent series the ones I know for sure are still available (and a viable upgrade from current prestige styli!) - are the 8MZ and the MCZ.
It would be worth asking grado if the TLZ is also available - which would make it the "ultimate" Grado prestige upgrade stylus (short of one of our custom jobbies....)
bye for now
David |
Hallo gentlemen, long live (love) this thread!! So, I'm back after a long absence during which my venerable C-audio Discovery crashed, along with my finances (unrelated crashes). So, giga$ cartridges are out.
Hence, my story with an Azden, which follows...
Following the crashes, I did what all TT owners (poor but respectable as well as the rich)in the galaxy should do: drink Slivovitz / whisky / etc & check this thread for ideas.
So I purchased two promising cartridges: an Empire 2000 & an Azden p20, which I proceeded to mount onto a S. Yorke S4 / Pluto arm and... it sounded flat. Actually, both of them did! However, a few yrs ago Raul had different things to say about the Azden (& the Empires), so I mounted it onto a 12" carbon pro-ject evolution arm (10.5 gr mass) using the clearaudio protractor & the arm's own; I set the riaa at 47kOhm, 100pF; a valhalla cable leads out to the TVC (transformer based pre), the arm cable links the cartridge directly to the riaa.
Aaaaand, bang, wow! I'm hardly used to using superlatives where audio is concerned, but this warrants it... The result is, believe me, astonishing! OK, as always, it took some time to set up and I upped the vta a tad -- to give an idea, I raised the arm at base less than one millimetre fm parallel. And, my expectation were very low. And (ad lib).... nevertheless, the combo sounds very good.
In musical terms, the sonic result is unexpectedly good across the frequency spectrum, the spacial rendition is very good and the instrumental reproduction is spot on. There is clarity enough to discern subtle cues & lyrics in opera as well as mediocre '70 & '80s LPs. Of course, the reproduction of detail is better on the Discovery which used to cost a modest $4000 more than the Azden. However, dynamics are not lacking in the Azden which comes as a surprise. The tracking is good enough and the restitution of the musical information is very pleasant. In short, the total sonic result with this Azden is very good indeed! And it's the cheapo Azden... |
Dlaloum, Needle Doctor carries replacement stylus for TLZ, for $250! I asked them whether this stylus assembly is (1) true NOS (a leftover from the old days, in other words), (2) made currently by Grado as retrofit for TLZ cartridge, or (3) an aftermarket copy made by someone else. (Based on price, one would hope that the product is truly NOS.) The refreshingly honest response was that the item is made currently by Grado expressly for the TLZ. I then asked whether it retains the complex cantilever design of the original TLZ stylus assembly, and the response was affirmative. If this is true, possibly the cost is justified. Still.... |
Dlaloum, what can you tell me about the Grado 8-MX? No one replied to my question a few days ago and since you seem to know about the MZ I wonder what you know about the MX? Thanks. |
Dear Gregm: Well, your Discovery crash gives you the opportunity to go seriously on the MM/MI alternative and from your post I can see you are enjoying it, good!
I own your Discovery and as I remember was a very dificult cartridge to listen it till settle down ( more than 100 hours. ) where the cartridge really shine, I like it and in some ways I like it more that the Insider. About " reproduction of detail " I can't be sure yet if that " detail " is in reality true music detail or rising distortions. Clearaudio LOMC cartridges have that characteristic even more notorius that other top LOMC ones. All in all a good cartridge.
But the MM/MI alternative is a little different if not for other think that because the MM/MI stylus tip is " always " in touch with the groove ( better tracking habilities than the MC cartridges. ).
Azden were and are very good performers, time to time appears on ebay the p50 models that are even better than the your p20. Other good alternative is the today Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge that you could buy ( second hand ) for 400.00-500.00 and after Axel fix touch you will receive a very first rate quality performer: recomend!.
Anyway, welcome a board.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Raul, I am no sure if this was your or Fleib's assumption that all Clearaudio MM carts have the same 'generator'? If this is actualy the case then I have a much cheaper suggestion. On ebay.uk there is one Concept MM listed for 40 GBP. With Axel's line contact/ aluminum combo this one may be also 'promoted' to the 'star status'? At last Nirvana for cheap?
Regards, |
Dear nandric: Probably yes but some of the " magic " could come from the metal/wood cartridge body's build materials. I never tested the all metal CA but you can try and could tell us what happen.
regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Tim, wasn't there an "MCZ" Grado? I seem to recall comparing it to the TLZ, back when I was making a decision whether to purchase one vs the other. The TLZ so clearly blew away the MCZ, or perhaps it was the MZ, that I quickly realized that the additional cost was well justified. Perhaps I have a dim memory of an 8MX but nothing to offer as regards listening impressions. |
Dear friends: In the last few months I bought several vintage LOMC cartridges because I had and have a strong " feeling " that those vintage cartridges ( as the MM/MI alternative. ) are in some ways better than today LOMC designs. I bought them and send it to Axel along other that I owned.
Where came that " feeling "?, well my today reference LOMC cartridge is a vintage one that I compared against not only my best MM/MI cartridges but against today LOMC ones.
Now I have on line totes these ones: Dynavector Karat Nova 13D, Ortofon MC3000MK2, Sony XL44L, Sumiko Talisman, Audiocraft AC-01, Lux LMC-1, Empire MC-5, GAS Sleping Beauty, Monster Cable Genesis 1000, Crown Jewel, Signet MK220E, Azden GM-P5L, Accuphase AC-2, Highphonic AC-6 and Technics P-305MC MK2.
The nfirst one I tested and I'm kisten it is the Sony XL-44L, this one came with a hollow boron cantilever that I had to change it for solid boron with nude shibata stylus. This is a " tiny " cartridge with " plastic " body and a higher compliance than what is usual in LOMC cartridges.
The quality performance of the XL-44L was and is first rate just from the first " groove ", change a little after 10 hours but nothing dramatic. The cartridge has the " natural muic's flow " that almost no one LOMC cartridge can even with the MM/MI alternative and this was my first " surprise ". Rich and even tonal balance with no " ringing " on the highs no " high-Fi " on the higs but with all transparency that some times is elusive to some MM/MI cartridges. Top to bottom gives the precense of real music with that natural agressive characteristic that music has, I can heard it for many ours in a row with out any sign of fatigue. Cartridge distortions are really low.
This XL44L is an extraordinary tracker and an outstanding experie3nce to listen it through the Telarc 1812 where not only even the harmony and definition on the G800 through the carillon grooves but beat any MM/MI I own with all the canon shots and not only because it negociate all them with aplomb but because it did and do it with a definition, precision and " feel " that even my LOMC reference can't do it.
Test after test with my XL44L confirm its extraordinary tracking habilities and confirm what I always said: cartridge tracking habilities makes the difference!.
I bought this cartridge as almost the other ones through ebay and if I remember I think I paid around 250.00 for it and can easily beat many 5K+ today LOMC ones.
IMHO, if you see it somewhere buy it. Its output level is a friendly one for a LOMC at 0.3mv.
As my time permit it I will test all the other vintage LOMC listed here. Maybe you could think: how chosed those cartridge?, almost all ones were top of the line in its time and in those all times I had not the money to buy it or the cartridges never appered on the USA/Mexico market but I knew and know all of them are very good cartridges.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Hello Raul, Did you listen to the Sony Xl 44l before changing the stylus?What are the difference between the two ,if so? Have you heard Nandric's Sony Xl 88 pro? It should be twice as good, since it has double the XL's.;). |
Dear Acman3: No I did not because the cartridge was not in good condition and that's why I sende it to Axel directly from the seller.
I heard the XL88D several years ago but I really don't have a " reference " about because everything was different to my today system.
I can't say if the 88D is " twice " that good, even I can't imagine a cartridge " twice good " as my XL44L I can't imagine how could be a performance level " twice good ".
What I know for sure is that the Sony XL44L/Axel is a must item to experience. I'm sure that as the XL44L all the others LOMC " in line " after Axel " touch " are winners as many of my top MM/MIs cartridges.
I just bought a second LOMC Signet, the one that was the top of the line in the early 80's ( 350.00 was its retail price. ): MK111E. I already own the second one the: MK220E. Everything is the same ( specs, stylus, cartridge body, appeareance/llok. ) but the cantilever where the 111E came with beryllium and the 220E boron. My 220E is in the road to Axel's place because cantilever was bent and the 111E was in mint condition and other that a check up to its suspension needs nothing at all so I can make a comparison in between when I receive it.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Acman, I made exactly the same joke in my email to Raul but used different phrasing: 'according to the simple algebra my Sony XL 88 must be twice as good as your XL 44.' However it should be obvious that Raul is the wrong person to make jokes about carts. BTW even the stamp collectors are very sensitive reg. any humorous remarks about their 'objects of desire'. Looking for info about the XL 88 I deed find some German 'sound engineer' who swears by XL 88 D as his object of desire. According to him this one is the best ever made. According to Thuchan the most expensive in the 80s in Germany. I was very pleased to see that the technical data are exactly the same. But I am more 'pleased' with the Krell KC 100 (aka Miyabi Standard) and, alas, not sure yet how to rank XL 88 among my best carts. The primary reason is my impatience. Since I installed the Lustre 801 with the removable headshell I change two carts each day. I should listen to Halcro's arguments for the removable headshells much earlier. The rigidity is justt one among many arguments about the conditions which an tonearm needs to satisfy in order to... etc.,etc.
Regards, |
Hi Raul, I'm a new poster on this thread and new to NOS MM carts. I just aquired an Acutex 420STR after hearing it is a synergistic match for the ET tonearm. My intitial inspection of it made me ask the following question... The detachable stylus assembly comes off quite easily, so easily infact that it has me wondering if under playing conditions the assembly/stylus might be able to move ever so slightly? I understand that VTF is fairly light for this cart, but was wondering if my concern is valid? |
Hi Pryso
I am no expert on the Grado's,
There is one such who regularly contributes on Audiokarma (Marcmorin)... he might be able to answer your query about the 8MX...
What I do know about the Grado's is bits and pieces picked up from people's postings - and especially marc's...
bye for now
David |
Dear Slaw: From my experiences with that and other Acutex cartridge you don't have to worry about during playback.
I hope you can even the Frogman experiences with that cartridge, I prefer the 320s and 315 but today very hard to find out. So you will have the Acutex " touch " through the 420.
Welcome aboard!!!!
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Raul, This is out there but just a thought. Could a micro dot dab of blue tack at a few points between the slide on stylus assembly and body be any help to reduce any possible resonance there might be in that area?
Haven't mounted it yet, just wondering? |
Hello Slaw, On my 420 the plastic case which holds the cartridge in place has split on the bottom which allows the main body to float. Since I have a few samples I am sparingly super gluing the whole thing together. I have not noticed any problems, but this could/should help.
While the question of blue tack was posed to Raul, I think it would work and could be removed if needed. |
Thanks Acman3. I'm complitating unforseen issues before the intitial mount. When audio reproduction is concerned, especially cartridges, any source of resonance IS an issue, I think. |
Hello Slaw, Where Raul mentioned that the Acutex 420 was a "touch" of the Acutex sound, I would say it is more of a " slap in the face" of Acutex sound. Give it a good,long listen and I think you will enjoy it's attributes. It has a drive to it that is addictive. The old , you will hear the music in a different way. The soundstage is also very large.
As Raul said, If I had to have one Acutex cartridge it would be a 320, but I don't.
And for Halcro, I heard Quasimotto fart on side 2 of a Lyle May's record while Quas was leaving the room. |
As an aside, and I'm neutral, but I have to ask Acman3 if Quasimotto's fart seemed bloated?
That's all guys and gals, I'm done. Haha.
A little humour never hurt anyone. |
Regards, Slaw: A suggestion, if I may. Try a piece of electrician's tape between the stylus assembly and top of the engine. 1/8 x 1/4" is more than sufficient. As to compliance, not sure how Acutex determined their stated cu, marketing dept. maybe?
Enjoy your Acutex.
Peace, |
Dear Slaw: You already have the answers about. Now, on the cartridge resonances sources one of them is the cartridge stylus guard and if you remove it ( very carefully. ) the performance level " improves ".
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Immobilising/damping stylus mount
A number of people have posted on their success with stylus holder immobilisation...
These solutions have ranged from superglue, to bluetack and plasticine.
I have used plasticine, and in at least one case, measured a substantial reduction in harmonic distortion.
So yes, remove the stylus protector, and immobilise the stylus holder - two more steps in getting the most from your favourite MM/MI cartridge!
bye for now
David |
Dear David, it may be the case that 'immobilising' also means that one self is 'glued' to such a cart in the sense that resell become very difficult. Besides the primary distinction with the MC kind is also lost. However, paradoxical, thanks to Raul this thread is now moving in the MC direction. I am sure that Lew is willing to give Raul a good bottle of wine in exchange for the disclosure of his new reference (MC) cart.
Regards, |
I used blu-tac on mine at first but then decided to super glue it for the ultimate commitment. It sounded very different. I'm uncomfortable with making any causal claim as, amongst other things, I also took off the stylus guard after gluing. As I cannot undo my commitment, there was no re-testing possible. As I have since let go of the cart, perhaps the new owner who now has 2 420's can let us know whether there's a real difference--unless, of course, he glued the first one as well. |
"Dear David, it may be the case that 'immobilising' also means that one self is 'glued' to such a cart in the sense that resell become very difficult." LOL Nikola. Always thinking about money just like a good lawyer that you are. May I ask which cartridge you are carrying around on your finger these days. Once you glue-ee, there’s no return-ee… Pretty bad. I know. I need Timeltel’s help with this one. |
Regards, Chris: Suggest you look elsewhere for your next cart. Nikola is by his own admission inseparable from the one in question.
Peace, |
Well, I blame it on the Sliwowitz. That Serbian brandy of his can make crazy things happen to you.
Nikola - I read here that you sent a bottle to Axel in Germany.
I hope Axel is long finished the bottle before he gets to my cartridge. I want a straight cantilever.
|
Professor&Chris, Well in those hard economical times everyone is forced to economise (grin). I myself never glued any MM cart (nor the MC's) so I am not bonded to any as Herr Professor assumes. As a Serbian warrior I always bought arms as presents for my sons. They both become pacifist probable because their Dutch mother had also some influence in their education. For my friends I also buy only things that I myself like. In the case of Axel there are however some added reasons. I speculated about preferent treatment but alas. From his reaction I deduced that this German has no idea about the best brandy in the world. While I can't compare myself with Raul as a cart collector I noticed that the 'principle' of 'selling some in order to buy some '(other) is also in his high regard. From this principle the logical conclusion is obvious: do not glue the stylus to the corpus of any MM cart. The money question, dear Chris, has nothing to do with my profession. This is exclusively the Dutch invluence in my education.
Regards, |
Nikola, ok you make a good case for the Dutch influence. Even in Canada growing up the term “Lets go Dutch” was very popular and meant different things. As young men in a group about to wreak havoc upon our town, saying Lets go Dutch protected us from the one person who was always short on cash, and the other fellow that would always buy the most expensive restaurant items and expect to share the bill with everyone. Likewise while on a date, if the guy said Lets go Dutch to his female friend – in my book that made him a cheapskate and real scumbag. Now if she herself said Lets go Dutch sometime through the evening – you knew you were in for short evening. :^( BTW – I don’t know about the professor but you haven’t proved to me that u don’t have a cartridge stuck to your finger. All you did was deny your own words that are on here at audiogon for all eternity as 0’s and 1’s. Evidence. I only glue the ones I like. Sonics is more important to me than flipping MM’s. I have never sold a cartridge and I don’t have many. Cheers |
Chris, My wife will occasionally whip out her credit card before I can get to mine, and believe me, it's been a LONG evening. We are married for 35 years. (And yes, she has her own income to support her credit card.) But I can attest that in New England, the term "go Dutch" or "Dutch Treat" had the same connotation at least since the 1950s. |
Dear Lew, As a nearly real Dutchman I am sorry for you but 'occasionaly' will not do as the real 'Dutch Treat'. |
Dear nandric: +++++ " paradoxical, thanks to Raul this thread is now moving in the MC direction. " +++++
well, all of us know that the thread is an open thread with no subject limitations.
In the other side I always supported that the MM/MI is an analog alternative to the LOMC one.
Things are that I want to " explore " more in deep the LOMC alternative and from my latest experiences I think is worth to do it. My system changed over the yeras ( as many of your audio systems ) and today IMHO is better than ever so is a good time to " explore " both alternatives.
Right now I'm comparing the Astatic MF-200, Goldring G800, Virtuoso Wood and the Sony XL44L.
What a comparison!!!, especialy with the Clearaudio Virtuoso that now I'm hearing after the Axel's touch that gives it a refinement level that I don't heard it in the Virtuoso sample re-tipped through SS. That presure fitted stylus to an aluminum cantilever is a " way difference " for the better.
Maybe some of you could thing that the LOMC Sony XL44L could performs with lower " merit " against those MM/MI top performers but no as a fact compete at the same level and I can't say if the Sony is a LOMC or a MM/MI which is in some way a " surprise " to me.
I don't finish yet the cartridges comparison and I will report it when that happened.
regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Eight months ago, a package arrived from a dear friend in Kentucky, which contained an unannounced……and unheralded phono cartridge, the Signet AM10s….but with an AM20 stylus ready to attach. Sometime later….another package from the same source appeared but this time containing an Ortofon LH8000 wood headshell? As I was then….and for some months after…..embroiled in a multiple upgrade of power conditioner, interconnect cables and speaker cables….I placed the cartridge in my ‘to do’ audio drawer whilst the empty headshell has sat forlornly in one of my Fidelity Research K5 cartridge cases. Fast forward to last week when…….remembering this cartridge…..I mounted it in the LH8000 headshell attaching it to the Micro Seiki MA-505s on its own bronze pod surrounding the Victor TT-101 DD turntable. Now I’m not about to proclaim this unassuming gem as ‘the best cartridge’. It is not the Messiah…….it’s just a very naughty boy?! I released the armrest, settled into my couch and pressed the ‘mute’ button on the remote to ‘off’. Oh oh…..something is wrong here……there is no sound? I pressed the ‘mute’ button and hastened to the nude Victor to raise the arm. Checking that I had the correct phono cables plugged into the preamp…..I repeated the procedure. No sound again! As I leapt to again raise the arm….this time without pressing the ‘mute’ button……music suddenly erupted!? The complete silence of this cartridge in the ‘run-in’ groove was startling! Now I have heard several cartridges which have displayed low surface noise on ‘run-in’ and ‘run-out’ grooves……but nothing ever like this? And it’s currently winter in Australia with low humidity and plenty of static in the air! So what was the sound like after the eerie silence? Straight away….without any running in……this was a ‘voicing’ with which I was familiar. This was….after all….a Signet cartridge and gee……I think I have….oh…maybe ten other Signets? But all those others, are ‘top of the line’ Signets. The AM10s is ‘bottom of the line’ (it is not even listed on Vinyl Engine and its replacement stylus is only $36.95 from LPGear). And here’s the thing…….this cartridge does things, in my system, which no other cartridge yet has? Before I elaborate……you should be aware that the ‘Signet Voicing’ for me in my system….is a preference. I do love the ‘Empire Voicing’ (4000D/III & 1000ZE/X) as well as that of the Fidelity Research (FR-5 & FR-6). But if I had to live with only three cartridges……they would all be Signets! The first impression of the AM10s…is one of extreme high-frequency extension. I have a guilty confession. For nearly 30 years….to test the high-frequency capability of an entire system….and especially cartridges…..I play the last track on side 1 of George Michael’s ‘Faith’…‘One More Try’. Behind the synthesiser/bass, guitar/drum-machine foundation and breathy vocals….there are the gentlest, softest cymbal ‘taps’ which with some cartridges, cannot even be heard? With others…..they are so faint that they appear to be illusionary whilst with only a handful that I have heard…..they are ‘clear’. I was once startled when listening to this track on my friend’s Rockport Sirius III with Lyra Titan i through the 3 chassis tube Aesthetix io Signature phono stage and big Peak Consult speakers…..to hear the cymbal’s strike and shimmer with a clarity and prominence that I had never heard before…..or since! But why should this be? Is the cymbal such a high frequency that systems and cartridges which are flat past 20K Hz are not able to do it justice? The fundamental frequency "clang" generated by most types of cymbals is actually in the midrange (under 6 kHz, sometimes as low as 500 Hz). However, because cymbals are about as close to an impulse as you get with musical instruments (and also because they exhibit a lot of ringing), there is an enormous amount of spectral content above the fundamental, all the way to ultrasonic frequencies. Some types of cymbals are only down -35dB at 25kHz.
In simpler terms, you'll hear the "clang" of a cymbal even on a cheap clock radio that can only play midrange frequencies, but all the shimmer and tone of the cymbal will be lost. Most of the tone of a cymbal is in the high frequencies. Please indulge me for a moment whilst I explore this quixotic phenomenon which has plagued the ‘House of Henry’ for 3 decades? Assuming that the cymbal fundamental is 4KHz (it’s probably lower)…..then its first harmonic would be 8Khz, second harmonic 12Khz and third harmonic 16Khz? Surely there are few cartridges with boosted frequency responses from 4K to 16K Hz? And surely the fundamental is the ‘driving’ frequency which should be heard equally clearly on all cartridges through all systems? Why is it then…..that this peculiar delicate tap on a high-hat cymbal can vary in audibility through every cartridge I have ever played it through? Now I’m not saying that this test ‘proves’ the worth of any cartridge or system….particularly as the aforementioned setup was painfully bright and unmusical to my ears? And indeed…..some of my favourite cartridges do very poorly on this particular challenge. The FR-5E and FR-6SE as well as the Empires struggle to produce any decent sound of the metronomic cymbal taps. Interestingly……almost all of the nine LOMCs I have had in my system also fail to impress? And this has been constant through 3 turntables, 10 arms, 3 preamps and 4 amps? What I can say though…..is that my 2 or 3 favourite cartridges all succeed in clearly portraying these ‘taps’. So back to the AM-10s (with AM20 stylus) which started this diatribe. The cymbal taps are loud and clear……..the best I have yet heard in my system! Now usually with a cartridge ‘tilted’ to the upper frequencies…..the bass is often deficient in my experience? Not with the AM-10s. To match its excellence in the higher registers….the bass is stunning. Powerful, solid, commanding and accurate. I have heard no LOMC cartridge to beat or even equal the AM-10s in this department. Massive Attack’s ‘Protection’ delivers satisfying stomach thuds whilst Jennifer Warnes’ ‘The Hunter’ reveals much more than ‘single note’ bass throb. So here’s the trade-off. The midrange, whilst certainly not recessed or thin…….is not as full, rounded or satisfying as the top range Signets, Empires, Fidelity Researches or Garrott P77. But then nor are any of the LOMCs I continue to listen to? Could I live with the midrange of the AM-10s? I think I could? But there’s yet more to this ‘bottom-feeder’ cartridge……. It imparts ‘excitement’ to every recording. What is ‘excitement’ and how does one cartridge have it and another doesn’t? Is it ‘rise time’? Is it ‘resonance’? Is it ‘colouration’? Is it ‘good’? Having listened to a Koetsu Urishi and Technics EPC100Mk3 in my system……..I have to come out in favour of ‘excitement’. Even my favourite Signets, the TK-7LCa and MR 5.0Lc sound slightly laid back and relaxed compared to the AM-10s whilst the Empires sound like Dean Martin on Valium…..or was Dean Martin always on Valium? As I wrote at the beginning……the AM-10s is not the Messiah. It is ‘coloured’ in that it sounds unlike every other cartridge I’ve heard….but here is its charm….its value….its raison d’etre. The AM10s gives a presentation of your vinyl that you should hear….if only to put into perspective, everything you think you know about your favourite discs? My friend in Kentucky obviously knows his ‘onions’? Now if only Signet was still a ‘brand’ and could bring back the AM10s with a price tag of $4590……..audiophiles would actually get to hear one? As it is……I suspect no-one ever will? |
Regards, Halcro: Hi, Henry. As it's a Signet, needless to say I'm familiar with the AM-10. As with all later Signets, PC (to 6n's, IIRC) OCC copper windings, hand wound & bench tested to meet spec. The AM (Analog Master)-10, it's a sleeper. The AM-10 is 490 mH, a relatively low inductance. The remainder of the series is 550 mH, all are 780 ohm DC res., 5.0mv output.
Faraday's Law states "---a voltage is induced in a circuit whenever relative motion exists between a conductor and a magnetic field and that the magnitude of this voltage is proportional to the rate of change of the flux". Voltage is determined by: 1). The number of turns of wire in the coil. 2). The speed of the relative motion between the coil and the magnet. 3). The strength of the magnetic field.
Lenz's Law states that: "the direction of an induced emf is such that it always opposes the change that is causing it". Fortunately this is not a difficult concept, even for me. It's very Neutonian. In dealing with higher output cartridges, an induced current will always OPPOSE the cantilevers' motion or change which started the induced current to a greater degree than is to be observed with a lower output cart. Think LOMC.
With some higher output carts, one may observe a gain in presence but let's not forget the laws of conservation of energy, there are opposing forces. Due to increased magnetic attraction, leading and trailing transients as well as dynamic sweep may suffer. It's been mentioned before, compliance/mechanical damping, effective tip mass, cantilever length, cross-section diameter, length and rigidity are factors to be taken into consideration. So we have here a fairly high output cart, capable of dynamic impact and body, that's the "excitement" aspect. What about lesser detail, nuance & dynamic swing? AT carts utilize the "V magnet" configuration to move moving mass nearer the pivot, a reduction of inertia relative to output when compared to more conventional cantilevers is claimed. With the magnets aligned at 45*, they are congruent to stereo groove modulations, AT thinks this is important. Signet, being upscale, refers to this as "dual flux". Introduce laminated plates to the coil, a four pole generator in order to minimize IM & maintain accurate balance, then reduce moving mass in order to recover transient response (rise/overshoot). Time to think about the stylus asembly.
The AM-10 is a bonded 0.3x0.7 elliptical, the AM-20 is a 0.3x0.7 "miniature" square cut/grain oriented nude elliptical on a "micro mass" alloy tube. Henry, although not a fan in general of elliptical styli this one (IMHO) is excellent, given response is 10-30k. Signet states that the moving mass at the end of the cantilever is critical to performance (duh!), combine a hair-thin alloy cantilever with a stylus that is more easily imagined than seen in association with a high output/low inductance engine and mount it to a non-resonant headshell. Henry, IMO your report is accurate and unusually restrained (other than your associated value, which seems a tad high). :)
Peace, |
Henry, the other confounding fact is that well before a 16kHz harmonic is invoked, my hearing has checked out at around 12kHz or below. Yet without a doubt I can hear the subtle differences among cartridges of which you speak, on instruments like piano, cymbals, triangles, and the flute, all of which are tests for transient attack and the capacity to reproduce overtones. �The really good cartridges make you "feel" the 3D quality of those instruments in space. I have a well worn Johnny Hartman LP that has a really long flute solo on one band; I use that passage for testing this quality. Also, Billy Taylor's piano on the same LP sounds electronic with an ordinary cartridge but can be heard to be a "real" piano when the cartridge has "the goods" to articulate it. The brain is a terrible thing to waste on mediocre cartridges. |
AM-10 generator specs are nearly identical to orig AT-440ML/OCC. 5 - 32,000 output 5.0 mV 490 mH DC resistance 812 ohms. Regards, |
The brain is a terrible thing to waste on mediocre cartridges. On the contrary, running a mediocre cartridge gives one the opportunity to extend their imagination into the netherland and beyond.... Living down under here must give us an upside down perspective. |
Thanks Professor, Even I can understand most of the concepts contained in your excellent information. I admire the way that you have analysed the 'properties' of cartridges and their resultant effects on the 'voicing'? We both share a high regard for the Signet sound and it's fascinating to follow the technical developments from AT through to the Signet line.
Regards as always Henry |
Hi Lew, It is rather surprising when you think about it........the more our hearing deteriorates as we age......the better I think we can appreciate the nuances of the analogue signal? That is surely 'thesis' material right there!!? |
Fleib, Not having heard the AT-440ML/OCC myself........are you saying that it shares the sonic signature of the AM10? |
Hi Acman, Hopefully Quasimodo did not leave any lingering odours as he passed? :^)
After 10 days of Signet 'sound'.......I was inspired by your post to give the Acutex 420STR a spin. You are so right........much more than just a 'touch' of the Acutex sound IMO. In fact I prefer it to the 315 in my system at the moment. The 315 is better than the 312 which in turn is better than the 310......however in my sample of the 300 series Acutex cartridge......the motor assembly or coils.....took so damn long to break-in (over 50 hours so far and counting).....that I never could warm to it. The 420STR seems to be far more acquiescent and I share your enthusiasm. |
Speaking about 'the 315'. I thought that there are , speaking in professional terminology, the 'long nose' and the 'flat nose' variations. I am a proud owner of the M 320 'flat nose' corpus and as such curious if anybody try those Bluz Broz 'inscrutable' styli. From 312 till 320 they all have the same stylus but huge price difference. There are no markings of any kind on the styli so I am very skeptical about Bluz Broz reliability. Any victims?
Regards, |
Dear Nikola, I have dealt with the Bluz Broz and without getting into details......I would not deal with them again. Regards |
Dear Henry, If I remember well Lew was even more doplomatic in his comment about the Bluz Broz. As a lawyer I am usually in partuclar interested in details but you are very clear without getting into details. I hope Herr Professor or Fleib who are our specialist for whatever stylus will help me out with some suggestion reg. the M 320 stylus? BTW regarding Raul I know in advance what his suggestion will be: refreshment + line contact pressure fitted in a aluminum cantilever by Axel.
Regards, |
Dear Nandric, I steered clear of Blues Bros's advertised M320 stylus after reading a poster who had bought one remark that despite assurances from BB he received a generic conical stylus. BB did the same thing to me with an Empire stylus. My 320 is with Axel now for repair and possible retip. Then I'll see how the 320 compares to the 420. The 420 has taken a long time to settle in, during which the treble has smoothed out and sibilances have diminished. |
Dear Nandric,
I purchased two (2) NOS Empire 4000D/III styli from the Bluz Broz. last year. They were the originals with the brass arms and came exactly as described. Certainly worth the $250.00 each price that I paid. I think it is of the utmost importance to be very specific when dealing with them; I called and had the "tech guy" physically pull both styli and describe them to me. The one pictured on their site was the newer Gold version with plastic arms which they also had in stock.
I would definitely buy from them again, with only one caveat: specify EXACTLY what you want and do not assume anything.
John
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