What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

Dear @mglik : I owned and own vintage Grado cartridges and till today no one of them ( including " the tribute ". ) disappointment under playing by its quality level performance.

" Optimized Transmission Line " was what Joseph Grado named to a totally new kind of design inside his first MC and latter on inside the Signature models as the XTZ and other models on this series.

That kind of new design dissapeared when those vintage Signature Z series gone out of the market but the white papers about were inside Grado company. Any one that lisened the XTZ knows that today could be one of the best cartridge quality performer out there. Maybe your Epoch 3 shares that cartridge motor design that’s a unique one and only Grado has it.

Btw, about that special ellipthical stylus in the Epoch 3 could be one of two other than ellipthical stylus shape used by Grado but unfortunatelly came only with a name but no description of the tip shape. One was named just: Grado tip and comes in one of the Grado samples I still own and the other is the one in the Signature family of the XTZ named: Twin Tip and maybe this is that " special ellipthical " in the Epoch 3 and I think this because today there is nothing really NEW on top stylus tip shapes: everything we can imagine stays already in the market.

Anyway, again thinking loud.

R.

@mglik : " 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. "

I already posted here about your statement but was till today that I fall in count that one of the main Grado characteristic in its Optimized transmission line cartridge design was to " disappears " the surface noise but not only in the unmodulated grooves but mainly in the modulated grooves and achieve that with out any single compromise/trade-off that could disturb the true MUSIC signal information and yes you can hearing it. It’s part of that high quality level performance you are in experience with your Epoch 3.

Again, congratulations for,

R.

Don’t know the difference in the Grado Epoch3 tip. Only know that the cart tracks, it is said, better than any cartridge. On the run in/out and between cuts, the silence is deafening. And, as I have said, the SQ is well beyond the Lyra Atlas SL. It is a new, amazing level of realism. I was lead to the Epoch3 by reading about the Decca London Reference. The Grado may be well beyond the Decca. 

BTW-I am also married to myTriplanar SE arm. It was quite involved and difficult ti mount it on my TT. And I would not second guess the Triplanar quality and compatibility.

Dear @mglik  : Yes, it's obvious that with a 20cu compliance it has to track very well. Maybe not better " than any cartridge " but at the ends a good tracker.

I own and owned several cartridges with different compliance spec and no one high compliance ( this is 20cu and up ) disappointed on that specific issue but certainly are better tracking cartridges but " unfortunatelly " not with the great cartridge motor of your sample.

I need to experience it and compare with the vintage signature Z series.

R.