@kevemaher : Btw, Grace 9 series motor cartridge was designed to run at 100k not 47k to play the CD-4 recordings of those times. Other cartridges runs at the same load impedance for the same issue like Empire.
R.
Looking for a Warmer Sounding Phono Cartridge
I've grown tired of the sound of high end MC cartridges. Detail aplenty, but I've begun to detest to the screechinesssssss.
No, my system is not biased that way. I'd consider my system neutral. Components are listed below. The Koetsu RS sounds wonderful. The other cartridges in my rotation are the Hana ML and the Shelter 901 MK III. These are not described in the literature as very etched sounding nor very detail rich. They are mostly characterized as neutral.
My ears no longer tolerate the highs, anything above 3KHz I would estimate. My hearing disappears at about 8KHz. I don't have any hearing problems except for the loss of higher frequencies. I find also that I'm not as interested in "getting everything that's on the vinyl". Not anymore. I want warmth with quality. I listen to the "audiophile" recordings, to R&R LPs from the 70s and classical and opera from all eras. Some LPs are very good, some not so, but performance overrides the defects. I want to continue to enjoy all of them.
So I'm searching for a good quality warm sounding cartridge, MM, MI, MC or some other, doesn't matter.
I've been researching the field and have come up with these candidates:
- GradoTimber Master 3
- Shelter 501 Mk III
- Soundsmith Zephyr MK III
I was pretty sold on the 501. based mostly on the article by Michael Fremer, but a very helpful contact at Upscale Audio turned me onto the other two. His advice sounds very sound and seems to come from experience with all three.
I would like to keep the discussion limited to the above three and to cartridges less than $1500 USD, unless there's a really great one that I've missed.
Thanks for your help.
My stuff:
Koetsu RS, Hana ML, and Shelter 901, Musical Surroundings Nova II phono pre. Alternate pre is Paragon System E (tubes) and a DIY SUT with Cinemg 1254 trans, sometimes Apt Holman Preamp 1, Technics SL-1200G, Denon DP-57L, Levinson #38s preamp, Rane EQ and Crossover, Bryston 2.5B cubed amp, Revel M105 bookshelf speakers, and HSU 15" Sub.
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@lewm Thanks for the suggestion about Tinnitis.; I have my ears checked regularly. Never a mention of Tinnitis or any other kind of hearing loss except for the loss of high frequencies. I looked online for symptoms. I don't have any. This is clearly my personal bias. Back when I was less informed about the technical aspects of phono cartridges, my system was so irritating that I stopped listening to vinyl. I thought that there was something wrong with the mastering or pressing. "How could they..." was my thinking. Now I know that alignment is so important. Then I was listening to a badly aligned cartridge. Now I never get that awful sound I had back then because I now put a lot of care into stylus and cartridge alignment. Disdain for that awful sound must still linger in my mind. Even a small amount of it is a real annoyance. Cymbals can sound very bad if not properly reproduced. And in my experience there are very few recordings that get this sound acceptable (to me). |
My advice is to move past the Nova II. I had the III and even with the added power supply I felt it was unengaging and flat sounding. Manley Chinooks added tons of warmth and depth over the Nova. Can’t say I’ve got any input on cartridge warmth, but for close to the same budget you might be able to find an older used Chinook. |
Some people are more sensitive to high frequency metallic tweeters and find them strident. Usually a soft dome tweeter would be better for them. Glad the OP found a solution- I highly suspect a warmer “quality” cartridge than the Koetsu Rosewood Sig doesn’t exist, do more warmth must be gotten somewhere else in his audio chain. |
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