MC-MM-MI CARTRIDGES . DO YOU KNOW WHICH HAS BETTER QUALITY PERFORMANCE? REALLY?


Dear friends:The main subject of this thread is start a dialogue to find out the way we almost all think or be sure about the thread question :  " true " answer.

 

Many years ago I started the long Agon MM thread where several audiophiles/Agoners and from other audio net forums participated to confirm or to discover the MM/MI/IM/MF/HOMC world and many of us, me including, was and still are" surprised for what we found out in that " new " cartridge world that as today is dominated by the LOMC cartridges.

 

Through that long thread I posted several times the superiority of the MM/types of cartridges over the LOMC ones even that I owned top LOMC cartridge samples to compare with and I remember very clearly that I posted that the MM and the like cartridges had lower distortion levels and better frequency range quality performance than the LOMC cartridges.

 

In those times j.carr ( Lyra designer ) was very active in Agon and in that thread  I remember that he was truly emphatic  posting that my MM conclusion was not  true due that things on distortion cartridge levels in reality is the other way around: LOMC has lower distortion levels.

 

Well, he is not only a LOMC cartridge designer but an expert audiophile/MUSIC lover with a long long and diverse first hand experiences listening cartridges in top TT, top tonearms and top phono stages and listening not only LOMC cartridges but almost any kind of cartridges in his and other top room/systems.

 

I never touched again that subject in that thread and years or months latter the MM thread I started again to listening LOMC cartridges where my room/system overall was up-graded/dated to way superior quality performance levels than in the past and I posted somewhere that j.carr was just rigth: LOMC design were and are superior to the other MM type cartridges been vintage or today models.

 

I'm a MUSIC lover and I'm not " married " with any kind of audio items or audio technologies I'm married just with MUSIC and what can gives me the maximum enjoyment of that ( every kind )  MUSIC, even I'm not married with any of my opinions/ideas/specific way of thinking. Yes, I try hard to stay " always " UNBIASED other than MUSIC.

 

So, till today I followed listening to almost every kind of cartridges ( including field coil design. ) with almost every kind of tonearms and TTs and in the last 2 years my room/system quality performance levels were and is improved by several " stages " that permits me better MUSIC audio items judgements and different enjoyment levels in my system and other audio systems. Yes, I still usemy test audio items full comparison proccess using almost the same LP tracks every time and as always my true sound reference is Live MUSIC not other sound system reproduction.

 

I know that the main thread subject is way complicated and complex to achieve an unanimous conclusions due that exist a lot of inherent differences/advantages/unadvantages in cartridges even coming from the same manufacturer.

 

We all know that when we talk of a cartridge we are in reality talking of its cantilever buil material, stylus shape, tonearm used/TT, compliance, phono stage and the like and my " desire " is that we could concentrate in the cartridges  as an " isolated " audio item and that  any of our opinions when be posible  stay in the premise: " everything the same ".

 

My take here is to learn from all of you and that all of us try to learn in between each to other and not who is the winner but at the " end " every one of us will be a winner.

 

So, your posts are all truly appreciated and is a thread where any one can participates even if today is not any more his analog alternative or is a newcomer or heavily experienced gentleman. Be my guest and thank's in advance.

 

Regards and ENJOY THE MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.

Ag insider logo xs@2xrauliruegas

As a child, the record player at home had a ceramic cartridge, and when I bought my first amplifier (in 1976), one could select ceramic or magnetic inputs on it. Excuse my ignorance, but I'm assuming there were separate inputs as they have differing output voltages? How do connect your ceramic cartridge these days, @pindac ?

I have read (maybe it was here) that someone asked PL why he makes LOMI/MIMC cartridges, and he replied that it was purely because there was a demand for them, but he did not think there was any benefit himself.

Dear @mke246  : Well, your kind of audio " fun " is a very specialized for say the least and I could think that almost no one out there " lives " as you.

Anyway, is interesting that you experienced lower distortion levels in the SG design and even at inner grooves.

I hasd and listened in diffeent top room/systems as 4 times that Srain Gauge you own and against top LOMC cartridges the differences are significant and nit for the better.

My first time with was in top system with MBL speakers and I just can't tlerate its distorted high frequency range tonality that is not near my near field seated live MUSIC experiences. No, it's not a bad cartridge design and unfortunatelly we have to listen it through its dedicated phono stage so this is an additional " variable " in any comparison due that it's not the usual with other cartridge designs.

Good that work for your dedicated audio world. Maybe in the future you can try your SG with today analog LP's.

R.

Dear @jhnnrrs  : So, your post means that that is your way of thinking as PM? I have to say that for years I had a suscription at IAR. I respect his opinion but that adjective he used could means several things and in reality for me it's not very clear.

Could you explain it in a widest way?. Thank's.

 

R.

Dear @lewm  : " if you put a gun to my head, I’d say I prefer MI. "

Well. I know which MI cartridges you own because I still own or owned for some years ( including MP500 that's moving permalloy. ) and well rigth now I have mounted two MM cartridges and 1 HOMC that overall performs better ( not day and nigth differences. ) than your MI samples and I own several LOMC cartridges that do the same and of course that your samples could be better that some other kind of designs.

God to know your preference.

 

R.

 

 

Dear @jdougs  : Yes, to make this kind of comparisons I agree with you on the crucial importance of phono stage.

 

Now, your Umami Red is a LOMC cartridge that is a true challenge for LOMC cartridge in the over 10K price range, so you are in good hands.

 

R.