Twl... The supex line?? If you mean the 900 series you are really old man.[just kidding] |
I will tell you that a really musical cartridge in the very reasonable price range, is the Denon DL103R. I used one of those for several months before getting my Shelter 501, and it is a jewel of a cartridge, for the money. Very similar in character to the Shelter, and very detailed and dynamic, with the "wholeness" in the presentation. I would highly recommend this cartridge to anyone wanting really nice musical sound for very low money. It could stomp on a number of $1k cartridges, with no trouble at all. And it only costs $230. |
Hi Gang. The denon 103d is a decent sounding cartridge and is what I used when my koetsu went back for rebuild.I also still have a FR-1 mk2 with very few hours on it and I use it for a spare.However;neither are in the same league as the rosewood.I think "what" Twl was alluding to; regarding the Japaneese sound and the Euro sound makes more than a little sense to me and is really a rather astute observation worthy of further dialogue.Now I personally have not heard a great many of the Euro coils in my set up- however I have heard more than a few and always preferred the japaneese coils.A few years ago I sent my 103d to Van den hul for a retip and was rather disappointed with its sound... which I think was rather sterile in comparison to its original voice,I will admit it was very clear and probably tracked better than the original but it just wouldn't let me forget I was listening to it.Even though the original 103d had a rather overblown bottom octave, it always sounded musical in my rig. |
I know that the high-end ZYX R-100 Fuji is one killer cartridge. It's as good as a Shelter 901, but a little different in the way it does things. It is slightly better than the 901 on small scale music, and the 901 is a little better on large scale stuff. Nothing that I know of can beat the 901 for accurate bass response, and natural tonality. Not too sure how the lower end ZYX stuff is. I heard that their $1k model was the OEM for the Monster Alpha cartridge. Not sure about that.
I have not heard the Sumiko Blackbird, but I'm not holding my breath about it. It is supposed to be an upgrading of the Blue Point Special, and is even on a similar platform. The BPS was a barking dog, and needed replacing in a major way. If Sumiko was smart, they'd resurrect the old Supex MC line, and that would sell like hotcakes, just like it used to, back in the day. |
Twl, that is the very thing I liked about the EMT is that it had a very coherent sound from top to bottom and didn't sound like Hi Fi. You know anything about the XYZ's? I am wondering about the new Sumiko Blackbird too? I still may ditch the whole TT mess after 30 years. This is good stuff though! I need to learn more about the current transformers.
Sorry to stear this thread in a different direction. |
Yes, the EMT's were nice. That was in the old days. If they only kept on that track instead of the one they are on now, I wouldn't be saying this stuff. Some of the Ortofons are still good, but no reviewers pay any attention to them. It's like there is some kind of conspiracy to eliminate musical cartridges from reviews or something.
The Shelter is kind of hard to find out about, but there are a couple of reviews on it on the web. They come up on a Google search.
These cartridges are for the people who liked the old style Japanese MC sound, and not everybody does. But for music, you can't beat them. They keep the music "whole" and don't break it into a hundred little audiophile pieces. There is a presentation in these cartridges that gives a lifelike feel, and the emotion is conveyed in a unique way. They don't attempt to achieve numeric perfection, but seek to convey the emotion and soul of the musical performance, and that is what I want out of my system. |
Ecclectique, have you seen the price of a new Koetsu Rosewood Signature? |
Twl, I have also liked the cartridges from Japan myself. I was a big fan of the FR you mentioned and the old Dennon 103D, I owned a Shinnon Red Boron Improved(not perfect but fun), loved the Talasman Virtuoso Boron. Never could affort the Koetsu thing( a friend had a "nude" Rosewood Signature) The best cartridge I ever owned though was a chain smoking Euro trash unit. An old EMT. Man I wish I had that thing back!
I bet the Shelter is very good. I just wish the thing put out some more juice. Do they have a web site? I can't seem to find anything about them or anyone that sells them. |
Maxgain, I have had a number of disagreements with Moncrieff's opinions in the past. I have no way of knowing what this MDB cartridge sounds like personally, and he may be right on the mark.
But after reading enough reviews, you can sort of judge what the guy is saying by certain statements. And add to that the typical sonic flavor of the rest of the stable of highly regarded Euro carts, and the conclusion that I'm obviously jumping to, is pretty clear. I've heard similar comments about alot of Euro cartridges, and the fact is that they're real good at tracking and getting all the steps right, but they can't dance. |
Firstly. for $5500 donero's it better sound like the master tape[whatever that sounds like].For that kind of money there are some great blues bands in my area that I could hire every Saturday for the better part of the year that would sound "better" than the master tape! All kidding aside...I do appreciate the input; however thats a little over the top for my budget... as my better half already thinks I'm a certified wacko as it is. |
Moncrief is not just any "toe tapping cretin".(I just couldn't help myself, stealing a line from his Well Tempered Lab review back in about 86)He is one of the only reviewers with any credibility left. I never took him for one to admire the qualities you mention. |
I just read the IAR review of the MDB cartridge. It gave it very high praise. It is available for $5500 for the basic model from Damoka Distribution in NY.
If you read the description, you find it has a special diamond shape made in Switzerland. This leads me to believe it is a European made cartridge. They also say it sounds exactly like the master tape, and has none of the "lush" sound that "romanticizes" the music. What that really means, if you read between the lines, is that it is like the other European cartridges that have all the right "audiophile" characteristics, but are lifeless and sterile. Just what I would expect from another Euro cart. If you like the Koetsu, FR, and Shelter, expect a big letdown from this MDB cartridge. I haven't heard it, but the warning signs are there. |
All I know is that it is "medium" output, wich I take to mean somewhere around 1mV. The price is $5500 and up(if you have to ask you can't afford it, like buying a helecopter) for Signature models. I understand that the stylus shape is something new, and is why it works so well. The IAR did review it. |
Hi Maxgain. Do you know any specs on it,output,price,source etc? cheers |
Ecclectique, you may want to check into the Magic Diamond Blue. I hear rumors that is is THE thing to own. No one here seems to have anything to say about it though. It is spendy! I have never seen one let alone listened to it though. |
Thanks Twl.Ya learn something new everyday! Still have a FR-7....anybody remember them? Unfortunely I [regretfully] sold the fr-64 tonearm years ago- as someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse! The FR cartridges [in their day] were the only moving coils that I would even consider close to the Koetsu.My Koetsu is original and was rebuilt by Koetsu in 97.I would bet the Shelters are great [now that I know their pedigree].Would like to set it up in the et-2.Anyone using the 501 in the et? |
I'd think a well-seasoned Koetsu Roswood would be well worth rebuilding.
However there are some caveats. If the last re-tipping you did was not by Koetsu, they may not accept the cartridge for rebuild. The only place that rebuilds Koetsu to sound like a Koetsu is Koetsu. If it was done somewhere else, you have some kind of hybrid, that is not really a true Koetsu any longer.
If this is the case, I would recommend getting a different cartridge like the Shelter. The arm/cart matchup will be almost exactly what it was with the Koetsu. The Shelter cartridges have a compliance rating of 9cu, and so does the Koetsu. Weight is also similar.
The Shelter 501 or 901 are awesome cartridges, and would not disappoint you. They are made by some of the old guys that used to build the Fidelity Research cartridges in the old days, that were considered to be competition for the older Koetsu. The Shelters have the classic Japanese MC cartridge sound and are continuing that tradition. There are not many others who are. Also, the Shelter cartridges are very affordable compared to the others, and the sound is competitive with the best. |
