Best MM?

Raul, the question I asked was a very difficult one to answer; it involved different characteristics of the same high quality cartridges.

For example: let's compare cartridges rated "B" by "Stereophile"; we already know they're good cartridges, we're simply concerned with the differences in these cartridges.

The question I asked pertained to the subtle nuances in that particular tune; how those nuances are delivered make a lot of difference; all of the difference to me.

I'll post the tune again and point them out to you. While the entire tune is a composite of nuances, they are most critical beginning with the bass at 5:55 and then the guitar at 6:52 all the way to the end.

This was a 45 RPM mono; only the best rigs can capture all the nuances; maybe only the best ears can hear them.


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHold6ylvEM


Possibly, a 15K cartridge does everything perfectly, but not a 1K cartridge; that's why it's necessary for me to isolate what's most important to my musical enjoyment and go with that.

Dear @orpheus10 : That recording can works for some kind of evaluation but nuances is not per se what defines the overall differences. In that recording those nuances could be way obvious and what I do through my proccess is more " tigth " " less tolerant " and way lower nuances.
As I said the first part of my test/evaluation proccess is with very special " isolated " music information. Inside my proccess I have parts of LP tracks for those tiny nuances but additional to nuances due that the item under evaluation gives you more information/pick-up a little more information for better tracking abilities.

The true is that an overall proccess as the one I devloped over the years is really complex but gives you many things if you are well self trained on it and the high advantage is thta trhough it I or you know exactly and in specific what to look for. It’s more than all a true whole proccess to evaluate quality performance level not what I or you like it but if performs as should be.

I use between other recordings Disco music from the 60’s-70’s where was really strident in almost any system well any not well roo/system set up. In the same way I use, classical, jazz, blues, pop, female, orchestras, solo intruments as piano or trumpet, etc, etc,

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Possibly, a 15K cartridge does everything perfectly, but not a 1K cartridge .."""

Through my process sometimes is the other way around like with my ADC 26/27 cartridge review.

R.

@orpheus10

Possibly, a 15K cartridge does everything perfectly, but not a 1K cartridge

Are you hypnotized by reviewers or manufacturers ?
Prices means nothing in the modern world of High-End, if you don’t have a reference among classic High-End cartridges you have no idea where do you going even with 15k budget, don’t let them fool you, there is NOTHING is the cartridge that cost $15k! The logic behind $15k pricing is not about fidelity at all and they are not better than many $1k cartridges. Also this thread is about MM cartridges, they are always cheaper than MC. The stylus is the most expensive part of MM cartidge. Some of the very best styli with exotic cantilevers cost under $1k max.  

Chakster, I was thinking about this cartridge, but it's not MM;


      https://www.needledoctor.com/Koetsu-Coralstone-Platinum-Phono-Cartridge


To be honest, I'm quite satisfied with the Grado; it reproduces nuances quite well. People who didn't choose Grado said they were musical, and that's my major requirement.

No, I'm not trying to sell Grado, my main point has been about the effort it takes to find one's own cartridge, the one that reproduces his musical requirements; this hasn't been easy, it's taken years.

The Pickering and Stanton cartridges I saw on the jukeboxes were Mono, just like the music on those 45's. Some people claim it's better than stereo.

Possibly, a 15K cartridge does everything perfectly, but not a 1K cartridge ..

Well I have had a $12K MC cartridge (Atlas) and still have a $10K MC cartridge (Palladian) and Chakster is right....
There is NO relationship.....absolutely NONE..... between the cost and the performances of cartridges.
The wealthy audiophiles who are "hypnotized by reviewers or manufacturers"....compare uber-expensive MC cartridges with their even MORE uber-expensive (but newly released) competitors and comment on their differences.....
But they are the SAME differences that the impoverished audiophiles can hear between ALL the cost-effective vintage MM cartridges 🤪🤗