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Hear my Cartridges....🎶

Many Forums have a 'Show your Turntables' Thread or 'Show your Cartridges' Thread but that's just 'eye-candy'.... These days, it's possible to see and HEAR your turntables/arms and cartridges via YouTube videos.
Peter Breuninger does it on his AV Showrooms Site and Michael Fremer does it with high-res digital files made from his analogue front ends.
Now Fremer claims that the 'sound' on his high-res digital files captures the complex, ephemeral nuances and differences that he hears directly from the analogue equipment in his room.
That may well be....when he plays it through the rest of his high-end setup 😎
But when I play his files through my humble iMac speakers or even worse.....my iPad speakers.....they sound no more convincing than the YouTube videos produced by Breuninger.
Of course YouTube videos struggle to capture 'soundstage' (side to side and front to back) and obviously can't reproduce the effects of the lowest octaves out of subwoofers.....but.....they can sometimes give a reasonably accurate IMPRESSION of the overall sound of a system.

With that in mind.....see if any of you can distinguish the differences between some of my vintage (and modern) cartridges.
VICTOR X1
This cartridge is the pinnacle of the Victor MM designs and has a Shibata stylus on a beryllium cantilever. Almost impossible to find these days with its original Victor stylus assembly but if you are lucky enough to do so.....be prepared to pay over US$1000.....🤪
VICTOR 4MD-X1
This cartridge is down the ladder from the X1 but still has a Shibata stylus (don't know if the cantilever is beryllium?)
This cartridge was designed for 4-Channel reproduction and so has a wide frequency response 10Hz-60KHz.
Easier to find than the X1 but a lot cheaper (I got this one for US$130).
AUDIO TECHNICA AT ML180 OCC
Top of the line MM cartridge from Audio Technica with Microline Stylus on Gold-Plated Boron Tube cantilever.
Expensive if you can find one....think US$1000.

I will be interested if people can hear any differences in these three vintage MM cartridges....
Then I might post some vintage MMs against vintage and MODERN LOMC cartridges.....🤗
128x128halcro
frogman
4,637 posts
 
Victors:

Well, I am not prepared to say which is the best by listening to only one recording this way, but I am pretty comfortable saying which is my favorite: The X-1IIE. My least favorite: the X-1II

With both the X-1 and X-1II high frequencies sound overly prominent to the point of distraction and with excessive sibilance on the vocals. I like the X-1 very much for its very naturally colorful midrange. With the X1IIE the midrange is also naturally colorful, but high frequencies are much better controlled and balanced. Possibly as a result of this, vocals and the midrange in general sound fuller and more natural.
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,289 posts
 
Love it Frogman.......👌
I could read your descriptions all day long.....🗣
I’m off to buy some more cartridges to keep your contributions coming..
harold-not-the-barrel
799 posts
 
Don´t get me wrong, I just found my ML-180 outperforming all the MM AT´s I have tried over the years, hence my expression bad. The same goes for my statement about TOTL ACUTEX models, they are superb performers as you have discovered too.  But not magical IME. And there may very well be a subtle difference between the samples. 

That X-1IIE with titanium pipe cantilever and Shibata stylus ?
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,289 posts
 
Victor X-1 and X-1II have Beryllium/Shibata whilst X-1IIE has Titanium hollow pipe cantilever and nude Elliptical stylus. 
frogman
4,637 posts
 
Harold, I don’t doubt it at all and as we all know system context is very important. Curious, have you tried the AT 150 that the 180 was compared to? I haven’t owned either one, but would consider purchasing the 150 if I can find one; I think it would be a good fit in my system. BTW, I agree with you re the Acutex; I like it very much, but I wouldn’t call it magical either. Regards.
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