MM to MC back to MM

Jsman,
As to your quest, it is hard to go wrong with some of the MM cartridges already suggested and there are many more to try. The great part is that all of them are reasonably priced. So go for it and enjoy! This is not easily done with MC cartridges. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy having both types. However, unlike MMs, trying some of the best MCs can get very expensive. So let us know… it would be interesting to hear your evaluations of the MMs that impress you most.

I also agree with the suggestions to also look into a high quality phonostage. However, the sonic performance of such units within your system should be the among the major reasons for your purchase. Three of the top five phonostages I have used are one-off, prototype or beta units from highly regarded and talented enthusiasts. In fact I still own two of these quality units and use them regularly. None of these designers have ads in major print or online publications and none have a network of dealers. All of them were OK to have me try their units on a trial basis. If specs are a huge concern, then you can always have the units tested to verify the claims. They all provide excellent and timely, customer service and tech support. They have to. They much more to lose than a sale if they did otherwise. Sure they make products that are hand made, but they also happen to be often-consulted experts by the more highly visible companies. So do not overlook highly regarded products from such manufacturers. Forums such as these are a great place to learn about them. It is possible that persons suggesting otherwise have a vested interest (or at least I question their motive(s)) for doing so.

Ctm_cra
If you are referring to my post, perhaps you should think with a tad more foresight.

First, motives.

Motives?

I don’t think so. Any responsible retailer would recommend his customer deal with a well established manufacturer that will be around next month, next year, and next decade. I mentioned none specifically nor would I do so here.

Second, the audio world is replete with failed audio businesses. See:

California Audio Labs
Zoethecus
BMI
Meadowlark
Melos
Apogee
ADS
Counterpoint
Luxman
Platnium Audio
Essence
Great American Sound
Golden Tube
Dunlavy
American Acoustics
SAE
Soundwave
Condor
Normal
Yamaha (high end audio products only)
Celestion
Spica
Lineaum
Ohm (the real Walsh driver company)
Tandberg
Beveridge
Altec Lansing
Arcurus
Aragon
Mondial
Dahlquist
HH Scott
Fisher
Dynaco
KLH
Sonic Frontiers
Nirvan
Timbre

And you suggest that a smart buyer trust a couple amateurs working out of their garage with a product that can’t/doesn't meet unreal specifications and need to promote same in these threads?

Perhaps I should ask, what’s your motive?

Eldartford,
Is the better MM cartridge you upgraded to the Shure V15MR or another unit? When you compared MM and MC cartridges through your Tandberg how did you equalize the listening levels?

CD playback is great and has come long way since it was first introduced. However, no CD player to date has outperformed my analog playback. This includes some highly regarded and top-of-the-line CD players (modded or otherwise) that I was lucky to hear in my system recently and within the last two years.

As to MM/MC comparisons… In a resolving and musical system (using well recorded, uncompressed acoustic media) one should expect to hear the difference from one IC to another, especially if you often attend live acoustic performances. One should also expect that this is the case when you introduce new speaker cables, PCs, line conditioners, vibration control platforms, and tweaks like footers/couplers, etc. The introduction of different capacitors or attenuators within a preamp, for example, can noticeably affect the overall sonic presentation. Resistors are no exception.

The Tandberg sounds like a well designed preamp. However, despite the nearly identical MM and MC circuits (and despite the use of the same transistors), the small differences including the presence of the resistors in one phono section to address the outputs of MM vs. MC cartridges add variables that confounds the results of a comparison between these different types of transducers.

Consequently, one cannot conclude that the differences you hear is due only to the two types of cartridges. Moreover, it is not an easy task to verify or isolate the sonic effects introduced by the differences between the MM and the MC phonostages within the same unit. So even with the use of the Tandberg, an evaluation of a MM vs. a MC cartridge is not an apples-to-apples comparison.

Audiofeil - What amateurs and what unreal specifications are you referring to? The author of this thread and perhaps a few members may want to know.

The "amateurs" that I have dealt with ARE responsible retailers and they aim to be well established. And if their products are given the same playing field perhaps they have a chance of being around next month, next year, and next decade.

The list you provide of companies that are no longer in business is comprehensive. I am no historian and have no inside scoop, but just as much as these "amateurs" can drop the ball on customer service, product support and make false specification claims, so can established manufacturers.

To keep referring to them globally as "amateurs" is also puzzling. Email me privately and I'd be glad to reveal the names of those with whom I have dealt. They are an impressive list of respected engineers and designers. You would be proud to represent their products. I refrain from identifying them here seeing how people are sensitive toward anything that can be misinterpreted as advertising. Additionally, if I were them I would not want my name associated within the context of this discussion.

Dear Tfkaudio: +++++ " Or to say it another way, IMHO it is better to have a great phono amp and a good cart than to have a great cart and a good phono amp. " +++++

I totally agree about.

Regards and enjoy the msuic.
Raul.