1. Home
  2. analog
  3. 139981-3034

The Cartridge and Stylus makes a big difference.

I am becoming more convinced that the cartridge and the most importantly, the stylus has a lot to do with good sound. I had Benz cartridges for years and always blamed my arm and table (VPI Scout) for mistracking and sound quality issues mainly sibilance.  As years go by I have learned that the Cartridge and Stylus have a lot to do with this problem.  Shame on Benz Micro for not making it right with me for years as I struggled with this.  Its amazing when I put a Lyra Delos on the same tonearm, my problems went away immediately.  Same thing with the Denon, the Ortofon, and so on.

My problems started with the ace, then the wood, then the ref and so on.  I always thought it was my table that was to blame.  I had a glider that was better but still had the same issues.  It was amazing when I had a new cantilever and stylus put on the glider by Andy Kim, my problems went away.  I should have known right there.  I am sure I am not the only one.  I took the Benz Micro Ref to a Linn dealer and had him install it on a 18K turntable and it did the same thing, maybe even worse.  So if you have a Benz and have experienced some of these issues, I assure you, you are not alone.  I hope they get there act together.  

Thanks to Lyra I am finally enjoying my music instead of trying to figure out what is not aligned properly and fiddling forever.
tzh21y
jperry
1,408 posts
 
@onhwy61 

+1
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith
334 posts
 
Been there, done that. The VPI unipivot arms are not a good match with Benz cartridges. That is just my opinion, naturally. I had a Classic and then a Prime and have two Benz Gliders which I used with both decks and then had them both re-tipped by Soundsmith. The re-tipping helped but switching the same cartridge into a different arm-a 12" Reed 3P- was a revelation as to just how good the Benz Glider can sound in an appropriate arm. I think that there is a good reason that Peter Lederman has a "VPI Zephyr", or at least at one time offered one. The VPI arms are very tough to set up with many cartridges. I have no doubt it can be done on most cartridges but it really takes a patient and good technician. Your everyday vinylphile can not likely optimize most MC fine-line styli with a VPI arm. The adjustments are just too crude and difficult to monitor fine adjustments from any given starting point. Why did Peter come up with the counter-intuitive? Same reason. 
tooblue
787 posts
 
@fsonicsmith , I don't know if the Grados are a good match for the VPI arm or not, never had one, but totally disagree that they (VPI arms)  are problematic to set up by an everyday audiophile to which I am one and the simplicity of the design is why I am drawn to them, never had an issue with getting the most out of any cart I strap to them, are there better arms out there, I am sure there are but never felt the need to go there. I believe also since the OP has tried 4 different Grados that his issue with them is not real, after all he strapped them to his newer table and had the same issues. Like everyone reading this, I am scratching my head about this issue and am looking for a viable conclusion, so if there is one please someone shed some light.
tooblue
787 posts
 
Sorry, meant to say his issue is real.
tzh21y OP
1,377 posts
 
Well, if I had such setup issues, how come everything else tracks fine? I tried the Benz on multiple tables and it was professionally set up on the Linn by a very good Linn technician. same thing, I guess it needs a 12 inch arm. lol. Hey if everyone else’s are tracking fine, great, maybe my ears are just more sensitive. How come the Delos tracks great? Is the Delos more forgiving LOL? How come the Cadenza tracked great, how come the Denon tracked great, however that one did not sound right on the scout. I personally think the diamonds, cantilevers, and suspensions are just better on the Lyra, the Cadenza, the Denon, the pickering, I could go on and on.
More to discover