Magic Diamond vs Airtight PC1?

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I quote for the site: http://www.dietiker-humbel.ch/magicdia.htm

"There are also some Signature models in the Magic Diamond cartridge lineup, selling for $15,000 to $30,000. But the waiting list for these Signature models is over a year long, which tells you how high this cartridge's reputation is among those cognoscenti of the international audiophile community who can afford to buy any cartridge they want."

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Gadfly, I wasn't challenging you, I wondered the same thing:

I am curious to know what kinds of mods would incur 5k, 10, 20k, 30k. That seems to be a bit inflated.

So I thought maybe you knew what else the MD incorporated (if anything) beyond what's obvious to the eye. Reminds me of the Shelter rebadging fiasco and now the EAT tube scam.

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It looks like the back plate where the connectors are has change but i can only see that from the bottom. I do not know if that actaull goes as far as replacing the entire back plane.

It does not look like he braced the generator other than epoxying it.

It looks like a basic rebody and epoxy which is what the Zu is. I am at a loss to see where the $????k went.

I wasn't sure if you were challening me or not so I too the opportunity. ;-)

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From what I've seen in the thread, the only 'evidence' to prove it's not a modded dl-103 (or, to give the benefit of the doubt, a 103r) is one guy who says that's "rubbish", a supposed 'letter' from a supposed 'friend of the manufacturer' claiming otherwise, and a link to the manufacturers website. As opposed to the evidence of the two carts looking exactly alike, down to the spherical/conical stylus and aluminum cantilever.

I guess we're to believe that the manufacturer is building his own custom, handbuilt carts that, coincidentally (or perhaps ironically), look exactly like a dl-103, and cost thousands more.

There are some old sayings leaping to mind here-'....fool and his money.....', '....one born every minute....'. Etc.

Not only do they look the same, they essentially spec the same except for the slightly lower recommended range of tracking force (2.2 to 2.8 grams for the 103).

On top of that, the manufacturer was apparently a huge fan of the 103 many years before marketing this cartridge, extolling its virtues and ridiculing other moving coils as being inferior in design and overpriced!

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/73/736555.html

This one really does look like a duck and walk like a duck.