Dyscoveries on Dyna, Denon, Supex, Technics,FR,Ik


Dear friends: Over the time and testing/trying different cartridges ( " old " and new ones ) with different tonearms to find the " best " performance on each cartridge I find some interesting subjects that I want to share with all of you:

Denon 103: this is one of my oldest cartridges that I own and I use it for a while many years ago. In the last three years every time that I mounted and hear it I can't heard it for more than half hour, that's why I always treat it like a " rubbish cartridge " in my posts about. I try it with almost every single tonearm that I own and the result was always the same.
Then, I take in count that in all the tonearms ( removable and fixed headshell ) I can't tighten to much the headshell screws because the 103 is " open " ( input to output ) all the way where the screw goes and if I try to really tighten then the screw goes out of the cartridge body ( it is dificult to me this explanation because my English problems, I hope you can understand ).
I don't like to tailored the cartridge sound through tight ( more or less pressure ) the headshell screws, I always tighten the screws at " its limits " where IMHO and experiences there are less resonances/vibrations on it with better overall performances.
So, what to do?, it happen that I have an Audio Technica AT-LH18/OCC headshell ( headshell weight: 18grs. ) that has screwed holes underneath the headshell ( these holes are 2mm in deep, don't cross/pass the headshell ) in this manner I can tight the screws at maximum with out any trouble, well this was a great solution ( along with the weight of the headshell ) because I mounted the 103 in the Dynavector 505 ( similar to 507 ) and the performance change for the better like night and day, now I can hear the 103 for more than half an hour: very good improvement, this not means that now the 103 is at the XV-1/Myabi/etc performance level: no, but now the 103 has a decent performance that for its price is very good.

Dynavector XV-1: this one is one of my favorite cartridges, I really like it. It is a cartridge that almost always perform very good in almost any tonearm. Well I never be satisfied with " very good " performance I always look for excellent/exemplary performance.
I read some posts where XV-1 owners posted that this cartridge is a very good match with the Dynavector 505/507 tonearms and this was not my own experience about, it sounds good but nothing more.
I decide to try a little hard on the subject with: VTA/VTF/load impedance/etc,/etc with out any " great " results.
Then I decide to try with different headshells ( other than the original 507/505 ones ) till I find that with a light weight headshell ( Denon 100% magnesium, 6gr. The Dyna headshells weight: around 14-15 grs. ) the performance was/is glorious for say the least: I never heard ( any where ) better XV-1 performance that in this set-up.

Fidelity Research MC 702: this is a very " old " MC cartridge design. It is an integral headshell design, bulky one ( " ugly " ? ) at 30-32 grs, low compliance 6-7 Cu, low output 0.2mv and likes VTF 2-3grs.

I own this cartridge for at least 20 years and I buy it second hand in almost new/pristine condition. After many years I set up ( last December ) in my Micro Seiki MAX 282 tonearm ( it likes tonearms like: Ikeda, Dynavector, Audiocraft, SAEC, etc, etc ) and for the very first musical note I knew that this cartridge was something very special.
After 20 hours the sound performance was/is formidable/marvelous, I don't have words to describe my " surprise ", the best I can tell is that the music flow easily through this cartridge like in almost any other ( any where ) cartridge I heard.
If you " see " it ( second hand ) and if you have the right tonearm and phonolinepreamp then buy it!!!!!

Supex SDX 2200R: Another " old " MC design with screw open body type design ( like the 103 you need the right headshell ), ruby cantilever and low output 0.2mv. Man

I make the set-up on the Lustre GST 801 tonearm and sound was terrible at the begin, I have to wait 30 hours for the suspension settle down.
This was/is a great cartridge too, IMHO it competes with cartridges like the Universe ( are very similar in quality performance ) or any other today ones. Many people look for the Supex 900 series ( that I owned ) well the Supex Ruby beats easily those ones.

Audio Technica ATML 180 OCC: One of the greatest MM cartridges ever made.
This model ( I understand ) never sale in USA, the one that was on sale was the ATML 170 and 160 ( still very good ).

Till you hear a MM cartridge with the right phonolinepreamp you can't understand how good/great are the MM cartridges. During my last trip I was in San Diego and Norm heard in his system ( I think for the first time ) a MM cartridge the Empire EDR.9: he was happily surprised, he really likes the quality sound performance of this 100.00 dls MM cartridge.

Some MM cartridges like this one not only compete with any top MC cartridge out there but in some ways beat them, yes ( IMHO ) is better that any single Koetsu I heard it, that any ZYX or Lyra.
It is incredible that a 500.00 MM cartridge could be better performer than a 6-8K MC one.
This cartridge I mated with the Technics EPA 100MK2.

Technics 205CMK4: A marvelous MM cartridge. As good the Audio Technica is this one is better!!!!
What can I say about?, almost nothing but: Magic Diamond, Allaerts, Dynavector, Transfiguration, you named: the Technics is at least at the same level in any single sound performance parameter and beat almost all those MC cartridges for neutrality/natural tone balance, like I already say: marvelous cartridge!!!!!, if you have the tonearm and right phonolinepreamp then buy it!!!!
Mine is matched with the Micro Seiki MAX 282.

Ikeda 9REX: This one is a today MC cartridge with a unique design characteristic for a MC cartridge: it does not use cantilever ( like the cutter lhate/heads on the recording ), the design is with out cantilever. It is a very low output 0.16mv, weighty: 17grs, low compliance: 6CU and like VTF 2.8grs.

It is obvious that this cartridge is not for everyone, not only need the right tonearm and the very best phonolinepreamp out there but a lot of patience to obtain the best performance.
When you achieve this " best performance " you knowed because you will be in heaven.
The sound performance of this cartridge is a " little " different for all we know: the inmediacy of the sound and transients are second to none, the pitch/texture/no overhang/tight/fast bass is second to none, the high frequencies extension and speed are second to none, etc, etc.
You can't be near the live music like with this Ikeda cartridge: this one really is truer to the recording audio device!!!
You have to be a experienced music lover who attend very often to live events to understand what you are hearing through the Ikeda cartridge, you can't compare its sound performance with the sound performance of any other cartridge: it is not only the subject if it is better or not but the subject is that is different/near the live event.
It is an infamous bad traker: it does not like any single dust in the LP or in the stylus, we have to have everything in pristine condition. It takes more than 200 hours to hear it at its best. Like I told you: we need patience and know how.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Ag insider logo xs@2xrauliruegas
Dear Gadfly: No, I did not. Btw, where do you read about? who try that tweak?

regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
This is a follow-up on my post above about my acquiring an Empire 750LTD:

I have about 200 hours on the 750LTD. At about 100 hours I traded in my Herron VTPH-1MC phonostage for a new Herron VTPH-2 which has both MM and MC inputs. So, while the first 100 hours were played through a Vacuum State JLTi, the last 100 hours were played through the VTPH-2. During the time I was listening to the 750LTD on a Moerch DP-6 with 12" red dot arm on a Garrard 401, I was also listening to a ZYX UNIverse S-SB on a VPI 12.5 on the 401s second armpod, and also listening to a VdH Condor XGM on a Schroeder Reference on a Nakamichi TX-1000. The three cartridge/arm/TT combinations all sounded different. They were all musical and fun to listen to. The 750LTD did not have the silky smoothness of its much higher priced brothers. Its soundstage was smaller and it had slightly less detail. However, the 750LTD seemed to be more dynamic. It boogied more than the other two combinations. When I wanted to play rock LPs, where soundstaging and detail is not as important, I preferred playing them on the 750LTD.

What I would like to do is to mount the 750LTD on my VPI 12.5 and then on my Schroeder to see if what I am hearing is due to the 750LTD or due to the difference in tonearms. However, the 750LTD needs a lightweight arm. Neither the VPI 12.5 nor the Schroeder are light weight arms (both have an effective mass of 12grams) so I can not do that comparison. Darn.

So my unscientific conclusion is that the Empire 750LTD is a very good sounding cartridge. At its price point it is an outstanding value.

Raul, thanks for recommending the 750LTD to me. Now I have to mount my Empire ERD-9 and see how good that cartridge is.
Dear Freshpuma: Nice to hear that you are happy with the Empire EDR.9.
It is important too that every single person that already try those Empire cartridges are satisfied with its quality sound reproduction.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dear Rgordonpf: Thank you for your report on the 750LTD and I concur with you: " . At its price point it is an outstanding value. ", IMHO a must to have along the EDR.9. I think that you will have a nice and a little different experience with your EDR.9, good listening!!!!!

I will try other Empire cartridge models on my collection and " see " what happen.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
Dear friends: Many years ago I owned my first B&O MM cartridge a MMC20CL that I remember had a good quality performance, I sold to someone and never come back to till a few months ago whe I ask me: B&O? why not and I buy ( on ebay ) the MMC20EN with a universal B&O headshell ( very light plastic weight ).
The B&O cartridges are designed to fit B&O own tonearms so we can't take it directly into our " normal " tonearms, we need the B&O universal headshell or an adapter for it: both could be find through ebay ( with patience ) or through Soundsmith that is a good B&O cartridge source ( note that Soundsmith build new modified for him B&O cartridges, this ones are different, I'm talking here of the original ones. )

Well, I receive the MMC20EN and I have many troubles to mount in my tonearms due to its extremely light weight where I can't balance in a natural way on the tonearm. After a while I find ( with some tricks ) a place in my Dyna 505 and start to play where I have a very nice surprise because this cartridge is very good and worth all the effort about.

So, I go a little on deep on B&O cartridges and I buy ( second hand ) a MMC20CL and my surprise growth up because this one is a wonderful one: very good natural tonal balance handling both extremes of the frequency extremely well, when you hear/heard it you can ask for more!!!!!!
With this cartridge I go a little more in deep with tonearm match where I find that perform very well on: Dyna 505, Technics EPA100 MK2, Denon DA407, Audiocraft AC300 and 3300. I prefer on the Audiocraft AC3300 and Dyna 505.

About the Soundsmith modified cartridges I can comment this: yesterday I have the opportunity to play with the SMMC20CL ( Sounsmith one ) and the original MMC20CL. Overall ( at least for my taste ) the original has a better quality performance, near to the live event, the Sounsmith one is more on the hi-fi side it sounds good but the original one is more natural performer.
Well as a fact both cartridges are different at least with different kind ( material: saphire in the original and Ruby on the SS ) of cantilever/stylus.

I really recommend those original B&O cartridges, are really good and worht the effort. Btw, you can find a NOS original MMC20CL right now on ebay Canada.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.