The Blue Angel Mantis cartridge


Hi All
I am considering purchasing a Blue Angel mantis cartridge and would like to hear from those that have heard or are using one.
I have used many great cartridges in the past from the likes of Allaerts,Dynavecter,Koetsu,Ortofon etc.
Has anybody compared the Mantis to other highly regarded carts?
Thanks
Terry
uktel
Axelwhal-I don't know what to say. I've sent carts to VdH-a long, long distance away from Central Oregon, USA-and had them returned in perfect condition, in a reasonable period of time. I'm relatively sure VdH would be happy to repair your non-VdH cart also. Granted, I'm not familiar with the package delivery situation in SA, but from my perspective we're living in a time of access to any point on the globe, so I, for one, take advantage of that. Perhaps you should consider the same, and not call out your fellow countryman for "couldn't care less customer service" because he won't repair a cartridge from a different manufacturer. Frankly, your argument seems illogical to the extreme.

vaya con dios
OK, maybe I should be more accommodating to a country man. What you do NOT know, because I didn't mention it, is that I had some email discourse with the man. I didn't find him too accommodating, see.
But what the heck, I usually try to help were ever I can, it maybe this mistaken attitude that makes me take note if some other folks are more in the NO, CAN'T DO mode.
I still think it is strange, that a vd Hull, J. Allaerts, et al, and all making their own stuff, will help and my 'country man' will not.
Axel
Maybe it's a good thing to wake up this thread again, because just yesterday I visited with the esteemed Mr. Hanekom and found the experience most enjoyable and enlightening to the extreme. He dedicated the entire afternoon to me as he took me through the steps of the finer arts of cartridge construction as well as a trip down memory lane when in the seventies he bought card board boxes from my dad for the company he was then involved with.

He was very willing to take on my Colibri cartridge for a rework, but having heard the Mantis side by side on his test rig, I'm now thinking to ditch the bitch for an angel. The Mantis made his humble test rig speakers vanish in thin air as the music hung suspened in a perfect 3D hologram between the speakers. My Colibri sounded so broken by comparison, I don't think any rework would suffice.

When I get my angel, I will report back on the findings.
Anytime we talk about cartridges, things tend to get extremely subjective. I suppose that's because we aren't exposed to everything out there, and also because we hear things differently. I mention it because qualifiers are always needed when discussing audio preferences.

In 2007, I bought my first Blue Angel Mantis cartridge. That's the one that I wrote the review about. In 2012, I got a new one that has improvements over the first. It has a heavier body and a better mount. The sound is also better overall.

I'll go out on a limb to try and make a real world comparison based on my personal experience. The short of that is that the Mantis sounds somewhere between an Ortofon A90 and a Lyra Olympos, with the Lyra being the best of the three, in my opinion. Bear in mind that the Olympos cost $10,000, over twice as much as the Ortofon. The Mantis costs even less than the Ortofon. Budget is a consideration for many who buy high-end cartridges, so that's why I mention it. It is true that the asking price of a Blue Angel Mantis has been reduced, but that is because Andre chose to sell direct, rather than continue selling through distributors. He is simply passing the savings on to the consumer. That should be a welcomed change in this day and age.

The cartridge isn't splashy, nor is it overly romantic. The presentation is tonally correct, and that is its claim to fame. For some, that's a great thing, but others are looking for some attribute that adds to the music. You decide, but I like it. It does have a few quirks, however. Mounting on some arms can be tricky and setting VTA is not in keeping with the standard. Still, I love how it sounds.

An aside: I was mentioned in the same sentence with Oswald's Mill Audio. Be aware that I am not associated with that company in any way, nor have I been for a long time, although my product remains on his website. I won't point it out again because virtually everyone in audio knows the story. I suppose controversy is a good thing, though. ;)