You are right, it makes no sense at all. I am using a $8000 + table, a $2200 separate phono stage and I paid no more than $400 of any of the cartridges I use. The Slee is not as good as my back up Dynavector 75 -2. The phono stage is going to limit the performance of the cartridge and if one cartridge is already better than the phono stage then a better one will make no improvement. The system is no better than its weakest link, which in this case is the Slee. When HIFICRITIC tested a group of expensive cartridges they used an Audio Note AN-S4 transformer into 3 different high end phono stages to get a broad view of the performance of the products being tested. This test is entirely useless. The Slee is not bad but its use here is entirely out of place.
Ortofon A90 review.... wrong choice of gear
Hi all
Just had a QUICK read of the new Feb issue of HiFi World which was sent to me by a good friend. Why I ask myself?
I was interested in what they thought about the new Ortofon A90 MC. I own one like many other folk. It's a great cartridge and without being totally biased probably the best I have heard but then it is expensive. I also own a PW Windfeld which is the next model down and fortunately the reviewer compared the 2 cartridges... should make for a great and riveting read.
I read through the review and saw that he did not feel the differences between the 2 cartridges we large. I was really surprised because in my system the differences are MASSIVE! I continued to read on..... then he says that if you are using an Icon Audio phonostage it's not bad but it sounds better with a Graham Slee.
Question.
Who on earth would spend $4000 on a cartridge and use a basic $900 phono stage? Most of the folks I know that own cartridges above $2000 use phono stages that can get the most of their cartridge. It's no wonder the reviewer could not tell the difference between the 2 cartridges. If he had used a better phono stage and system he would have had half a chance of actually hearing the qualities of the cartridges. A hifi dealer would have told the guy... ' I wouldn't recommend you use a $4000 with such mediocre gear'....
Anyways, that is the state of play in this magazine, I can't imagine the manufacturer and distributor were that happy about it.
Just had a QUICK read of the new Feb issue of HiFi World which was sent to me by a good friend. Why I ask myself?
I was interested in what they thought about the new Ortofon A90 MC. I own one like many other folk. It's a great cartridge and without being totally biased probably the best I have heard but then it is expensive. I also own a PW Windfeld which is the next model down and fortunately the reviewer compared the 2 cartridges... should make for a great and riveting read.
I read through the review and saw that he did not feel the differences between the 2 cartridges we large. I was really surprised because in my system the differences are MASSIVE! I continued to read on..... then he says that if you are using an Icon Audio phonostage it's not bad but it sounds better with a Graham Slee.
Question.
Who on earth would spend $4000 on a cartridge and use a basic $900 phono stage? Most of the folks I know that own cartridges above $2000 use phono stages that can get the most of their cartridge. It's no wonder the reviewer could not tell the difference between the 2 cartridges. If he had used a better phono stage and system he would have had half a chance of actually hearing the qualities of the cartridges. A hifi dealer would have told the guy... ' I wouldn't recommend you use a $4000 with such mediocre gear'....
Anyways, that is the state of play in this magazine, I can't imagine the manufacturer and distributor were that happy about it.
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- 20 posts total
- 20 posts total