Stereophile cartridge reviews " Audio magazine's 1984 Equipment Directory the most complete such compendium The Master 1 is the top model in DS Audio's line of three optical cartridges—transducers that use the vibrations of a phonograph needle to modulate the otherwise steady output of an LED, rather than generate an electrical signal from scratch (sorry)—and replaces the DS-W1, which MF reviewed in the September 2015 Stereophile. Over the past few weeks, more than a few readers Spin Doctor #1: Shaknspin2 & Miyajima Kotetu Mono Phono Cartridge Michael Trei | May 15, 2023 | Over the last 40 years, I have set up or serviced literally thousands of turntables, and during that time I have seen a lot of increasingly sophisticated tools become available to help in getting your turntable optimized. "In lower-priced cartridges, I look for accurate tone and some type of natural vitality. van den Hul calls the Black Beauty a phono cartridge "just for friends. Do I believe that Koetsu cartridges are hand-built by an octogenarian samurai swordsmith, or that Kisekis are imported At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, I spoke with Lyra's Jonathan Carr about the Atlas. Herb Reichert | Nov 29, 2024. All If you think I burned out cartridge-wise at the end of my and JE's It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World cartridge survey at the beginning of the year (Vol. Listening #202: Altec 604 & Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103. Into the system it went, from whence it has daily smacked my gob. The same Ortofon A/S that continues to make the 50-year-old, ultra-low-compliance SPU cartridges—whose tracking force is so high that their stylus-pressure scales should also dispense fortunes—is the same Ortofon The call I received from Music Hall's Leland Leard surprised me: "Hey, Bob, I think you'd be the perfect guy to review our new Ikura turntable!" Hmm. But here's the deal with a moving-coil phono cartridge: stylus, cantilever, rubber Browse awards & reviews for Sumiko phono cartridges — Click here to read some of the accolades our cartridges have earned over four decades of refinement. Linn's Arkiv B may not be a brand-new design—I heard Shure SC35C moving-magnet cartridge. Read the entire review at Stereophile. 1 & 2), you're wrong. We have already looked at the Nd3 and seen that it’s a seriously capable bit of kit for less than £200. Shure V15 V-MR phono cartridge. Footnote 4: In his wonderfully-written review of the JSikora Initial turntable, Herb asks Michael Trei, Originally published May 1, 1966 One of the best pickups we've heard to date, the Grado A was introduced with some fanfare in the fall of 1964 (footnote 1) and then, for no apparent reason, was withdrawn just one year This is because every Lyra cartridge is handmade by the same man, Yoshinori Mishima, and there's usually a fairly long wait between order and delivery. "In lower-priced cartridges, I look for This battery-powered, direct-coupled, wide-bandwidth, balanced, transimpedance phono preamplifier keeps the basic circuitry of the Lino 2. "And the thing is, this is a five What is a strain-gauge cartridge, anyway? In a standard phono cartridge, a mass—a magnet or a coil—must be moved to generate a voltage. As of the spring of 1975, the '103S is being imported by American Audioport, Inc. One of my first-ever Stereophile reviews, in the October 2014 issue, was of Sentec's EQ11 phono preamplifier, which featured six EQ choices, selectable from Given the above, you should know what it takes to use the DV10x5 in that setting. , in Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews Spin Doctor. 18 Nos. Both were Life is short! And while you are at it, be sure to get a new StylusTimer (invented and patented by yours truly, and a Stereophile recommended component every year since its Miyajima Laboratory Madake Snakewood phono cartridge In the December 2014 installment of this column, I reviewed Miyajima Laboratory's unusual Madake cartridge ($5895, footnote 3); later, I bought it. While the AT-OC9 bears the Audio-Technica logo, you won't find a sample of this moving-coil cartridge at your friendly Audio-Technica dealership. The MK II sounded noticeably speedier, clearer, harder hitting, and more alpha that the original SL, which it will be replacing. Says so right here on the box: Koetsu. Songbird. Suffice to say it was plenty to drive the 91. Again, while this design aspect is key to the cartridge's performance, it—and many other aspects of cartridge design in general—are covered in great detail in the Clavis review in the April '96 Stereophile. Ortofons are nice, and I've used most in the OM range, years ago good stuff. The cantilever material is not specified. 3mV) moving-coil cartridge featuring a nude Shibata stylus with a thin, stiff boron cantilever, the Cadenza Black brings a lot of the advanced technology The Master1 cartridge and Master1 equalizer are simply outstanding components, setting new benchmarks for vinyl playback in several areas (mechanical silence, neutral In these waning days of Analog's Last Stand, it might seem absurd to review midpriced phono cartridges when this space could be given instead to the gear Stereophile usually covers—like $3000 OTL tube amps built by guys Footnote 2: See my review of the similarly Haufe-made Audio Creative Mediator in the June 2019 Stereophile. Moving-magnet cartridge designers must now be mindful that most of today's tonearms are of medium This low-output moving-coil cartridge can be fitted with different styli. 2gm recommended). Approximate number of dealers: 100. The mass must be supported by an elastomer suspension that acts as a kind (See my reviews of both in the June 1998 Stereophile, Vol. tonearm, MC phono cartridge, phono stage and power supply The fully loaded review sample was fitted with the Karousel bearing, a NASA-grade Keel subchassis ($3705), and the optional fluted plinth ($220). Stereophile – June 2021. Web: www. I happily agreed. Because the vast majority of phono stages are designed to cope with signals produced by velocity-sensitive cartridges, the amplitude-sensitive Master 1 requires a very different sort of stage, and so a dedicated equalizer is included in its not-inconsiderable price. I've put hundreds of hours on it, This cartridge gets more of that correct than any other cartridge I've heard. It just sounded more believable. 21 No. 3 and affordable Audio seems a well informed and educated DIY involvement life. (Photo: Art Dudley) According to the 2018 edition of the UN's Zu then takes their culling three steps further, offering Grade 1 cartridges with a 1% tolerance ($559), Grade 2 cartridges with a 0. 20 No. 3F was the only moving-coil cartridge we had heard (as of then) that we would give house room to. I used three cartridges for this review: the EMT TSD 15N, the Dynavector DV-10X5 MKII, and the Kuzma CAR-30, using the headshell supplied by Technics and others from There was an explosion of new class-D amps in 2016 when Stereophile featured glowing reviews of Bel Canto's e. 33 No. Now they're mainstream. It had been four years Indeed, the Grado Prestige Gold1 sounded best with the Rega 'table and arm, and that pairing formed the basis for all the performance comments that follow. Both cartridges have alnico The Decca Mark V is the latest version of that English firm's unique "tip-sensing" stereo-matrix-ing pickups. Musical Surroundings Nova III I reviewed Hana's $750 About four years ago, the stand-alone tonearm market went through a bit of a crisis. Moving coil stereo phono cartridge. Longish wait time for handmade cartridges. Moving-magnet cartridge designers must now be mindful that most of today's tonearms are of medium to high mass and that therefore, to be compatible, their MMs must be of low to medium compliance and of higher mass than those of the 1960s and '70s. I had a Mel meltdown the other night, chain-playing Mel Tormé and Setup was simple. "Components listed here have been formally reviewed in Stereophile" Neither of these GoldenEar speakers had been reviewed when this listing was prepared (February 2014). The motor is built to Brinkmann's specifications by Benz-Micro and includes a Micro-Ridge stylus. The Rosewood Signature Platinum, the subject of this review, Over the last 50 years, I must have installed well over 1000 phono cartridges, but I still remember the very first one: a Goldring G850 I put into the family Garrard Autoslim turntable when I was 11 years old. If you think analog doesn't matter anymore, you have my semi-sincere condolences. Readers might know that the class-AB No534 is a Stereophile Class A recommended component. Analog Corner #237: Ortofon MC A95 phono cartridge, In the April 2000 issue of Stereophile, I reviewed SME's Model 10, which was an attempt by that The Genesis 500 ($650) is the baby brother of Monster Cable's top-of-the-line Genesis 1000 cartridge. But there's one more caveat: The Grado was susceptible to mild hum as the In 1962, when tennis rackets were made of wood, newspeople were known for challenging the government, and the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks was in its second year (the show closed in 2002), Nippon Columbia's Denki Onkyo (or Den-On) division introduced to the professional audio world a brand-new moving-coil phono cartridge. But if you think, as I do, that analog When I began at Stereophile, I bought a used Technics SL-1200MK2 ($80 at a stoop sale). Price: $1250 (1987); no longer available (2006). Your collecting of 33. Over and over, Curious to know how this turntable compares with the Pioneer PLX-1000 that Herb Reichert reviewed in STEREOPHILE. 5mV (1kHz, 5cm/sec. Add $500 for piano black lacquer skirt. Used with a Lyra Atlas cartridge, the Viella 12 produced a rich, detailed midrange; nimble, well-controlled bass; and smooth, clean highs, said MF. Both cartridges produced levels of detail retrieval and dynamic authority that broke new ground. These cartridges were designed to take advantage of a new crop of transimpedance phono preamps like the CH Precision P1 and the Sutherland Phono Loco, which boast exceptionally With its aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus, the high-output Songbird moving magnet reminded HR of Sumiko's famously high-value Blue Point that Stereophile favorably reviewed The Master 1 is the top model in DS Audio's line of three optical cartridges—transducers that use the vibrations of a phonograph needle to modulate the otherwise steady output of an LED, rather than generate an The Audio Technica AT95E (file #3—5%, 22 votes) Specs: Output: 3. In the early to mid-1980s, I read every high-end hi-fi magazine I could get my hands on. Analog Corner #237: Ortofon MC A95 phono cartridge, In the April 2000 issue of Stereophile, I reviewed SME's Model 10, which was an attempt by that storied company to The Shure V15-III is the latest of Shure's top-of-the-line "Super-track" pickups, earlier versions of which we scorned because of their dished-down response in the 6kHz range and their consequent "dead" sound. " In a way, this Black Beauty was made specially for me—it's been tweaked for an undamped linear-tracking arm. Grado carts in that range from $225-300 as well, all very well reviewed. Sidebar 1: Review System. 7gm. 45 screaming, "MIT 2023 Editors' Choice: Phonocartridges $2,000 - $5,000 - The 2023 edition of TAS’ Editors’ Choice Awards is here. The "matrixing" apellation refers to the fact that the Decca pickups With its aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus, the high-output Songbird moving magnet reminded HR of Sumiko's famously high-value Blue Point that Stereophile favorably reviewed in 1993. (The others had frequency-response Back in 2000, when Lyra introduced the Helikon moving-coil cartridge, which replaced the then six-year-old Clavis D. In the household I grew up in, telling a lie was a death-penalty offense worse than murder or leaving crumbs on the kitchen counter. He told me that, rather than having started as a blank sheet of paper, the Atlas is an outgrowth of the Kleos ($2995), which I The Master 1 is the top model in DS Audio's line of three optical cartridges—transducers that use the vibrations of a phonograph needle to modulate the otherwise steady output of an LED, rather than generate an electrical signal from scratch (sorry)—and replaces the DS-W1, which MF reviewed in the September 2015 Stereophile. Output voltage: 0 I wish that stereophile would measure cartridges, similar The Rega Nd7 is a moving magnet cartridge and the range topping member of the Nd family of carts. 5–1. A6063 aluminum body with threaded screw holes. Our top equipment recommendations from loudspeakers, Although the idea of a $1000 moving-coil cartridge no longer shocks audiophiles, it is still not exactly what I'd call "Mainstream Hi-Fi. Editor's Note: This is the very first equipment report that was written by J. It will breathe new life Forty years ago, moving-coil cartridges were exotic. The long list of iconic models produced or HANA SL MK II Review By Herb Reichert “ The MK II sounded noticeably speedier, clearer, harder hitting, and more alpha that the original SL, which it will be replacing. Mr. Editors’ Choice: Phono Cartridges $5000 and Up - Our editors have evaluated phono cartridges over the past several years (newer isn’t always better!) and discussed But in 2005, when I was assigned to review for Stereophile the VPI Scout—a turntable-plus-tonearm package that then sold for $1500—it impressed me as a solidly good alternative to my usual recommendations. In 1973, the G850 was the least expensive moving magnet cartridge Goldring made. "An incredible value," he decided. Recommended tracking force: 1. (left), a contributor to Stereophile's late headphone blog InnerFidelity, with his dad, Craig, The GR2 arrived with its tonearm premounted. Anyone who does their Phono Cartridge Reviews. It features a DSP-modified low-tolerance squarewave-generating crystal. 5-mil spherical tip, the DL-103S a Shibata tip. SoundStage! Hi-Fi – July 2019. (footnote 1): the CAR-50 ($5895) and the CAR-60 ($12,995). Presumably, CAR is an abbreviation of cartridge, but for $12,995 you could buy a car you could Setup was simple. Art Dudley wrote about the Miyajima Shilabe in October 2010 (Vol. This was In recent years, I've reviewed two Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers: the 705 Signature two-way standmount in the December 2020 issue and the Diamond Series 804 D4 three-way floorstander in the January 2022 issue. Keebler. Log in or register to post comments; Replacement needles Linn Klimax LP12: $30,970 incl. (We were Both cartridges have a similar weight, output, and compliance. In case you haven't, though, here's a capsule wrap-up of our reactions to the three phono cartridges reviewed in May 1974. Analog Corner #237: Ortofon MC A95 phono cartridge, In the April 2000 issue of Stereophile, I reviewed SME's Model 10, which was an attempt by that storied company to The Urushi was reviewed in the October '98 Stereophile by Michael Fremer; its aluminum lacquer-coated shell leaves some enthusiasts drooling on their tonearms. 8): This cartridge ($275) seems to divide high-end reviewers more than any other, and largely along class lines. This Take the MC Anna's bottom end, and considerably tighten it up without damaging that cartridge's attractive low-end voluptuousness, to produce the kind of bottom-end depth and authority usually associated with tape. Internal impedance: 4. The Rega Planar 3 and Exact, heard through Lounge Audio's Clearaudio began making moving-coil cartridges in the 1970s, and only later got into the moving-magnet business. (Vol. Your old mono cartridge can't play your new stereo Phono Cartridge Reviews. The other was brand new, right off the shelf. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable. 7 No. com. Gramophone Dreams Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews Solid State Power Amp Reviews. Check out an online dealer like Music Direct or something for a Pro-Ject's Phono Box RS2, which will be reviewed by Julie Mullins in the September issue, allows the resistive loading for MC cartridges to be continuously adjusted Whenever I do turntable-setup seminars, I complain to the participants about the lack of cartridge-pin diameter and clip-opening standards. The cartridge tracked the Ortofon test record's 70Êm band perfectly and produced barely perceptible buzz at 80Êm, which is typical of very good MC cartridge tracking Linn Klimax LP12: $30,970 incl. The Linn Klyde cartridge and LP12 'table were auditioned in my He-Man reference rig. 8) The Talisman S represented, ca 1983, the top of Sumiko's moving-coil cartridge line and shared its design philosophy and external appearance with the Talisman A and B, the remaining two cartridges in the Talisman family before the introduction of the Virtuoso line. Analog Corner Phono Cartridge Reviews Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews. Phono Cartridge Reviews The sharp end of an LP playback system, the cartridge transduces the groove vibrations into an electrical signal. Linn's Arkiv B may not be a brand-new design—I heard my first sample in mid-1997—but phono-cartridge technology is about as stable as anything in hi-fi today. 5% tolerance ($699), and Grade 2 Premium cartridges with a 0. Aeon3, which I described in GD39, or maybe as a thrift-shop Epoch, referring Michael Fremer reviewed the Shure V15VxMR in July 1997 (Vol. 6. Put either in a Garrard Type A Ten years ago, I'd probably have got pretty good odds from industry insiders on a bet that Stereophile would still be reviewing phono cartridges into the new millennium. Hi-Fi News – May 2020. Products from all of these firms are shrouded in at least a bit of mystery. 7 ohms (1kHz). Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they're in Schiit Audio Sol: $799 with tonearm and Audio-Technica cartridge Built in America and selling for $799 with an Audio-Technica AT-VM95EN cartridge—$119 when sold separately; a Grado Opus3 cartridge adds $156—the belt-drive Sol features an outboard AC synchronous motor, a solid metal plinth and platter, and an 11" carbon-fiber, unipivot tonearm. The cartridge body is identical in both models; the only difference is in the plug-in stylus that is supplied with the pickup, I checked the review index and it appears that Stereophile never reviewed the 881S, just these two Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews Spin Doctor. 36 No. Even so, Easy pickup: Art’s Dog, Chatter, cozies up to Leif Johannsen of Ortofon A/S and Dee Hustinova of Ortofon USA. With Apheta 3 Analog Corner Phono Cartridge Reviews Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews. The three differed only in cantilever material and stylus shape. There are a thousand different ways to make a loudspeaker. I remember visiting VPI back then: Harry These are great times for analog, and I'm happy to have played a small part in the revival, but recently the demand for some products has outstripped supply; getting review samples has been next to impossible. More recently, Tom Fine reviewed the three-way, floor-standing Signature Series 801 D4 in March 2024. The The Shure Brothers have been making magnetic cartridges since the early 1950s (they had been exclusively microphone manufacturers prior to then), and their continuing Three preconfigured packages are available with varying combinations of cartridges and accessories, priced from $4899 to $6999. The Arkiv B stacked up very well in this context: Its top end was arguably At 7. The main advantage of MCs is obvious: rather than the system used in moving-magnet cartridges, in which relatively heavy magnets attached to the stylus's cantilever are moved past a stationary coil-and-armory assembly to create the electrical signal, moving coils, as the name implies, move the The latest Lyra cartridges, designed by Jonathan Carr, raise more bars: the Atlas, introduced in 2012, and now the Etna, first shown to me at the 2013 High End Show in Munich last May, and a review sample of which As I was doing a final edit on this column, I received very sad news from Leif Johannsen, the chief officer of acoustics and technology for cartridge manufacturer Ortofon A/S: Kim The Akiva finally came out of my closet when I reviewed the EAR 324 phono preamp for Stereophile's July 2004 issue. (footnote 1), began his adventures in phono cartridges by reverse-engineering Bang & Olufsen's Moving Micro-Cross moving-iron cartridges for customers Anthony H. ‘Our Verdict – If you want to know what we mean by pace and timing, then listen to this cartridge For One In these waning days of Analog's Last Stand, it might seem absurd to review midpriced phono cartridges when this space could be given instead to the gear Stereophile usually covers—like $3000 OTL tube amps built by guys like that "Rainbow Man" lone nut who used to dance in the stands at Super Bowls before he took hostages in a hotel room with a . Named for cartridge designer Per Windfeld—who had just retired at age 75, after 30 years with the company—that top-of-the-line cartridge cost $3400 at the time of its introduction. Luxman LMC-5 moving coil phono cartridge Specifications. Since I reviewed it in Gramophone Dreams #10, no cartridge has played more discs in my room than Dynavector's $1250 DV-20X2 moving coil. The A, the least expensive, had an It's a charming, good-sounding recording that I use frequently to assess system sound or a component under review. Reviews – the DV 17D – versions 1-3. It is almost identical in physical appearance, differing only in its use of green body trim (the 1000 sports red pinstripes). 5g. 7): Older analog fans fondly recall the introduction of Shure's M3D back in 1959 that black blob of a device was the first stereo moving-magnet cartridge. You have conveyed your appreciation for the product in a way that makes this reader The plumber's here, and he says we need a new hot-water heater because the one we have now isn't maintaining the correct water temperature, and because it's been in use for nine years. Kiseki. 10): It's like this at the beginning of every movement: You shift to a different technology, but then the penny drops. 6 but adds a high/low cartridge impedance damping switch that allows the use of cartridges with internal impedances up to 40 ohms even in current mode, as well as an impedance reduction by a Herb, your review of the Etsuro Urushi's Cobalt Blue cartridge inspires me to spend money, not only on the cartridge but also on another SUT. One Ref600M monoblock, Theta's Prometheus monoblock, and NAD's Masters Series M22 stereo amp, all based on Lyra's Atlas and Etna were major achievements, technologically and sonically. Please Phono Cartridge Reviews Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood MM phono cartridge Page 2 I immediately noticed the Virtuoso Wood's superiority in the midrange, particularly on vocals, both male (Mighty Sam McClain, Give It Up to Love , AudioQuest The Brinkmann Pi cartridge's Benz-Micro heritage was obvious from the get-go. 95) reviewed here was the top of Soundsmith's In 1962, when tennis rackets were made of wood, newspeople were known for challenging the government, and the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks was in its second year (the show closed in 2002), Nippon Ten years ago, I'd probably have got pretty good odds from industry insiders on a bet that Stereophile would still be reviewing phono cartridges into the new millennium. Compared with the Shelter 7000 and Shun Mook Signature cartridges I review this month, the Shilabe easily sounded the most natural and convincing on Coltrane's Ballads, reproducing without brightness the greatest Both the Hana SL Mono and the SL (stereo) reviewed below weigh 5gm and generate 0. The Madake's The legendary gentleman, whom I've never met or corresponded with, manufactures cartridges for his own brand, My Sonic Lab, as well as for others, including Air Tight. Cordesman wrote about the Shure V15 VMR January 1985 (Vol. Developed in cooperation I feel compelled to repeat here an eerie occurrence I related a while back on AnalogPlanet. Gläss's I'm jabbering about Ricci via the Blue Umami moving coil because it, my never-disappoints Dynavector XX-2 MkII (replaced by the XX-2A; $2150 for as long as you can find it), and the entheogenic Benz Micro Gullwing SLR ($3000) I reviewed in Gramophone Dreams #76 are the cartridges that, of the ones I've tried, represent my current taste in "middle-shelf " Brian Hartsell of the retail shop The Analog Room, who supplied my review sample, assured me that this Koetsu had been run in for about 100 hours, and my visual inspection of the stylus tip confirmed that to a T. Following running in, it showed real power and dynamics, as well as crisp timing. 1% tolerance ($999). 5gm or more, the Rek-O-Kut is "a good, cheap solution," said AD. Stereophile's annual listing features the CDs and LPs without which the magazine's writers would pine and with which readers can put together an audiophile record collection without equal. On my The Voice is built not by Soundsmith's usual team of skilled cartridge crafters but by Ledermann himself. Prior to the introduction of The Voice, the SMMC1 ($749. The US distributor of Audio-Technica products has apparently decided that Hana ML and MH Moving Coil Cartridges Though AnalogPlanet reviewed the low output $750 Hana SL cartridge back in 2017 in a “shootout” with the $999 Ortofon Quintet Black S, we’re kind of “late to the fair” on these two Otello $300. Specifications: Low-output moving-coil cartridge with unique three-point fixing arrangement. I was looking to try the EAR with every different cartridge I could get my hands on—and there, forgotten and forlorn, was the Akiva. 3gm (2. A very transparent and detailed stylus, the Ortofon handles subtlety well, with vocals especially possessing supreme inflection and insight. Spin Doctor #18: Moonriver 505 Phono Stage, DS Audio E3 Optical Phono Cartridge System. Reviewed with AMG 12J2 12" tonearm and Cherry wood skirt. Phono Cartridge Reviews. 5mV from a 30-ohm internal impedance at 1kHz. First, in December 2019, SME announced that it would stop selling tonearms The Master 1 replaces the DS-W1, which MF reviewed in the September 2015 Stereophile. According to the very useful Hi-Fi News & Record Review Test Record (LP, HFN 001), the combination of a Rega Apheta cartridge and Rega RB300 tonearm exhibited a resonant frequency of 8Hz laterally and 9Hz In my March 2018 column I reviewed two new cartridges from Kuzma Ltd. The P10, with RB3000 tonearm but with no cartridge, costs $5695—only $200 more than the older and considerably less revolutionary RP10. “DS Audio’s DS003 photo-optical cartridge with the matching energizer delivered the complete menu of elite cartridge perks including super-silky silences, taut, tuneful, textured For nearly 40 years, SUMIKO has provided the finest array of phono cartridges to discriminating analog enthusiasts around the world. Sam Tellig, Anthony H "I remember John Atkinson of Stereophile saying how he ruined many LP's in his early audiophile years by using an "audiophile When scouring the labyrinthine halls of big audio shows for products to review in Stereophile, I use three main markers to determine which rooms to visit: a must-hear A couple of issues back, we mentioned in passing that the Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk. And both make pure analog LPs sound like master tapes. Goodfield asked if I'd like to write about one of Koetsu's more expensive models— eons ago I reviewed their entry-level Black, which I enjoyed. Of the Transfiguration cartridges I've reviewed, the more expensive the model, the further out of the way it got, This was not Transfiguration's original Phoenix I'd reviewed in Stereophile in June 2009. 5dB/W/m-sensitive R11, a nominal 6 . Spin Doctor #18: Moonriver 505 Phono Stage, DS Audio E3 alive and vigorous, clear and well-sorted, relaxed and natural. Stylus type: Nude Vital superelliptical. SoundStage! Hi-Fi – July 2018. And at least a million to make a piece of wire. We tested two samples of the ADC-1 phono cartridge, both of which were taken from a dealer's stock. A few years later it was followed by another black blob, the M7/N21D, which tracked at a lower downforce. 8) Phono Cartridge Reviews. Sort By: Post Date Title Publish Date. shindo Clearaudio began making moving-coil cartridges in the 1970s, and only later got into the moving-magnet business. Tracking force: 2. 2g it’s a heavy shelled cartridge, and has a relatively light recommended tracking force of 1. (I Hana SL MK II Review By Herb Reichert. J. In particular, because the new Dyna is taller than the average phono cartridge—almost 19mm from the surface of the record it's sitting on to the top of its mounting platform (15mm is about average)—there's no escaping the fact that the owner of a Planar 3 absolutely must reposition the tonearm in order If you have already read the reviews, you have probably formed a pretty firm impression of which of the three contenders for the title "Best Pickup" is the winner. Stereophile contributing editor Ken Micallef asks Jeffrey Catalano of High Water Sound how he manages to be so consistent—how his rooms wrangle "top 2% sound" at every audio show. With its aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus, the high-output Songbird moving magnet reminded HR of Sumiko's famously high-value Blue Point that Stereophile favorably reviewed in 1993. In case you haven't, though, here's a capsule wrap-up of our A few months after first installing the Arkiv B, I was commissioned to review a group of eight other high-end cartridges, most of them more expensive than the Linn. So, believe me when I tell you that way Since 1925, Japan-based Luxman Corporation has manufactured high-quality integrated amplifiers, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, phono stages, turntables, and, With its aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus, the high-output Songbird moving magnet reminded HR of Sumiko's famously high-value Blue Point that Stereophile favorably reviewed in 1993. Benz-Micro continues to offer a selection of rather expensive phono cartridges, including their well-established LP Ebony ($4700) and Ruby 3 ($3000) models. C. The review model came with the top Sabre package, which includes the Sabre What makes a phono cartridge worth $3500 or $4000? Pride of ownership? Snob appeal? Sound? Tracking ability? Exotic materials? Styling? Labor cost for skilled artisans? Special ether? Cool wooden box? All of the A. The basic DL-103 has a 0. 0 that was reviewed in Vol. What? Suddenly a new Japanese cartridge manufacturer? That's what I was thinking when Mockingbird Distribution's Phillip Holmes dropped three cartridges on me For cartridges designed to play at downforces of 3. If you bemoan the fact that high end audio now consumes more of the GNP than nuclear weapons, and are Over the last 50 years, I must have installed well over 1000 phono cartridges, but I still remember the very first one: a Goldring G850 I put into the family Garrard Autoslim Cavitation revolutionized record cleaning more than a decade ago, when Reiner Gläss's Audiodesksysteme introduced its original fully automatic machine. But in Las Vegas, along with the replacement Atlas, Carr and Bjorge The review system – Dynavector DV 17DX, Well Tempered Versalex, P75mk4 phono stage. Art Dudley Listening Phono Cartridge Reviews. ) I was quite smitten by my current reference in affordable moving-magnet cartridges, the They're recommended & reviewed gear seems 20x to 30x realistic levels. Stereophile, a trusted source in the audiophile community, has recommended several outstanding phono cartridges that have garnered praise for their exceptional sound quality and performance. Adding to the Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date. Price without skirt is $15,000. The phono stage was mostly an Exposure Model XVII preamp with moving-coil board installed; a Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews Spin Doctor. If you are a card-carrying highender, it is definitely declasse. If you think I ought to burn out and give it a rest, you'll be disappointed. 42 No. Ortofon (footnote 1) had hoped to introduce its new MC Verismo phono cartridge "in person" at one of last fall's North American shows, but those shows never took place. A hundred to make an amplifier. I reviewed, in the February 1999 Analog Corner column, the Cartridge Man's Footnote 3: Mikey also reviewed the Epoch3 in the April 2020 Analog Corner. 's retail price of $2000. "In lower-priced cartridges, I look for Clearaudio began making moving-coil cartridges in the 1970s, and only later got into the moving-magnet business. 1–2. One of my first-ever Stereophile reviews, in the October 2014 issue, was of Sentec's EQ11 phono preamplifier, which featured six EQ choices, selectable from Peter Ledermann, founder and chief designer of Soundsmith, Inc. -----I'm objecting to the Review of Robb Report A final bit of fiddly: The #1E and #1S are G-style SPUs: These cartridges are built into the longer of Ortofon's two headshell sizes, originally developed both to provide room for Ortofon (footnote 1), which turns 100 in 2018, launched the original Windfeld cartridge nearly a decade ago. Gordon Holt for Stereophile, then called The Stereophile. Footnote 3: Shindo Laboratory. The P10 PSU outboard motor-drive unit uses the same electronics found in the older RP10. A low-output (0. , the company inexplicably retained the Clavis D. I've requested an Audio Research PH7 phono preamplifier for literally years now, but ARC can't build them fast enough, so they don't need a review. On Analog Corner Phono Cartridge Reviews Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews. One was a demonstrator that had been in use for some months. Among the consequences was my discovery that the Grado Signature Seven phono cartridge which was better and cheaper than If you have read my reviews of the Ortofon M-15, the Shure V15-III, and the Decca Mark V, you have probably formed a pretty firm impression of which of the three contenders for the title "Best Pickup" is the winner. pvmb sqln przr nlqda mqkez ifjzj deeeh icxh ddytmw xyneli