Fosi Luna 3 Turntable..

[DSJR]

Ive decided not. I've looked at used prices of P3's on ebay and they are only about £100 more than the early bird for this. So if I were to keep it and sell the P3 it would be almost a straight swap

The P3 has been my dream turntable for decades, so I'm not going to do that.

If someone in the south cheshire (UK) or north staffs areas gets one I'd be very interested in comparative recordings for blind testing though.

The main reason for the Planar 3 (as it's now called again) is the RB tonearm which, in current 330 spec and as tested in HFW a few years back before its demise, is arguably one of the most inert (in terms of self resonance) out there regardless of price or appearance (Linn take note). I have a brand new RB330 waiting to go on 'something' and the finish, external cabling 'appearance' and feel of the bearings on a 'swing test' (don't go there, but it's something we used to do) is excellent regardless of price. My minimum 'sonic' standard for Rega is the Planar 6/Neo, but the £1250 or so price is way over an SL1500C with 2M Red and knowing what I believe I know in getting a superb 'sound' from one of these (siting mainly, but an additional cork mat may clean the perceived mid-bass up as it does the original 1500)

In the UK and bearing in mind ATs seemingly great service around these parts, please don't ignore the LP5X with an 95ML stylus upgrade all in for around £500.. (note, the AT lid for their decks is Linn/Lenco size and a fraction of the price Linn charge for theirs, in case anyone is interested...).

I keep looking at the Luna 3 tonearm with increasing alarm. It simply looks pants and the garish non-standard headshell cannot be changed. At least Rega do engineer their main bearings to last as long as the oil doesn't dry out and the tonearm internals are superbly made and set very well indeed, even if the externals don't show it (and export prices are silly-high sadly)

 

[Superbillen]

just got my review sample in from Fosi. Really impressed with the build quality and the packaging.
All comes well documented but without any cables.
Just placed on my living room setup and will test some records tomorrow.
Have an Rega Planar 6 with exact pickup and are curious how this Luna 3 stacks up, the cartridge on my Rega cost more than the Fosi Luna 3

 

[mike70]

View attachment 472026just got my review sample in from Fosi. Really impressed with the build quality and the packaging.
All comes well documented but without any cables.
Just placed on my living room setup and will test some records tomorrow.
Have an Rega Planar 6 with exact pickup and are curious how this Luna 3 stacks up, the cartridge on my Rega cost more than the Fosi Luna 3

Only remember that the stylus on the luna turntable is a bounded elliptical ... you need to change it for the microline / shibata stylus to have a similar response than the exact.

It's not a big investment ... the vm95 cartridge in the luna have all that interchangeable stylus options with great prices. I have the microline version (the red one) and it's amazing.

 

[DSJR]

Only remember that the stylus on the luna turntable is a bounded elliptical ... you need to change it for the microline / shibata stylus to have a similar response than the exact.

It's not a big investment ... the vm95 cartridge in the luna have all that interchangeable stylus options with great prices. I have the microline version (the red one) and it's amazing.

The Exact was a 'characterful' pickup, with a deep mid-hf suckout (I set up and installed one last year shortly before the NDs were launched). NO WAY will a VM95 *anything* balance like that.

Granny sucking eggs, but with either deck plonked on that shelf, do please remove the lids when playing

 

[Somafunk]

View attachment 472026just got my review sample in from Fosi. Really impressed with the build quality and the packaging.
All comes well documented but without any cables.
Just placed on my living room setup and will test some records tomorrow.
Have an Rega Planar 6 with exact pickup and are curious how this Luna 3 stacks up, the cartridge on my Rega cost more than the Fosi Luna 3

I’ve watched a couple reviews on YouTube and they all mention the platter has a wobble but it didn’t seem to affect the playback, looks good in your system

 

[mike70]

The Exact was a 'characterful' pickup, with a deep mid-hf suckout (I set up and installed one last year shortly before the NDs were launched). NO WAY will a VM95 *anything* balance like that.

Granny sucking eggs, but with either deck plonked on that shelf, do please remove the lids when playing

I was talking about tracking / distortion capabilities. There's a huge difference between a "fine line" nude stylus vs a bounded elliptical, in terms of IGD, sibilances, hf quality, etc.

Particular EQ of the cartridges are other facets in the end result (sometimes affected by capacitance, preamp overload, etc).

 

[mhardy6647]

the platter has a wobble but it didn’t seem to affect the playback

umm... really?


In all seriousness, "didn't seem to affect playback" by what criterion/criteria? And how did they get the data for the sans wobble baseline for that assessment?
Sounds a bit piscean* to me.

______________
* fishy.

 

[JeffS7444]

just got my review sample in from Fosi. Really impressed with the build quality and the packaging.
All comes well documented but without any cables.
Just placed on my living room setup and will test some records tomorrow.
Have an Rega Planar 6 with exact pickup and are curious how this Luna 3 stacks up, the cartridge on my Rega cost more than the Fosi Luna 3

Is the Fosi mostly made of injection-molded abs/polycarbonate or similar?

 

[DSJR]

I was talking about tracking / distortion capabilities. There's a huge difference between a "fine line" nude stylus vs a bounded elliptical, in terms of IGD, sibilances, hf quality, etc.

Particular EQ of the cartridges are other facets in the end result (sometimes affected by capacitance, preamp overload, etc).

A Rega Bias, Elys and Exact seemed particularly immune to loading (capacitance wise) I remember, trying to get a more neutral balance using the iFi phono box.

I agree an ML tip will definitely sharpen perceived highs, but the Vital elliptical the Exact has is no slouch in fairness and tracking of different models using said diamond was pretty good I remember. I still have a sneaky preference for the current Shibata profile, as it calms down the 'exuberance' of the ML profile while keeping all the benefits

 

[1066]

View attachment 472026just got my review sample in from Fosi. Really impressed with the build quality and the packaging.
All comes well documented but without any cables.
Just placed on my living room setup and will test some records tomorrow.
Have an Rega Planar 6 with exact pickup and are curious how this Luna 3 stacks up, the cartridge on my Rega cost more than the Fosi Luna 3

That big resonant box unit is the worst thing to put a turntable on. Unless you are measuring effectiveness of the turntable suspension.

The platter should have no rotational eccentricity vertically or laterally.

 

[mhardy6647]

Is the Fosi mostly made of injection-molded abs/polycarbonate or similar?

Hand-hewn from a block of obsidian.
Sorry.... it is a Monday and I am in  that kind of mood.

 

[Somafunk]

umm... really?


In all seriousness, "didn't seem to affect playback" by what criterion/criteria? And how did they get the data for the sans wobble baseline for that assessment?
Sounds a bit piscean* to me.

______________
* fishy.

I'm not interested in a turntable in the slightest but the fosi review popped into my feed, wobble shown here from 21 mins into review

 

[mhardy6647]

So, no data to show the impact, just photodocumentation and an opinion. Oy.

Yeah. I certainly don't intend to shoot the messenger (i.e., to impugn you!) but (that guy's) espying a wobbly platter and opining that there's no effect in a freaking YT video is kind of antithetical to ASR's prime directive, ain't it?

 

[mike70]

A Rega Bias, Elys and Exact seemed particularly immune to loading (capacitance wise) I remember, trying to get a more neutral balance using the iFi phono box.

View attachment 472130

I agree an ML tip will definitely sharpen perceived highs, but the Vital elliptical the Exact has is no slouch in fairness and tracking of different models using said diamond was pretty good I remember. I still have a sneaky preference for the current Shibata profile, as it calms down the 'exuberance' of the ML profile while keeping all the benefits

The Luna turntable have the VM95e ... a decent cartridge, but a very basic bounded elliptical.

Rega + exact vs Luna + vm95ml / vm95sh must be a better fight

That's what I mean.

 

[DSJR]

The Luna turntable have the VM95e ... a decent cartridge, but a very basic bounded elliptical.

Rega + exact vs Luna + vm95ml / vm95sh must be a better fight

That's what I mean.

Absolutely, as the 95ML/SH should wipe the floor with the soggy old Rega pickup if sound quality closer to truth is concerned (the Bias/Elys/Exact pickups were bad when they first appeared in 1987 or so, but the dealers who knew no better sold 'em regardless).

 

[JeffS7444]

Hand-hewn from a block of obsidian.
Sorry.... it is a Monday and I am in  that kind of mood.

There have been some Mondays where I might have said "It's made from the shriveled remains of my youthful hopes and dreams". Fortunately, I have not experienced too many of those Mondays for quite some time.

 

[Superbillen]

The Luna turntable have the VM95e ... a decent cartridge, but a very basic bounded elliptical.

Rega + exact vs Luna + vm95ml / vm95sh must be a better fight

That's what I mean.

Hi,
Ive just got an vm95ml in for the review also Ortofon shipped me their new MC X10 moving coil cart including the new to be released SH-2 Headshell.
i will be doing alot of test in the weekend.
But the VM95 included did an really good job. but no where near the detail level of the rega.
How are rules about link for my final review here is it ok?

 

[mike70]

But the VM95 included did an really good job. but no where near the detail level of the rega.

How did you come to that conclusion? with sighted listening without levelled gain?

I will tell you how i "review" my cartridges ...

1 - digitilize a known track in 16/44.1 (lossless) with the same turntable, phono preamp and audio card
2- use the ABX comparator in Foobar audio player with the 2 tracks (each one with the different cartridge). The ABX comparator adjust gain differences and asks you to recognize cartridge A / B on many samples of the track
3 - if i get more than 75% success ... i say the cartridges have an audible difference (statistically a real difference and not a flip of a coin)

obviously, then you can favour one or other cartridge, in other way, there's no appreciable difference.
and let me say that the results are astonishing, many "audiophile concepts" aren´t true.

 

[mhardy6647]

3 - if i get more than 75% success ... i say the cartridges have an audible difference (statistically a real difference and not a flip of a coin)

Why 75%? And, statistically speaking, what is the threshold (i.e., confidence interval) that defines "more than"? E.g., based on analysis of your data set, is 76% reliably more than 75%, or is 80% reliably more than 75%, or, is it 97%, in a statistically defendable way?

Appearances to the contrary I'm not being persnickety at all. I'm just trying to understand the strength of the conclusion that the cartridges "have an audible difference (statistically a real difference and not a flip of the coin)">

 

[Sernyl]

About the VM95 I have (on a LP5-X) :
- It came with the E stylus, which I changed for the ML : far better.
- Someone (maybe in a German magazine...) wrote that to avoid some resonances or parasitic vibrations it would be better to glue a ML stylus with a microscopic dab of superglue, due to the low price of a VM95 cartridge alone.
Anyone heard (read) that ?