What did it take for your phono system to sound “right” to you?

[Angsty]

I have not heard the Bronze myself, but the reports are that it is a very "analytical" cartridge. I chose the Nagaoka because the word on that one is that it is more balanced across the user forums. The truth probably is that how you like it is system and preference dependent. This article has Mike Fremer's take.

Nine Cartridges Reviewed, Compared and File Identities Revealed!

First of all thanks to everyone who participated. More did than we initially expected. This is a learning experience for sure. Future such surveys will feature “normalized” files so levels will be equal. I’ll be far more careful about clipped files too.

www.analogplanet.com

 

[Angsty]

Well, my second system was not sounding "right" just today. I swapped an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge for a Nagaoka MP-300 today and something was not sounding "right". I'm chaulking it up to using the Pioneer PLX-1000 pseudo-Stevenson alignment in the manual instead of a proper Baerwald alignment. Will whip out the Geodisc later and give it another shot. The Geodisc itself is another tweakers' tool.

After alignment with the Geo-Disc, the Nagaoka is better than "right" now. It is clearly performing better than the 2M Blue with the standard Pioneer alignment. Hard to say how much is contributed by the MP-300 versus the Baerwald alignment, but it's all good!

 

[Jaxjax]

Grado

 

[Digital1955]

 

[srrxr71]

View attachment 221767

This cracked me up hard. Haha

 

[Angsty]

View attachment 221767

Of course it’s just for looks - the tonearm has no cartridge attached.

 

[srrxr71]

It’s also insane that my end game system runs off a $110 Chinese DAC. If someone told me this 10 years ago I would have dragged them to a mental hospital. Whereas probably I should have been dragged there myself for lusting after six figure nonsense which of course I could never afford. Whenever I had a chance to audition those $$$$$$ systems sometimes they were great and sometimes but were meh but I still wanted it. I guess those days audiophila was really an equipment fetish.


I wish I could contribute to the actual topic but from memory the actual record and its condition was the main factor. Whether it was right or wrong objectively, to my ears some records could really hit you hard and others were just okay.

 

[Chrispy]

LOL going to digital.

 

[Angsty]

It’s also insane that my end game system runs off a $110 Chinese DAC. If someone told me this 10 years ago I would have dragged them to a mental hospital.

I also could not believe it. So I had to go out and buy a $650 DAC just to prove it really wasn't better than the $100 DAC. I kept both of them in two different systems; have no need to replace either in the foreseeable future.

Let's just say that my last cartridge purchase cost way more than $100, and it will wear out.

 

[levimax]

I have noticed when ever I get a new stylus, either replacement or with a new cart, that I like the sound. A stylus doesn't seem to last very long and the data from JICO seems to back this up. Their definition of worn out is when THD@ 10 Khz goes above 3%.

Stylus Shape	Hours of Play*
Spherical/Conical	150
Elliptical	250
Shibata/Line Contact	400
Micro-Ridge	500
*JICO research as published by SoundSmith (ibid.).

 

[digitalfrost]

I have noticed when ever I get a new stylus, either replacement or with a new cart, that I like the sound. A stylus doesn't seem to last very long and the data from JICO seems to back this up. Their definition of worn out is when THD@ 10 Khz goes above 3%.

Stylus Shape	Hours of Play*
Spherical/Conical	150
Elliptical	250
Shibata/Line Contact	400
Micro-Ridge	500
*JICO research as published by SoundSmith (ibid.).

Given the cost for highend MC cartridges, that is insane. Assume I pay 500€ for the cartridge then it's 1€/hr of music with the best stylus. Not that expensive, but if you consider that an LP has 45min at best, that is about 666 LPs you can play.

I should probably put cartridges in storage before the prices get even more insane.

 

[LTig]

Given the cost for highend MC cartridges, that is insane. Assume I pay 500€ for the cartridge then it's 1€/hr of music with the best stylus. Not that expensive, but if you consider that an LP has 45min at best, that is about 666 LPs you can play.

I should probably put cartridges in storage before the prices get even more insane.

I think the life span of my highend MC cartridge (Van den Hul MC ONE Special) is around 2500 hours, and it can be retipped for around 40 to 50 % of its retail price.

 

[Chrispy]

Those wear times seem a bit much, but it is a pretty poor medium generally....

 

[Angsty]

Here is another article on stylus life.

The Finish Line for Your Phonograph Stylus… - The Vinyl Press

Examining the critical issue of phono stylus wear as it pertains to useful life and the potential for damage to records.

thevinylpress.com

 

[Cwopete5]

I have to confess that I am most pleased with the sound I am getting from the TCC TC-750 phono stage with upgraded power supply and an AT-VM95C cartridge. These are literally the cheapest audio components I've had in my system and I'm surprised at how well they sound together. I've owned some much higher end phono stages and cartridges but since I've retired, I have been trying to economize my system. After all, a $25 replacement stylus for the AT-VM95C is much more affordable than $449 for a Sumiko Amethyst replacement stylus.

 

[cgallery]

I designed my own tonearm and it was when I finally got the damping sorted that I pretty much stopped tweaking it.

It is a constrained unioivot and uses a wood wand, with elastic bands for the constraint, and these combine to provide a decent degree of damping.

The Sorbothane counterweight, though, that is the magic. When I was experimenting with counterweight coupling (or not), I had this crazy idea that maybe making the entire counterweight from rubber could be amazing. The Sorbothane feet I use for the table were actually of an ideal weight.

Man I tell you the first time I gave that a listen I was astonished.

Later I saw Shure had done something similar on their V15 IV and above cartridges, a little extra rubber mass at the magnet end of the cantilever similarly damps their system.

Anyway I'd say that and also getting insanely good at cleaning records with alcohol, vinegar, and a couple of velvet pads.

 

[JP]

Don’t believe they did that on the V. At least not the handful I’ve been in to.

 

[cgallery]

Don’t believe they did that on the V. At least not the handful I’ve been in to.

Okay. I suspect the beryllium cantilever negated the need.

 

[Angsty]

I have not heard the Bronze myself, but the reports are that it is a very "analytical" cartridge.

I heard a Bronze on a VPI Traveler a few months ago now. I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I still prefer my Hana SL, but I wouldn’t overlook a Bronze as a competitor to the Nagaoka MP300/500 for a phono that works best with MM carts.

 

[MRC01]

... So I had to go out and buy a $650 DAC just to prove it really wasn't better than the $100 DAC. I kept both of them in two different systems; have no need to replace either in the foreseeable future.
Let's just say that my last cartridge purchase cost way more than $100, and it will wear out.

The last $170 DAC that I bought did wear out in less than a year... despite its excellent measurements it wasn't well made or well supported by the manufacturer.
The $3000 DAC (and preamp) that I bought 5 years ago still works and looks like new and is well supported.
The $150 DAC (sound card) that I bought 20 years ago still works like new.
Apparently, when it comes to DACs price has no correlation to sound quality, and only a weak correlation to build quality.