Decca Jubilee / Dynavector XV-1s / ZYX / Allaerts

Dear Balazs: I preffer de Ikeda cartridges ( sans cantilever design ) to the Decca ones.

Now, for the only one, this is what I post about on other thread:

+++++ " The Allaerts MC2 Finish is several steps a head not only over the MC1B but a head any other cartridges that I know/heard in my own system ( all the ones you named here ) or in a friend/dealer system.
When this cartridge is right set up your audio system disappears and you have nothing but the MUSIC it self. When you put the stylus on the record and you hear the very first musical notes you know everything is settled and like Neville said: you don't need to change nothing and you don't want to change nothing, you only want to enjoy what you are hearing.
It is a great natural balance cartridge from top to bootom: do you want the best low bass?: you have it, do you want to have the best midrange?: you have it, do you want the best soundstage?: you have it, do you want the best natural musical agressive high frequencies?: you have it. All what you want: you have it. When you are hearing to the MC2 Finish you forgot about it, you forgot about your electronics or anything else: you will be deep inmerse on the full/whole music: MUSIC and nothing but the MUSIC!!!!!!!

Is there any down side with the MC2 Finish?, yes: it is a very low output cartridge and needs a lot of clean gain and an accurate RIAA eq, nothing less. You have to mate it only with the best or almost the best audio devices ( no SUTs here or bad tube designs ): if not " she " will tell you that your system ( some links ) is not up to the musical reproduction task. Here there are no " greys ": only black or white. This is a cartridge for the music experienced people and for the experienced audiophile that loves the music and take care about it and take care about the quality sound reproduction. Yes, this cartridge is in another " league ": I loved it!!!!!!!!! Who don't?

From the objective point of view this cartridge had some incredible specs:

- tracking capacity: 400 umm
- frequency range: from 3 to 100 Khz
- channel separation: 70 db at 20 Khz!!!!
- Total THD%: 0.1%!!!!!!

These cartridges were build 100% by hand by Jan Allaerts it self ( his company is " one man company " ) and it comes with a life warranty and he told me that the stylus is for at least 10,000 hours.
Allaerts is the first cartridge company, that I know, that gives exactly the load impedance that needs their cartridges ( he don't left these parameters to our ears ) and the exactly VTF too: no VTF/load impedance ranges here, this is a serious and profesional people : Jan.

If you want one MC2 Finish you can buy it and have to wait betwenn 4 to 6 months to have at home.

Highly recomended!!!!!!! " +++++

Of course there are several other very good top cartridge options: Clearaudio Titanium, Dynavector XV-1, Van denHul Colibri, Transfiguration W/V, Ikeda Rex ( works very good with the MECHANIC ), lYRA tITAN i, Miyabi 47, Sumiko Celebration, Shelter 90X, Ortofon 7500, Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, Benz micro LP, etc, etc, etc

Obviously that you have to have the right tonearm to match the cartridge and most important: the right Phonopreamp not only for the gain/noise issue but more important for the RIAA eq deviation where you have to lok for accuracy.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Sirspeedy: I like the Transfiguration, it has ( top to bottom ) a very well balanced and natural sound reproduction but when you are hearing it " you know you are hearing your Transfiguration " and when you are using the Allaerts MC2: " you forgot about it, you forgot about your electronics or anything else: you will be deep inmerse on the full/whole music: MUSIC and nothing but the MUSIC... "

+++++ " ,in my local audio group,about the Allaerts.What I got back was that they were a bit over rated! " +++++

Sirspeedy, over rated?: first there is almost no professional reviews on the MC2 Finish, second its website is very simple and certainly with no over rated info, third where they read/heard those over rated opinions, fourth why they make that statement and fifth with what TT/tonearm and Phonostage any of them heard it.

I think that we need facts about for that that statement that with out facts is only a rumor does not convetrs on a fact per se: do you know what I mean ?

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Dave: If you like the Decca then you have to find the opportunity to hear the Ikeda cartridge line.
That " outstanding dynamics " that you named is the characteristic of the Ikeda cartridges that no any cartridge can meet but the Deccas.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Thomas: +++++ " I listened to some allaerts, " +++++

Remember which models do you hear? Do you heard on your audio system?

Thx in advance.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Jon: The Ortofon 7500 is a top contender, it don't have the immediate/alive sound reproduction of the Decca or Ikeda cartridges but is very well balanced top to bottom, good in the low bass and very transparent in the highs. It is a very low output cartridge and needs a lot of clean gain.
THe T-2000 can do the job but I don't recomended it, this is my experiences and what I think about any step-up transformer:

+++++ " The SUT is an old patch for bad SS phonopreamps designs and for the inherent limitations on tube phonopreamps for handle low output MC cartridges. It is a " chip solution to a complex problem ".

Any SUT has many inherent disadvantages like: distortions generated at the core ( it does not matters if is: air core ), heavy phase discharge ( landslide ), high apt to take hum, the wide zone ( band ) can't go down to DC, severe roll-off at high and low frecuencies, the reactive impedance on the SUT is incompatible with the cartridge impedance: this cause that we never could have flat frecuency response when we are using SUT, this mismatch between the impedances promote that the signal that pass through any SUT will be equalized ( yes, exactly like the problems between tube amplifier and loudspeakers because of those impedances ).
Any time with any of you we can make the tests and prove all those disadvantages and others like the additional cables that you have to use, additional connectors, the SUT is an additional ( filter ) link in the analog audio chain.

I want to let clear that there is no single advantage, in any way, using SUT's, any of them: it does not matters their design or price.

The SUT always be a : wrong PATCH. " +++++ The signal that pass through a SUT suffer a severe degradation.

My advice is that you go for a high-gain phonolinepreamp.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.