EMT TSD15 tonality..colouration ?


I am looking for a cartridge upgrade. I started with a Denon 103pro and now use a ZYX RS30. I listen to a good mix of old (pre 70s) and new records.
I am considering the EMT TSD15 cartridge because of its reputation of being musical and dynamic at the same time.

I have heard the TSD15 SFL in the past on a Scheu TT and I could notice some lower mids boost which alters the timbre of the instruments and voices a bit. That worries me. The DL103 is spot on in its tone and timbre reproduction, its my reference but it doesnt have the dynamics I look for. The other day I also heard a JSD5 and somehow I did not notice the lower mid colouration that I first heard with a TSD15 SFL. But the JSD is outside by budget.

Has anyone else found this character with TSD15 ? Is it a colouration with the SFL version or is it also there in the SPH (spherical) tip also ?
pani
EMT With A23 for Denon/ EMT SUT I have this SUT please tell which version of EMT please truemaniac?
I am using the A23 for Denon/EMT SUT. Not sure what the total gain is but with the EMT at 1mv it is plenty as I believe that the Denon 103 is down around 0.25.

Maybe someday I will go to the T2 homage and I hear that there is a new one coming soon that is not as expensive as the T2.
I have been using EMT TSD 15 for about two months now running through the A23 SUT into MM input on a Shindo Monbrison. In comparison to a ZYX airy3 it is a little warmer, heavier in bass, but not quite as resolved in upper frequencies. I love the overall texture and sound from this cartridge.
The only thing I have to say about it is this. Doesn't it sound great? If so then don't worry about it.

Typing this while blasting some Radio Head using a TSD 15
Pani,
WE 618B, Silvercore, Kondo KSL Sfz, Jorgen Schou,SPU-T1, FR AGT-5X, Tango MCT-999 etc.
The gain depends on the carts I am using, in case of my Lzi (the only one in this configuration) I am going for 10 Ohms.
Pani,
I am using SUTs and a MM phono but you may also go with an appropriate phono pre like the EMT 66JPA. I am running it in a FR-66s.
Hi Millsoft,

the diamond in my Lzi is a special version with an especially polished, naked diamond bar on a boron bar and this in a sandwich construction with the cantilever leading to a clearer sound picture. As you might know the better the diamond the less modulations and noise. It depends very much on the polishing form but also (!) on the used material. The Lzi is very open, providing more details in a subtle and somehow emotional approach. 

Nevertheless a good TSD15 is a fine cart system I am using in many variants too.
Hi Thuchan, Since you said "If you especially go for a TSD15 Lzi you will go for one of the great carts in this audio world - the Japanese know, most European and American not."

What's the real difference between the Lzi version and original TSD 15? Of course I know the technical difference but I didn't have any chance to listen a real Lzi, so let me know more! Thanks a lot!
Ive been using a Brinkmann EMT Titanium (modified TSD15) cartridge now for almost a year and it has been the most musical instrument I've listened to in cartridges, even more so than my beloved Kondo IO-m. I've heard a "standard" TSD15 in a customers system but given it was in an unfamilar system, it was hard to tell the differncies between the 2, although his sytem was extremely musical.

(Dealer disclosure)
I had forgotten about this thread, but I stand corrected on my last comment. I have since been corrected, that my Tsd-15 is in fact an SFL. I stand by my other comments though.
So in general would we say that the SFL TDS15 is more analytical than the SPH version?
Of course we need to agree that the cart is one thing, the chain after is another.
Put an M5 BMW motor in a peugeot and?
Oh yes the road? The M5 needs good tarmac.,,no? Well a cart and TT etc....need good recordings...same thing "black surface".
Another suggestion is a TSD15 Anniversary Gold, okay for the budget and you will love it - I am pretty sure

all the best
I have a Tsd-15 w/ Spherical tip. I do think in my system, it tends toward a warmer tonal balance. I would also say it has a bold/dynamic sound, as you described. Based on my time with the EMT, I don't hear the lower mid-range boost that you mention. I have had it for a few years, and have gone through at least one speaker change. The TSD-15 appeals to me both as an audiophile and a music lover. Has the audiophile side of me wanted to try another cartridge ? By all means, Yes!. Would I be without the Tsd-15 ? By all means, No!
Pani,
don't buy used EMT carts which had a 'professional career' being played 3 months non stop. Most people only know about these used carts, they never listened to new TSDs or to even newer developments. If you especially go for a TSD15 Lzi you will go for one of the great carts in this audio world - the Japanese know, most European and American not.
Don't believe The old stories being told about TSDs. Real Bullshit or let it put in a more diplomatic way - a kind of ignorance

all the best
In my limited experience SPH also does have this "fatness" at the bottom. I'm also looking for a fast, dynamical cart without that coloration.

I'm wondering since EMT derives from SPU family, how different/similar would e.g. Royal N (nude to avoid the resonating enclosure) be? Any experiences?
Cheers,
bydlo
Well, all "that" is based from History from Radio Stations and their limited Bandwidth (High End Reproduction never was a goal at that time), of course these carts were "voiced" for that. Some Turntables at that time run with a higher speed than 33.33 to give the listeners a more dynamic reproduction in their cars while listening...(just one example no one wants to know today)