LONDON Decca, Tzar DST and similar cartridges


I have always been curious about these phono cartridges and the Stereophile review of the Tzar DST has heightened my interest. When I read about the peculiarities of these cartridges, I am put off from trying them. Can anyone offer persuasive reasons to try them and also provide real practical advice on how to make them work reliably?  Tonearm suggestions? Phono preamp suggestions? Damping recommendations? How badly do they grind out record grooves?  Any other words of advice? Thanks. 
128x128kmccarty
Just tried the LDR raising and lowering it without the ‘mute’ engaged....and I get a ‘squeak’ when raising the arm but not when lowering it.
And the squeak occurs regardless of any position on the vinyl....so I’m going to proffer that it seems normal.
It is still inaudible with the ‘mute’ engaged 😁
@halcro I’m waiting for Brian and John to comment. When I lowered the VTA a little bit, the squeak became less pronounced. To lower further I have to take the TT out of the plinth and work on the EMT930 tonearm rest...a pain :/

Anyway, halcro not sure if you read my earlier comments on the cart - it is a revelation!! I’d like to thank you for providing so much valuable info on it which helped me discover this gem! I've started buying more records and invested in costly vintage tubes for my amps :)
@bydlo I'm pleased you were able to 'trial' the LDR via my videos and find it a "revelation" 😃
I have been listening to it just the last day and agree with you....
I would not recommend that you adjust the VTA just to try and eliminate this sound because I believe it's quite normal.
The reason I think there is no 'squeak' when I LOWER the arm, is because the hydraulic lifter on the FR-66S lowers it gently in a very controlled manner.
Because the LDR has no cantilever, I think there is no 'flex' when the cartridge contacts the groove or leaves it.
Therefore I'm convinced it is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about...🤗
Happy listening
Yeah, it's just that tinny, microphonic Decca sound when the stylus hits the groove. If you are gentle, it can be minimized.
Hi @Bydlo glad you’re enjoying the LDR !
I’ve probably arrived late on this bit of this excellent thread, but just to let you know I’ve always had the sort of “squeak” you refer to- I think it’s normal and I recall reading a (gushing) Ken Kessler review of the LDR where he alluded to something of that nature too.
A couple of other points to throw into the mix : my LDR is mounted on an FR66 tonearm and I tried a few different headshells along the way. I’ve ended up with an Arche headshell , but the one that stood out for me with the LDR apart from this was the Yamamoto African ebony wood headshell which was really good with the LDR (in my system at least !).
This will sound OCD, but using titanium headshell screws in the Arche also made a material improvement, as did using good quality headshell wires (the aggolos silver ones being very good and flexible for ease of fitting).
Finally, I use Vertex AQ silver tonearm cable from the Brinkmann Balance into the Allnic H3000 phono stage set at 47k.I read the various stuff about changing that 47k impedance to a lower number ( I honestly can’t remember what but I’ll check and let you know ) and Vertex made me a bespoke cable that did that , and yes it again made a significant improvement (it was a while ago but I recall it pretty well got rid of any slight steeliness in certain high frequencies).
If you’re lucky enough to be able to change from 47k on your phono stage then it’s worth experimenting, although (and here I haven’t a clue what I’m talking about in actual physics) I’m told by Vertex that the true impedence is affected by the cable,  so it’s not just what the knob on the phone stage necessarily says. 
Best regards and enjoy the music !