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MC suggestions

I have long been a Grado fan.  Currently running a Statement Reference v2.  I love it, but.  I auditioned the Ortofon Quintet Black and the Dyna 17d3 and the Benz Glider and while each were excellent in their way, the overall feeling, despite being faster and transparent left me wanting, I was happy enough with my Grado. Id like to take another crack at this now. What I am looking for at this point and I hope you guys can make some suggestions, is a cleaner, and more live sound. This combined with a nice sense of space and width to the soundstage.  Is this asking a lot in my price range which is 2.5k(ish)?  I am of the opinion after spending sometime trying to figure this out, that an el34 based tube amp combined with the Grado cart are just too similar in voicing(warm).  I had hope that running a ss phono stage combined with the low output statement would be just the synergy.  It definitely moved the needle in the right direction and I could live happily if I didn't think I could push it a little farther in the detail direction without losing what I love about the Grado sound.  That is primarily it is not brittle, its natural sounding, nice soundstage all around.  Perhaps if I had solid state amplification it would be a synergistic match made in heaven.  Some carts I have been thinking about are VAS, Miyajima, Dyna(I did really like the 10x5 I listened to at one point).  Not to rule out Lyra but would be worried about the thinness I've read about from some users.  Grado fans seem a little few and far between and I wonder if there are previous fans who have moved on.  Maybe I just need to have a couple carts around and their is no one right cart. I have hesitated pursuing a cart change because my system has been tuned to Grado's sound but if I can get close with another company making MC's that wouldn't call for recalibrating my rig that much would be great.  Thanks for reading and sorry to be so long winded.
128x128fourwnds
fourwnds's avatar
fourwnds OP
277 posts
 
I will be receiving my new cart soon. I decided to stop whittling around and go for it. The resistor mod I may still go after down the line. 

It was almost the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, but after talking to my local dealer, I decided to go with the Air Tight pc7.

Should be here in another day or two. 
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 
Cadenza Bronze is a great cartridge.
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 
I love my Lyra Delos.  It's an incredible tracker, one of the best I've ever heard and if one takes time to dial it in you will be very rewarded by a sound that rivals cartridges many times the cost.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear chakster, I never understood why Russians are so fond of
German philosopher. In you case Kantian ''categorical imperatives''
are clearly present. Have you any idea how many Ortofon carts
''our'' Axel has fixed? Do you think that he would recommend to
me something that is not proven to be good? He actually improved
MC 2000 with shorter cantilever and fine line stylus pressure fitted
in the aluminum ALLOY ( with magnesium) cantilever. You praised
Ikeda's FR-7 fz. But Henry retipped his FR-7f first via Dertonarm
in Japan and then on my recommendation by Axel with the same
cantilever/stylus combo which Lew got with my MC 2000 sample.
Henry was stunned by Axel's improvement of  his FR-7f.
Like you I also own Takeda's Miyabi but also Andreol'is Magic
Diamond. All of them with ''aluminum'' cantilever. BTW ''our own''
Dertonarm uses aluminum for all his carts. The individual parts
should be of course ''first rate'' but it is the ''whole'' which determine
the real value. 


mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,155 posts
 
I had a special low output Grado Reference cartridge. It put out 1.5 mv. It was my work horse cartridge for  some 25 years. Finally one channel died and I desided to retire it. The arm on this table a SOTA Cosmos is a Syrinx PU3, a medium mass arm suitable for many cartridges. I us an ARC phono amp. The Grado was a great tracker and very musical, easy going and fluid.
i got to try a friends Clearaudio Titanium which was less laid back than the Grado. What struck me the most were the dynamics. That cartridge in my system had more punch than George Forman. The Titanium was out of my affordability without pissing off the wife range but I manage to sneak into the Da Vinci. That part of  Clearaudio line has the same motor, cantilever  from the Talisman up to the Titanium. Only the bodies change. Th Da Vinci and Titanium get the Golfinger's stylus. The Golfinger has a different motor.  The Talisman is really the sweet spot where price and performance line up to give you the best value. It has a rising high above 15 KHz which some people like. As the cartridge breaks in it does flatten out. if you have cantilever anxiety it is probably not the cartridge for you. The Lyra Delos is the other cartridge in this price range that stands out.

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