Ortofon A90 or Air Tight PC-1

Well, thank you for all of the responses. I've also received a few comments via email. The views seem pretty split. It's interesting that most like one or the other strongly, but not both. On the SME V, it seems the PC-1 sounds better. Some describe the A90 as being bright, though that seems perhaps arm and set-up dependent. On the right arm and properly set up, the A90 has many fans.

I strongly disagree with Syntax's comment that the PC-1 is "awful". It sounds very good in my system and very much like the way it is described by both Fremer and Valin in their reviews as well as some others I've read, so I don't get "awful". Perhaps the PC-1 was poorly matched or set up in Syntax's system. I like Downunder's comment that the A90 "brings a new meaning of neutrality coupled with musicality". Boy, that is pretty high praise.

My friend just bought an A90 and has offered to bring it over so that I can hear it in my system and do a direct comparison with the PC-1. It may take some time as the A90 is brand new, but if I can hear them both side by side, and hopefully properly set up, I will know which I prefer.

There does seem to be some consensus that the SME V does not compete with some of the better arm designs. For those who don't like the SME V, could you describe what it is about the arm that you don't like and perhaps suggest another arm for my SME 10 that may be better. Thanks.

"Musical" (musicality) to me means "sounds like real music, ie, acoustic, unamplified, real instruments in a real space, etc." In other words, it sounds like the real thing - music. I don't get how "musical" became "warm, colored, pleasing distortion" in the audiophile sense. I don't agree with Raul's assertion that it means a "heavy non-accurate coloration". My current system sounds more like what I hear at the Boston Symphony hall from row G center than anything I have previously owned, and if I were to use just one word to describe my sound, I would say "musical". I guess there is not agreement on the definition of these terms.

I did hear from one fellow via email that the SME V arm is highly colored and adds a mid-bass bump to the sound and that therefore, I'm not hearing what the PC-1 is capable of. Does anyone else care to describe what they don't like about the SME V and what might be a better arm for the PC-1 or A90 that would work on my SME 10?

I like what I have, but am open to other suggestions. I do hope to do a direct comparison between the two cartridges and also plan to attend RMAF to hear other table/arm/cartridge combinations.

Koegz,

That is very interesting. Could one infer that the reviewer(s) from TAS did not like the sound of the A90? I have not received that issue yet. Do you know what other cartridges are in the survey and who wrote it?

I will be hearing a direct comparison between the A90 and my actual PC-1 in about two weeks in a friend's system. Though this won't be a good as hearing the A90 in my system, the comparison should be revealing. If I can then borrow an A90, I will compare them again in my own system. Regardless, I will report here my impressions.

Peter

Well, this has become quite an interesting discussion about the A90, SRA and grove cutting angles. There doesn't seem to be that much discussion about the PC-1. I have come to appreciate the need to adjust VTA/SRA with the A90 and because that is not the easiest adjustment to make on the SME V, and certainly not "on the fly", I'm rapidly getting the impression that on the basis of adjustability alone, the SME V and A90 may not be an ideal combination. Thank you for all of the information on this thread.

Hi Dertonarm,
I understand your point about VTA. I'm just saying that I've had difficulty making very small VTA adjustments in my SME V arm. A dial-type tower like that on the TriPlanar with markings would be much easier. I don't change VTA depending on record thickness because of this.