I now have the Quintet Black which replaced a Benz Glider SH mounted to an Origin Live Encounter arm on an OL table. I have it tracking at 2.3g and loaded at 100 ohms. This cartridge sounds simply fabulous on this table. Tonally it is spot on, the bass is punchy but well defined, the treble is open and airy with a well defined sound stage. Surface noise is also extremely quiet. There is not a single area that I feel the Benz was better.
The cartridge was easy to install as it comes with a stylus guard and the boxy shape helps with an initial setup. As noted in the TAS review, I found it critical to set the tone arm with a slight negative rake. With the tone arm level, there was a distinct lack of energy in the 1k-2k range that made female vocalists sound like they had a chest cold and an overall lack of air.
I am very happy with this cartridge and impressed by the performance available at what I consider to be a realistic price point.
The big problem now is this so kills listening to digital that I now need an upgrade in the digital department.
The cartridge was easy to install as it comes with a stylus guard and the boxy shape helps with an initial setup. As noted in the TAS review, I found it critical to set the tone arm with a slight negative rake. With the tone arm level, there was a distinct lack of energy in the 1k-2k range that made female vocalists sound like they had a chest cold and an overall lack of air.
I am very happy with this cartridge and impressed by the performance available at what I consider to be a realistic price point.
The big problem now is this so kills listening to digital that I now need an upgrade in the digital department.