What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

@mikelavigne Glad the DaVa is working out so well for you. I was wondering about one for myself - how would you characterize the sound? Lean? Analytical? Lush?

Thanks!

Thank you!

Oh, and don't let anyone tell you that digital is the standard. If digital were perfect, then all digital products would produce that same perfect sound. They don't. QED.

@arro222

Well, the distributor wants his cut. So does the dealer. When they say 40% markup, they mean 40% of the selling price, so it’s actually a 66% markup. To be fair, each has his own costs and it’s not all gravy, especially the retailer.

Then there is marketing. Only a few can get by with no marketing at all. But they have proprietary designs and proprietary skills and proprietary parts. For example, there was only one source of small exotic platinum magnets with a highly uniform magnetic field. They were made in quantity for MRI machines. When the factory closed, one alert client scooped up the world supply. That was Koetsu, so they alone have platinum magnets.

Speaking of Koetsu, their top cartridges also feature aged rosewood bodies, or stone bodies (which are prone to shatter during manufacturing), and diamond cantilevers. Then it is fair to say that the highly skilled labour isn’t cheap, and that many examples, from parts supplied to them to finished product, are substandard and need to be discarded.

We all asked the same question about HP tubes, back in the day. Thing was, we could buy a 6922 (tube) for $3, but a 6922 from HP was $30. Little did we know that the HP tube was a bargain: it was later said that HP bought the tubes by the pallet and discarded 98% straight into the dumpster. The same MAY be true of the best cartridges, not that we’ll ever know.

So you pays your money and takes your choice.

The Hell it’s a silly question.

@mikelavigne Mike has told us about the DaVa and Etsuro Gold cartridges and why he values them above all others he has tried. If I value liveliness, I buy the DaVa. If I value refinement, I buy Etsuro.

@atmasphere Ralph has done the public service of giving us insight into Raul’s error, instead of taking the easy way out.

@lewm Lew has contributed staid common sense informed by expertise.

@mulveling, the noted Koetsu connoisseur, corrects misunderstandings about Koetsu.

@mglik tells us why he likes the Grado Epoch with Quads.

To name just five.

As long as we have real experts addressing real issues of interest to them, no thread is silly. We can just thank goodness that they (experts) bother.

@rauliruegas "that was a stupid " statement " just to hit some one"

Sorry, I forgot that you are the only one allowed to mention someone else’s error.

@dover  I think we are seeing  that logic is not someone's strong suit, whatever his pretensions.

How would you characterize the Hyperion? Analytical, lush, ???

Thanks!

@richardkrebs Thank you for your review of the Hyperion.

@aj523  Why do you like yours? How would you characterize the sound? Comparison? Thanks!

@dover  Thank you very much! I'm looking to get another cartridge to complement my diamond Koetsu. Front runners at the moment are Grado and DaVa. What ARE the best cartridges you have heard, and why?

I know that's a lot to ask, so please don't bother if you're busy.

My DIY air bearing tonearm is pretty flexible - wands are easily replaceable and can be made to fit the cartridge.

Nice catch.

Thank you for the compliment, Raul, but I don't know enough to have a useful opinion.

@newtoncr  Thank you !  Mike has already said this, but the extra detail is welcome.