ZYX cartridges

Dear Piedpiper: I hope you can do it sometime, IMHO it is worth the whole effort about and Piedpiper I'm not saying stop to hear/buy MC cartridge NO far from there what I'm saying is that there/here with the MM type cartridges is a positive very very interesting alternative with less and maybe better trade-offs.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Lewm: If I remember you own the MP-1 from Atmasphere that if I remember too it handle both: MC and MM cartridges, right?

In that case before you put " big money " on a new MC cartridge ( any including the new Transi. ) and due the very good quality performance of your Phonolinepreamp I think that you can try a MM type cartridge, there are several options that IMHO at least even or surpass many of the MC named here.
Well are so inexpensive that you could buy almost 10 of them for the price of one MC. IMHO I think you can't loose about and you can/could enjoy something not only different but better overall.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Lewm: Here there are some great MM type top quality performers:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgcart&1225727131&/Reson-Reca

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bang-Olufsen-MMC-2-one-of-the-B-O-best-cartridge_W0QQitemZ150297996854QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150297996854&_trkparms=72%3A1163%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/B-O-Cartridge-MMC1_W0QQitemZ220286903490QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220286903490&_trkparms=72%3A1163%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.de/ORIGINAL-Nagaoka-MP-50-MP50-Tonabnehmer-NEU-OVP_W0QQitemZ330088793464QQihZ014QQcategoryZ23324QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

http://www.audiophile.com.au/product_amber.html

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Rccc: Nice to see your experiences on MM type cartridges.

Just to be sure I mounted today the MMC2 in the GST-801 with a Nagaoka magnesium headshell and is an awesome performer.
My experiences on those B&O and the V15-V as you know are different from yours but our systems are different too and probably our music sound reproduction priorities too.

As I reported some where even the M97 like me in some way over the V15. The V15 sample that I owned I try it in two different tonearms and with different headshells in my Essential 3160 Phonolinepreamp loaded at 100K ( I try it at 47K too ) and 150pf ( try it with different capacitance values. ), I have no doubt: the B&O ( in my system ) works/performs better by a wide margin.

I don't try more time on the Shure because I own not only the B&O that outperform it but IMHO many other cartridges too and someone told me about the M97 and I buy it and overall performs a little better, maybe my V15 was not a very good sample I can't be sure.

Anyway the subject is to try different alternatives like you are doing it.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Lewm: +++++ " flattering sheen on the sound and made everything sound the same. " +++++

yes, I remember something similar.

+++++ " But I certainly did not have top quality gear in those days " +++++

me either, the ones B&O that I'm recommending have " drama " and ( Like me ) I don't think you heard it on those times.
Anyway there are a lot of first rate options.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.