Dear Inna: "
It appears that even the very best can't extract everything from the groove. Yes, along with table/arm.
Is there any way, theoretically speaking, to take cartridge design and execution to a much higher level? "
IMHO, you can´t extract from the tape neither. Now, your question have to go to the cartridge designers and not to ( we ) music lovers/audiophiles.
Through the years the cartridge designers were sensible improvements on the cartridge designs and each year we see the born of new models with " new " design approaches in benefit of better quality level on LP reproduction.
I don't think that any one of us be a real " inventor " to create a unique and new overall cartridge design ( you are saying: " theoretically speaking ". ) or a different way to read those LP grooves.
IMHO, the analog experience is full of limitations and extremely imperfect medium to listen music. For me it's an " archaic " medium ( for say the least. ) to transfer the recording to a piece of vinyl where does not exist real world perfect stampers ( losless between the master cut and vinyl. ) and then read it the vinyl information through a cartridge where the stylus/cantilever rides/follow the grooves movements and the cartridge motor converts those movements in electrical signals/music.
The inherent analog medium limitations preclude using a " perfect " way to read the LP information.
" cartridge is a very primitive design that we don't have to live with. ":
well, you have too: there is no other way to do it, at least I don't see where " to go " for I can read my thousands of LP other than through today analog rig reality.
In analog wherever you turn your face the whole picture is faulty, just from the begin. It's a medium full of distortions that not even the best set ups can make that those distortions " disappears ".
The cartridge is only one link in the very long recording/play chain and if any one of us want to have better qualioty level analog music reproduction then we have to wait that each link in that chain can improve for a wide margin and have the money to buy it and the knowlege level to appreciate/understand the new analog experience.
In the mean time the digital alternative is no more an alternative but a today new world to listen music. Unfortunatelly many many LP titles we can get in this medium.
Today DAC's at 32/384khz has nothing to envy to analog medium and not only can even analog but beats it in several areas if not in all.
In the other side, talk about better cartridges than today designs we could see it from more than one point of view because my experiences with vintage cartridges against the today top designs are telling that overall there are not big differences. Some vintage cartridges can compete with the best today ones.
Best regards and enjoy the music,
R.
Is there any way, theoretically speaking, to take cartridge design and execution to a much higher level? "
IMHO, you can´t extract from the tape neither. Now, your question have to go to the cartridge designers and not to ( we ) music lovers/audiophiles.
Through the years the cartridge designers were sensible improvements on the cartridge designs and each year we see the born of new models with " new " design approaches in benefit of better quality level on LP reproduction.
I don't think that any one of us be a real " inventor " to create a unique and new overall cartridge design ( you are saying: " theoretically speaking ". ) or a different way to read those LP grooves.
IMHO, the analog experience is full of limitations and extremely imperfect medium to listen music. For me it's an " archaic " medium ( for say the least. ) to transfer the recording to a piece of vinyl where does not exist real world perfect stampers ( losless between the master cut and vinyl. ) and then read it the vinyl information through a cartridge where the stylus/cantilever rides/follow the grooves movements and the cartridge motor converts those movements in electrical signals/music.
The inherent analog medium limitations preclude using a " perfect " way to read the LP information.
" cartridge is a very primitive design that we don't have to live with. ":
well, you have too: there is no other way to do it, at least I don't see where " to go " for I can read my thousands of LP other than through today analog rig reality.
In analog wherever you turn your face the whole picture is faulty, just from the begin. It's a medium full of distortions that not even the best set ups can make that those distortions " disappears ".
The cartridge is only one link in the very long recording/play chain and if any one of us want to have better qualioty level analog music reproduction then we have to wait that each link in that chain can improve for a wide margin and have the money to buy it and the knowlege level to appreciate/understand the new analog experience.
In the mean time the digital alternative is no more an alternative but a today new world to listen music. Unfortunatelly many many LP titles we can get in this medium.
Today DAC's at 32/384khz has nothing to envy to analog medium and not only can even analog but beats it in several areas if not in all.
In the other side, talk about better cartridges than today designs we could see it from more than one point of view because my experiences with vintage cartridges against the today top designs are telling that overall there are not big differences. Some vintage cartridges can compete with the best today ones.
Best regards and enjoy the music,
R.