2. analog
  3. 127090-486

The Palladian-A step beyond

The new cartridge from Acoustical Systems may finally be the LOMC to fully realise the theoretical advantages of the genus.
And convince those long-suffering audiophiles to whom the 'modern' MC presentation has been anathema to 'live sound'....that the realism of vintage LOMCs like the SPUs and FR-7 series has finally been recaptured 👀
IMAGE 1 
IMAGE 2 
IMAGE 3 
IMAGE 4 
IMAGE 5 
IMAGE 6 
IMAGE 7 
128x128halcro
fleib
1,124 posts
 

All the reviews say it sounds like live music:

http://www.hifistatement.net/tests/item/1834-acoustical-systems-the-palladian?limitstart=0

halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Wish I could read German...
But that phrase sums it up 🇩🇪

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Dear Fleib, There is an Serbian joke about Croatian artillery.

Captan: ''fire all cannons!''

Soldier: ''you mean both captain?''

By ''all those reviews'' you mentiond there is just one and then

in German. I am sure that your predecesors are from the Balkan.

There are actually four MC carts designed and produced by

our ''old member'' Dertonarm (Der Tonarm in German).

All (grin) are basicaly the same but the Anchor is a kind of an

bargain in comparisson with other Dertonarm's prices. It looks

as if Dertonarm wanted to satisfy poor as well the rich people.

He obviously has his own logic.  The other  are Astron, Aivon and

Palladion. As far as I know only Thuchan owns all of them.

Because I am poor in comparison with Thuchan I own just one,

''curious'' the cheapest one. But my problem is this. Dertonarm

asked me to never mention his name in our forum. I promissed

but could not resist to at least mention ''all his carts''. My guess

based on inside information is that he tuned his carts in accordance with his ''life long love'' for the FR-7 fz kind.

fleib
1,124 posts
 

Nandric,

The other descriptions I saw appear to be from dealers, so I think you must be right. Since Halcro didn't write a full review I guess we have a grand total of 1.  If Acoustical Systems wants a "professional" review in the US, they'll probably have to advertise or advertise more.

While I only know a handful of words in German, my translator does a pretty good job. Japanese - not so good.  But the photo tells us it has a straight cantilever and it looks like aluminum, and with a nude tip.  Seems unusual for a cart with this price tag. Turns out that's exactly what it is, but shorter than previous models and the tip is shibata.

The review has some BS about aluminum resonances being less objectionable than more exotic materials because they are lower in frequency. It might be true in this case because I suspect Brakemeier used this to voice the cart according to his design goals - live music. 

Not having heard the cart I can't comment further. Seems a bit overpriced to me, but most new stuff does.

Regards,

lewm
12,481 posts
 
Flieb, What I read, on the website of a dealer who can hardly be said to be unbiased, is that aluminum was chosen for the cantilever, because its resonances are higher (not "lower") in frequency, above the audible spectrum, compared to boron, etc.  As the Germans might say, "machts nicht" (or something like that), the point is, does it sound good? Like everything Dertonearm brings to market, the cartridges look to be beautifully made.  The rest is for the end user to decide.

My tendency would be to go for the second most expensive version, without the gold inlay.  Or the cheapest one if Nandric says it sounds good.
More to discover