PCTI tonearm by rauliruegas

Dear @cardani  : Thank's and appreciated your post.

Other than the 26/27 IM cartridge if I remember you listened in one of those prototypes tonearms the Madrigal Carnegie 2 that I time to time still enjoy it.

Good to know from you. For the gentlemans that do not know who is Cardani he is a " young " man that's  double bass player in the Xalapa Philarmonic Orchestra, his wife too and one of their son is on that " road " too.
Additional he is an audiophile.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Looks like after 9 years of research, PCTI tonearm will not be a reality.

Dear @dover : " He claims that his digital front end ( an old Denon ) is superior to any of his analogue... "

That’s a misunderstood by your self or a bad explanation for my part ( this happens very often. ) ( I can see the stupid here again. Obviously not you. Never mind. ).

As you I’m and was exposed to the best digital rigs in my system and in other systems ( I’m not talking of Denon. ) and exposed too to the best analogue you can imagine too.

What is my take about and what almost always post is that the today digital medium outperforms the today analogue alternative. I’m not " blind " to not see that fact .

My take too is that the bass range is the home room/system foundation/frame for the sound reproduction and that as better the bass range as better the whole quality room/system performance levels and between other things bass range in the digital medium is really superior to the analogue alternative, no contest. Even that really humble Denon ( 32/192 ) is superior in that regards.


""" It suggests that his analogue, whilst it may sound great, is not reference quality. ""

You can’t be sure about. In the other side and with that kind of electronics you own I’m totally sure that your system neither. Specially about phonolinepreamp quality true levels. Like it or not mine is way superior and could be an improvement in your system.

""" I note that it has taken Raul years and thousands of posts to finally discover that he prefers moving coil cartridges - why so long ? """

No it was not years and years to taken in count LOMC are superior. As a fact before I started the MM thread all my listen sessions were through LOMC but suddenly in those " old " years I took one of my vintage MM/MI cartridges that I owned and that were my very first cartridges I used when started to listen LPs and when mounted and listened it was a high surprise/true discovery for me that those cartridges performed way better that what the high end market wanted to be knowed by us " audiophiles " and here started the long adventure/trip where one of the main targets was to listen as many different vintage cartridges I can. But in reality in those times I was listened mainly to MM cartridges type and no so many to my top LOMC cartridges. I was really exited with the MM adventure after and again and again I listened to a " new " model ! !

Even in that thread I shared that I thougth that the MM/MI/IM/electrect and the like cartridges develops lower distortions than the LOMC and remember that J.Carr posted and explained why it wasand is the other way around.

After the adventure ( I have almost no one interest in MM type cartridges because I almost listened all. ) my sessions of MUSIC are through LOMC cartridges and time to time with MM type.

So " things " are not as you posted. I respect your opinion but I can’t understand the ironic and taunt tone of your words posted in reference to me/tonearm.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

@dover 
¨The turntables he uses as a reference are midfi in my view. ( The Micro Seikis and Direct Drives ¨
     When I have  heard Raul,s system he has mostly used  two Acoustic signature belt drives. Only once I think I heard his Micro seiki 5000 which last time i was at his place he mentioned me he had sold it.  I did not notice any particular fault with his tables, pitch was spot on.
@rauliruegas 
¨Other than the 26/27 IM cartridge if I remember you listened in one of those prototypes tonearms the Madrigal Carnegie 2 that I time to time still enjoy it.´
    Yes, If i remember correctly was on a different ocassion but also with your own arm that we heard Madrigal carnegie 2. 

@chakster ¨ Review without any single image of the product is a bit strange.¨
    I dont think there is a review of the tonearm, if you interpret my comment as a review all i can say it is not all, i have only heard his tonearm a couple of times and all i said is that the  tonearm does do exists and  what i heard was on par with any other top ones which i,ve heard at his place. 

Dear @soundcheck6 :  As the tonearm ( more on this latter-on. ) this Phonolinepreamp was a unit for our personal use ( José and I. ).

I was who had the inquisitiveness to design and build a Phonolinepreamp due that the best units in the market as: FM Acoustics, Krell, Gryphon, ML, etc, etc. ( including top tube electronics that I owned or listened. ) and that I already listened in my system and other systems in reality did not satisfied totally my  high demanding needs and of course the cartridge needs.

I talk with José and shared what I was thinking about and I writed  the main characteristics that we analized and that he enhanced too. Voicing was made by both of us but mainly for me that owns a very good system and with several audio friends to listen our unit there that was what I did it.

Btw, @lewm appreciated your posts in reference to this phonolinepreamp and its quality level even that the unit you own, the Essential 3160, has not the up-grades made for me in my sample that I name it: Essential 3180 that it's even better quality performance level than your excellent unit.

How is that over the years Lewm owns the 3160 when was a unit designed and builded by us for our personal use?

Well, that gentleman in the link you posted knew that I was with Jose making that phonolinepreamp and with out been in touch with him ( as a fact I even did not know him or " hear " nothing about him any where. ) I received his first email asking if we can make a unit for him and I answered that we can't do it because we are not an audio comercial company but only two music lovers trying to improve our listening LP sessions at home.
He insisted and after 3 in a row emails José and I decided to accept build a unit for him and I told him that we will take around 6-8 months to delivery his unit and that needs to pay 60% of the total unit price in advance and he did it/accepted and that's how started to build some units. Btw, we took more than those 8 months to made it and delivery his unit even than he paid the total price in advance with out " knowing " really whom we are. He lives in England.

Through the time we made some changes that some way or other we already tested before during the voicing of the unit.

I live in México city and I had the opportunity to show the Essential units in USA to over 20 gentlemans at their places that some way or the other were a voicing tests for our unit. From those 20+ gentlemans only one of them owned SS electronics all the other gentlemans were tube lovers.

By coincidence the seven Essential owners only one used SS electronics the other ones tubes and by coincidence with the first customers the other owners were who put in touch with me with out I knew of their " existence ". All paid a % in advance  and all satisfied with the unit as Lewm.

We stopped to accept orders due that that was not our way of living and the unit manufacture is way way demanding on time for us and care of it to achieve the quality levels we knew the design can meet.

My own unit can competes and it's a real challenge for any unit in the today market at any price.

Can we start/begin again with? I don't think so. Is very expensive to do it in every way. To do it we will need it a whealthy investor that really like this hobby and a gentleman where we can share with him and in between our high demanding targets of quality.

R.