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What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

I believe that a cartridge and a speaker, by far, contribute the most to SQ.

The two transducers in a system.

I bit the bulllet and bought a Lyra Atlas SL for $13K for my Woodsong Garrard 301 with Triplanar SE arm. I use a full function Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamp. My $60K front end. It is certainly, by far, the best I have owned. I read so many comments exclaiming that Lyra as among the best. I had to wait 6 months to get it. But the improvement over my excellent $3K Mayijima Shilabi was spectacular-putting it mildly.

I recently heard a demo of much more pricy system using a $25K cartridge. Seemed to be the most expensive cartridge made. Don’t recall the name.

For sure, the amount of detail was something I never heard. To hear a timpani sound like the real thing was incredible. And so much more! 
This got me thinking of what could be possible with a different kind of cartridge than a moving coil. That is, a moving iron.

I have heard so much about the late Decca London Reference. A MI and a very different take from a MC. Could it be better? The World’s Best? No longer made.

However Grado has been making MI cartridges for decades. Even though they hold the patent for the MC. Recently, Grado came out with their assault on “The World’s Best”. At least their best effort. At $12K the Epoch 3. I bought one and have been using it now for about two weeks replacing my Lyra. There is no question that the Atlas SL is a fabulous cartridge. But the Epoch is even better. Overall, it’s SQ is the closest to real I have heard. To begin, putting the stylus down on the run in grove there is dead silence. As well as the groves between cuts. This silence is indicative of the purity of the music content. Everything I have read about it is true. IME, the comment of one reviewer, “The World’s Best”, may be true.
 

 

mglik
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rauliruegas
12,781 posts
 

Dear @lalitk : DaVa Reference, something to consider down the road ".

Well the field coil ( electro magnetically. ) cartridges is an example that not only audiophiles as us make our room/system choices along its trade-offs/compromises that are the " best " for each one of us but that manufacturers always do it.

 

Audio Note field coil cartridge comes with cantilever against the DaVa cantilever-less design but not only that DaVa choosed a tube power supply ( that has no sense to me. ) with all the " artefacts " surrounded tubes as some kind level of microphonics or development of some kind of noise/hum against the design Audio NOTE power supply in its cartridge that looks really good:

Which cartridge performs better well it’s the same question of the OP in this thread: different trade-offs. Cantilever-less has " immediacy " in the kind of sound ( something as horn drivers. ) but with a penalty that’s that are not very good trackers and due to this fact can’t pick up all the grooves information. I owned the Ikeda cantilever-less model and that’s why I know that.

 

Anyway, a field coil cartridge design s welcomed. Is it better? only each owner can tell it. The cartridges looks the same but only difference at sigth are the 6 pins cartridge connectors instead the normal 4 output pins connectors.

 

Btw, Audio Note manufacture too field coil speaker drivers.

R.

dogberry
554 posts
 

Talking of cantilever-less, an old friend came home today fresh from a rebuild:

I shall get nothing done today except to listen and purr contentedly!

mikelavigne
2,143 posts
 

as far as the performance of the DaVa Reference field coil cartridge with the tubed power supply.....it reminds me of what i heard from the Neumann DST.....but with more top and bottom extension. textures on top of textures, and tonality that is superb. projects lots of energy and life.

the tubed power supply sounds better than a solid state power supply. and fits the character of the DaVa.

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rauliruegas
12,781 posts
 

dAER @mikelavigne  : "" the tubed power supply sounds better than a solid state power supply. and fits the character . ""

 

I wonder how you know that other way that the manufacturer has both power supply kind of designs and if not then from where came your statement ? ! ? !.

I can't remember if the DST is a field coil cartridge design and never listen it in my system but in other system and is a good carrtridge but not something to " die for ".

 

Different cartridge kind of designs have its own trade offs and in this thread @mglik 

prefered the Grado over a top LOMC cartridge.

 

Even that, your statement needs an explanation and certainly been appreciated but we all audiophiles because that is a new cartridge and a new audio experiences with.

 

Thank's in advance,

 

R.

 

mikelavigne
2,143 posts
 

I wonder how you know that other way that the manufacturer has both power supply kind of designs and if not then from where came your statement ? ! ? !.

 

@rauliruegas fair enough, my source is second hand feedback from other users. did not have the solid state PS on hand myself. if the tubed power supply is distorted, i love distortion like that.

no; the Neumann DST is not a field coil design. it has no separate power supply. i’m told ideally you use a special SUT for it.

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