What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”?

Dear @rauliruegas,

I have been a member here for many years and have learned the hard way that it is often best to not engage in one-one dialogue when there is obvious and strong disagreement. I prefer to simply put my opinions out there and anyone can make of them what they will. You have addressed me directly for the third time (I think) on this thread, so out of respect for you I will make an exception; and thank you for your thoughts. Please understand that I may or may not respond further.

Raul, I am not in the psychology business. I normally do not “talk” about my professional life on this or any forum as I don’t want my opinions to be construed as self serving in any way.  I am a professional musician by trade and have done nothing else for my entire working life; forty five years now. My performance experience is and has been overwhelmingly in the live acoustic music, mostly orchestral, scenes. I am and have been around the sound of live acoustic music, at minimum, an average of probably four hours each and every day, I know and am confident in what I hear. Replicating that sound as much as possible is my personal goal with audio. My familiarity with that sound is what drives my choices of gear. I bring this up because you and I don’t agree on some audio related issues, the analog/digital, the tube/ss debates and the subjective/objective issues in particular. I believe you know where I stand on those. The “psychology” part:

Although you actually seem to have softened your stance somewhat, the problem as I see it, and what prompted part of my “heavy handed” comment, is that while you do (more so recently) concede that everyone is entitled to like whatever type of sound they may prefer (duh!), your comments usually also include, or are followed by something along the lines of “(yes, everyone can like whatever sound they like), IF they like distortions”. Forgive the paraphrasing. IOW, yes, we can all listen to whatever sound we prefer, BUT Raul knows what a good (accurate) sound truly is. “Respect” has to include at least a modicum of humility.

I won’t question what you hear and how, and based on what, you make those determinations. I know you have a great deal of experience as an audiophile and would not question your preferences. However, from my vantage point, they are still preferences and not absolutes. Neither are my preferences absolutes for everyone. They are absolutes FOR ME and if anyone wants to derive some kernel of truth from them that’s great; if not, that’s fine too.

Enjoy the music. (I will leave the “not distortions” part out. Perhaps you should consider doing the same?

Saludos..

@mikelavigne Audiogon does not have an 'ignore' button, so you have to do that manually. In this case your enjoyment of this thread would likely be improved if certain individuals were put on 'ignore'. I hope I'm not one of those 😉

@frogman 

I know and am confident in what I hear.

well put!  I often find that those who rely heavily on the objective are incapable / uncomfortable forming a consistent subjective opinion.  I am by no means suggesting that the objective has no place in audio.  I feel that the best use of theory and measurement is to help explain what we actually like rather than as a tool to dictate what we should like.

dave

Dear @frogman : Thank’s for your post, appreciated.

" BUT Raul knows what a good (accurate) sound truly is. "

That is part of the whole misunderstood because it’s not about me, yes I post what my researh on the post of any gentleman and my common sense tells me.

Again, what I post are only the " facts " I found out respect the issues under discussions and that’s all. Like in this thread normally I post: " I’m not saying I’m rigth " or " I can be wrong ". Everything in my posts is up to you, nothing personal and obviously not " because I know/Bible about.

Dear Agoner’s, as I already posted before I post always made and make a deep research to at least know: the way of thinking of the gentleman, what he likes, which room/system owns, etc, etc and to find out all those and more information I read not only his threads if any but his answers he posted through the time.

Any one of you can be sure I really make my job and in the Mike case I had to read several threads post pages ( over 300 ).additional in wbf and that’s why I posted what I posted to warning him.

From where do you think I posted that: " analog complete and his contradiction about what he posted in Agon digital forum about that I posted in this thread?"

You already know that I knew you are a musician and fortunatelly you are not the subject in this thread.

Do you think that for any one is easy to say to a gentleman of the MIke caliber: what you are listening is totally wrong?, I did it because I have/found out EVIDENCE that no one of you questioned and he neither in all what I posted and when I made the mistake to post that that cartridge was cantilever-less design at the moment that I took in count I’m wrong I posted that I was wrong and my mistake.

I took all that time because for to many years to remember he is an audio friend for me.

R.

Btw, other than @jcarr  seller opinions as twose two I don't take care. Useless and only looking $$$$ and Mike has that part of the $$$ they are looking for but this does not justify their " attitude ".

@noromance , Please and really, I do not mean this as a reflection of you but I have seen people tolerate a lot worse! Any cartridge will track at 10 grams. Don't you remember the days when we put a penny on top of the head shell?

@rauliruegas , I was being generous. 

My room is also dead centered and I am forever adjusting my balance. Every record is different. Most of the time it is just a sensation of too much energy coming from one side. The singer's voice will still seem dead center. Just a shift of 0.1 to 0.2 dB to one side will take care of it. Yes, I also can usually tell up front how much it will take. I think the problem is that every system is that much different. Maybe one speaker or monitor is just that much more efficient than the other. The best adjusted systems in the world are at best 0.1 to 0.2 dB off center. Anyway, this is what remotes are for:-)

I would like to straighten the record a little. Listening to and enjoying music is a passive luxury. Building a state of the art music system is an active necessity. They are two very different activities. There are chat rooms and one location at this one where you can gush over the music. Here we split hairs over Hi Fi equipment. There are many ways to approach this subject and disagreement is a way of life in any human interaction. If you can't take the heat go fishing.