@macg19 I was going to buy the field upgrade kit (about $20k) but my dealer made me a great trade-in offer for my Innovation Wood and I got a completely new Master Innovation. The tonearms weren't part of the deal. I kept the two I already had and bought a third arm (since the MI supports 3 tonearms).
Hana Umami Black
Just noticed on the Hana cartridge site that they've made an Umami Black cartridge for $11.5k, it must be absolute one hell of a cart. If its been out a while and I'm just lost on the times, my apologies! Anyone with deep pockets who gets one, please report. I've been running an Umami Red since it came out and damn for 3x the cost this must be a dynamo!
https://musicalsurroundings.com/downloads/products/umami-black-brochure.pdf
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This appears to be the cantilever part they’re using (includes MR stylus), from Orbray / Namiki: Costs $2500 for 1 pc, but the price comes down quite a bit in quantity. This part is also exactly what the Koetsu diamond cantilevers look like under magnification. Koetsu must have specified a different stylus (their usual), but this looks like the cantilever part maker. Here’s my Coralstone circa 2018. It’s a lil sloppier of an attachment than my Blue Lace lol
I don’t know anyone who did the upgrade. With secondary markets and dealer trade-ins, there’s no real price incentive to do an upgrade kit. I had an Innovation Wood and did a "sort of" trade in with my dealer for their demo Master. "Upgradeable" turntables can be a big selling point but they fall flat in practice. |
@mulveling My original plan was to do the upgrade. However I have the Piano Black version, and Musical Surroundings wanted to make sure I had well-matched plinths so they worked with my dealer to offer a trade for a new retail unit of the MI, and it didn't cost me more either. I guess it pays to be a good and repeat customer over the years. I now have three tonearms on my MI: two 12" Universal and a now a Tracer in addition. |
Yep. They’ve also incorporated small changes / upgrades into the Master over years. The central bearing column has been notably beefed up. Acrylic platters you get today from Clearaudio can be a different color than those of 10 years ago. For lots of reasons, the best way to get a "coherent" Master is to buy a table that was manufactured as a Master! Agreed, a good dealer relationship helps enormously. Mine just retired :( And the black lacquer you have is the best looking version IMO (though all versions are cool) - enjoy! How is the Tracer versus the Universal? Is it better in any ways? I liked the Universal, though sold it a while back. |
The Tracer is a very fine arm and pretty big bang for the buck, IMO. I have no hesitation recommending it. I think it's the perfect match for a Performance DC table, and a solid choice for the Ovation. It's not quite as good as the Universal (which is what I recommend for Innovation level turntables), but it's also half the cost. I am using it for my secondary cartridge(s) - a Koetsu Rosewood and a DV XV-12s. My two 12" Universal are used for my Lyra Atlas Lambda cartridges (one a SL, the other a Mono). I observed that Musical Surroundings is now representing the Supatrac line of tonearms from the UK. I am curious how one of those will perform on a MI, not that I'm looking to make a change. |
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