I think the optical would be fun to try e=h c over lambda.enjoy the spinning.
What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?
Most cartridges have a stylus and cantilever where the transducer (magnet, iron or coil) sits on the far end of the cantilever. What other designs are there?
I am mindful of two designs which put the business end right on top of the stylus. The first is the moving coil (MC) Audio Technica AT-ART1000 which places two tiny coils, each 0.9-mm diameter, with eight turns of wire directly above the stylus. Australian price is about AUD-7000 and there apparently is a newer model, slightly less exxe. the ART1000X. This has square coils for a bit more output, and threaded mounting holes.
A downside is that stylus replacement involves a factory maintenance program and the Australian website page describing this service does not exist.
Another design is optical, exemplified by DS Audio's range. While these still need a stylus to trace the groove, the signal is produced by reading the intensity of light produced by a Light Emitting Diode (LED) hitting two sensors. Between the LED and the sensors are two 'shades' mounted above the stylus which change the amount of light as the stylus vibrates. These cartridges need a special "photo-stage" to replace the conventional phono-stage which is an additional expense.
Australian prices including photo-stages range from AUD-2,150 for the DS-E1 to the DS Master 3 at approximately AUD-40,800, which is a bit outside my price range! Where is the sweet spot?
What other way-out designs are there?
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Why don't you replace the plug on the supplied power cable with an Australian plug. I have found that sometimes source related power cables which require little current often sound better with smaller gauge cable than the usual Fatboy audiophile go to's. You should be able to work out the recommended gauge for the Soulnote phono from the markings on the supplied cable. Lian Dung is a cable company in Taiwan that produces the cables, including with Australian plugs, so your distributor is a bit lazy. https://www.liandung.com.tw/Australian.htm
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Actually it does, but "high end audio" seems to operate on a different planet. Nobody complains until the insurance company refuses a claim from the fire or other incident on the basis of non compliance. Then of course it is the nasty insurance companies fault. |
Thanks for sorting out what LIAN DUNG means! I am only making a bit of a drama because of all the fuss around power cords in the audiophile world! My SoulNote distributor tells me all his clients use audiophile grade power cords. At the same time, SoulNote say only use the supplied cable. Catch 22. The supplied cable is labelled 250-Volts 16-Amps. There are only two Australian plugs in the market, one is rated for 10-Amps while the other has a wider earth prong for 15-Amps and is normally only used in caravan parks. I just used a 10-Amp power cable I had lying around. For goodness sake, the unit only draws 28-Watts although its toroidal transformer is rated for 10 times that. Obviously I could cut the Japanese plug off and fit an Aussie one and I might dissect the cable to see if there really is something special - shielding, twist perhaps. Aussie rules for electricity are really stupid compared with the ring main system now prevalent in the UK. You can basically have a tree configuration with heaps of outlets, but you will trip the circuit breaker if just two full power appliances are switched on at the same time. Yes, there is Consumer Law in Australia, which says goods must be suitable for the purpose sold. It also provides statutory warranty which is the expectation a normal citizen has about how long a product should last based on its price and place in the market. Worked really well for me with an OLED TV that failed over 3 years after the manufactuer's warranty expired. Got what I paid back in full, and bought the replacement model which had halved in price, and pocketed three grand. |
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