There is no such thing as a "heresy" here on this forum. So, no.
How Cartridges Fall Out Of Favor Over Time
I returned to analog in the late 1990's and early mid 2000's. Over time I have seen cartridge models, and even manufacturers fall out of favor and others rise or be even begin.
As I think about it, these models have lost favor in the eyes of vinylophiles. At one time they were the cats meow.
Dynavector 10x5 and 17D2 or 3 Karat
Benz Micro Ace and Glider
Audio Technica oc9 II
Sumiko Blackbird and Bluepoint Evo III
ZYX cartridges such as the Bloom and the Airy
Grado wood bodies
These are just the ones I can remember without digging too deep. Some cartridges have model replacements or have been discontinued. Others are still there but just forgotten.
I just bought a Blackbird Lo for a casual use cartridge, I also keep a Glider H2 for those duties also. My next new cartridge purchase is planned on being an Audio Technica ART20. I just wonder how it compares to my older high tier cartridges, as I play a Transfiguration Audio Proteus that has been serviced by VAS and a Kiseki OG Blackheart serviced by AllClear.
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Like @pindac I appreciate the Kontrapunkt, in my case, a "c" version. I bought a Cadenza Bronze to replace it, but it didn't seem as good. Maybe I should have played with VTA some more as the stylus is very picky about that being right. In the end I had the Kc re-tipped and it plays on today. Of course there is another family of cartridges I love that has largely fallen out of favour these days, but I have rattled on about Deccas enough already on this forum! |
@dogberry I was invited by the designer of the Tonearm I use, to be demo'd a change made to the bearing interface for the Tonearm I use. The 'Kc' had been demo'd alongside 'Kb's in their different designs and the PW windfeld on a few previous occasions, and on this visit it was the first of the Cart's to be used as the demo' of the changes influence on the End Sound perception. Neither my 'Kb' with Ogura Stylus or the Windfeld got a look in, the 'Kc' was just so fitting for the role. My friend has now accumulated a decent collection of the 'K' range and a few of Cadenza range, along with the Windfeld, there is a few interesting developments which may become mod's for other Ortofon Cart's but also extend to Cart's compatible with the design to be used. |
And now for something (almost) completely new - optical cartridges as realised by DS Audio. These overcome the low output of LOMC designs while simultaneously reducing apparent tip mass even further. Far better signal to noise ratios and better trackability at the same time. Try outputs of 70-millivolts versus 5 for MM and low fractions of a millivolt for LOMC. Unfortunately, DS Audio's optical cartridges require non-standard phono stages because their output is position dependent, not velocity dependent. Several manufacturers have obliged so far ... |
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