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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?

richardbrand
rauliruegas
13,407 posts
 

Dear @richardbrand: " that vinyl is better than CD.  With the DS Audio cartridge, I think it is, but I have not had time to compare the 2-channel SACD with vinyl yet."

 

Or a good recorded CD ( not only the SACD ) in today entry level Denon CD player with 32/192 DACs.

As in analog the quality recording depends of the recording quality proccess it self and mastering.

 

Digital technology is in advance almost every day contrary to LP recordings an analog rigs front end that only area little " more of the same " but way more expen$$ive.

 

The DS Audio or any other today cartridge is not innovative ( as you was looking according your OP ) and far away from the today digital true innovations. 

I think that digital and analog are just 2 today alternarives and way different.

 

R.

richardbrand's avatar
richardbrand OP
1,476 posts
 

@lewm 

What I probably DID write is that vinyl is superior to CD, meaning Red Book CD. I think SACD done right is superior to RBCD but still does not surpass vinyl, to my ears in my systems

Maybe my linguae had a lapsus!

It was in another thread where I reported that, with the upgrades I had made to my Garrard 301, vinyl sounded almost as good as a CD.  You replied that vinyl could do much better than that, which is what encouraged me to keep improving my vinyl playback.

I am very grateful to you for the encouragement yes and if I misquoted you, I am sorry.

richardbrand's avatar
richardbrand OP
1,476 posts
 

@rauliruegas 

far away from the today digital true innovations

You may have seen other threads where I extol the virtues of Morten Lindberg and his Norwegian label 2L - the Nordic Sound, for their pioneering work delivering immersive sound.  Their disk packs often include many delivery technologies including DSD and PCM on SACD and Pure Audio Blu-ray.  They have recently started releasing vinyl but I have not experienced any of their vinyl yet.  Can't really see any point, except curiosity, when their digital is so outstanding.

rauliruegas
13,407 posts
 

Thank's for the link.

 

R.

lewm
14,759 posts
 

I sometimes feel delinquent (searching for the right word and settled on "delinquent") in not seeking out the best in modern digital experiences, in order to have a really good idea what is possible in that domain.  I am sure the frontiers of digital are way beyond the boundaries of my digital experience, but on the other hand, I have 5 turntables and two systems and 3000 LPs, which by themselves are more than I can appreciate fully, due to lack of time and other distractions.  So I figure why add to my choices when I can hardly do justice to what I already own.

Raul, nice to hear from you.

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