Finished testing with cables and cartridges on the Systemdek. (The Systemdek was easier to use as a "compare" platform... with goal of deciding which components to upgrade PF-1000 with.) I recorded these to my Yamaha CDR-HD1500 harddrive, allowing quick, effortless A/B comparisons.
The cartridges on the Systemdek:
I tried the Monster Cable Alpha 2 (sounded the same as the Accuphase AC-2, before I broke the AC-2 (AHHHH !!!!!) and the DL103 on the Systemdek. I would say they are different, rather than one better. The DL103 has nice evenly spread soundstage, while the Alpha 2 reversed some instruments (left / right) and was not as evenly spread (AC-2 the same) but still a nice soundstage (hard to describe better); instrument placement was so definitely different, you would have thought you were listening to two different recordings. The Alpha 2 was more natural (and maybe the DL103 more lively). Of course, each could be "tuned" by changing the cable...
The cables on the Systemdek:
- Ortofon 6NX-TSW1010 6N Copper Cable 5 pin, warm, lush, great piano, but a little dark on voice
- Synergistic Research Tricon on an 1877 Spirit-STBX Interface Box DIN/RCA, very natural... quietest
- misc other RCA interface cables with the 1877, notable was the van den Hul M.C. Integration Hybrid, which was a little sharper than the Tricon, but a little noiser, still very nice. I may actually use it on lesser sounding LP's than the Tricon.
* the standard PF-1000 cable was as natural as the Tricon, sharper, but noiser.
So in the end:
- I left the PF-1000 unchanged, with the Alpha 2. The PF-1000 is a better turntable (suspension, isolation, arm, auto-spot), and has synergy with its stock cable. NOTE: I have added a 700g record clap and a 300g record ring and the PF-1000 can adjust and spin these just fine... minor improvements in sound with each.
- I left the DL103 Tricon setup on the Systemdek for classical, with maybe swapping with the vdH. Still a nice setup.
