Systemic Development > Analog Devices
New Cartridge on the way
tmazz:
--- Quote from: Nick B on July 22, 2021, 08:49:53 PM ---
--- Quote from: tmazz on July 22, 2021, 08:20:57 PM ---In the past I tried two different wood body Grados. I really liked the way they sounded, but they were not shielded and picked up too much hum from my TT motor, so I could not use them.
I spoke with the folks at Soundsmith and they assured me that their carts have been install on many VPI tables and they never came across with them picking up motor noise.
--- End quote ---
Same old song, so to speak, with the Grados…sound great and pick up too much hum…
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It was definitely an issue with my HW-19 because it was fairly quiet at the beginning of a record but as the arm got closer to the center (and therefore closer to the motor), the hum got louder and louder. I have been told that the lower output versions of the wood body Grados did not have the same problem as the lower number of wraps on the coils reduced the sensitivity to inductive hum, but I never had the opportunity to try one on my table.
Nick B:
--- Quote from: tmazz on July 22, 2021, 08:51:08 PM ---Nick, that was a video of Peter's talk. Thanks so much for puttng up that link.
I have a friend who was looking forward to hearing what Peter had to say. Unfortunately he ended up getting rushed to the hospital that afternoon causing home to miss it (His problem was resolved and he is in good health now. :clap:)
I will be passing the link on to him and I am sure he will be very happy to get a second change at seeing Peter's talk. :thumb:
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That’s great, Tom. Glad I found it :thumb:
toobluvr:
I enjoy my Soundsmith Zephyr Mk3, and all the re-tips Peter has done for me, very much. Good luck with your Carmen! :thumb:
tmazz:
The new cart arrived this afternoon. I mounted it , gave it an initial alignment and then preceded with an inaugural spin of what else, The Carmen Suite (Alexander Gibson/Royal Opera House Orchestra Covent Garden.)
The first thing I noticed was as compared to the Micro Benz (I played the same record using it right before I swapped the carts) was that the Carmen picked up significantly less surface noise, resulting in a quieter, blacker background. It also a much more defined and realistic sense of space. Instruments really took ownership of the space they were in . Instead of a instrument being on the right side it was in very specific spot on the right side. Is lead to a very clear sense of not only where the instruments were, but also where they weren't.
Next up The Harry James King James Version for Sheffield. The Carmen track this on without ever breaking a sweat. Since it handled Harry James with such ease I figure I would give it a real tracking test, The Telarc 1812 LP with the big cannon blasts. I have owned cartridges with significantly higher price tags than the Carmen that couldn't come close to tracking this record. In fact the Sumiko Blackbird, which lists for 25% more than the Carmen, actually jumped off the record every time it hit a cannon blast and laded several groves way from the blast. The Carmen sailed through this record without even a hiccup. Very impressive. Now I have to say that it was late and my wife was already in bed so I played this with the volume just loud enough to let me listen for mistracking. I will try it again tomorrow to see if the air compressing in the room from the cannon blast at a more typical value will have any effect on how the Carmen tracks this record.
At this point I am very happy with what I have heard so far.
More updates as things develop.
BobM:
Congrats Tom. A good cartridge is truly an enjoyment that lets you forget what those suckers actually cost.
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