Technics SL1210 MK2 fully rebuilt and repainted. Ortofon 2M Black Cart, Isonoe isolation feet , MN bearing and Funk Firm platter upgrade, Oyaide RCA Tone Arm and speaker cables, Jelco SA-750D Tonearm. Oyaide HS-TF Carbon headshell, MCRU Linear External PSU, High Fidelity Crystal glass turntable matt, Blue LED upgrade, Denon AVR-2808CI Amp, Bowers and Wilkins DM602S3 Speakers,
Black Rhodium Jazz power cables for amp and turntable, Firebottle mk2 Phono Stage.
This point merits a remark. I personally don't have the sort of money to buy a £3000 cartridge, but even if I did, I'm not sure I would think it was money well spent. The reason is this: in my experience, no matter what upgrade you bring to your system and how successful it is, it only takes a very short while before you no longer notice it. I'm not saying you no longer enjoy it, just that it becomes an accepted part of the sound of your system. You like it, but, hey, it's your system - that's just the way it sounds! If you are listening to the music - as opposed to listening to your system - then once the jaw-dropping wonder of your new upgrade has passed, you're just enjoying the sound it makes. Same as you did after your last upgrade, and the one before etc. etc. It is arguable that your overall level of musical enjoyment has not increased.
I'm not advocating that we should all have stuck with our Garrard SP25 Mk4s with Goldring G800 cartridge, because there is no point in upgrading. But we just have to realise WHY we are upgrading. The very fact that we are passing our sad small lives in front of a computer screen contributing to this - admittedly very good - forum, already means that we are deeply into this pastime and very engaged with all the aspects of it. It is no longer simply a means of listening to and enjoying music. It has become an end in its own right. That's fine, and nothing to be ashamed of. Owning a Ferrari isn't about getting from A to B any more; it has become something else. And that, I suggest, is also true of our fascination with hi-fi equipment. We are listening to music beautifully reproduced, of course, but we are also feeding our hunger for the technical, aesthetic and, yes, status-recognition payback it provides. And I'm sure that's normal, fine and healthy, but it leads me to this conclusion: the answer to the OP's question - whether upgrading from MM to MC is worthwhile - is probably "no" from a listening-to-music point of view, but "yes, from a pride-of-possession and system enjoyment point of view.
IB.
Location: yorkshire
Posts: 61
I'm terry.
Good post Gary but I'm not sure of the 'overall level of musical enjoyment has not increased' bit.
I've heard a smattering of the 'lower' priced MCs now (under a grand) plus Ali's rather wonderful MC at twice that price.
But ... I think the enjoyment of the music is heightened when you find a cart that draws you into it, gives you the boogie factor to go with it.
Jimbo's M55/jico sas certainly has it, and so does the DL-103
Location: Nr Ashbourne, East Midlands, UK
Posts: 110
I'm Mike.
Whilst you may stop noticing the effect of new/better kit over time, you still hear its effect when reproducing music. Depending on what this is/how much closer to the real thing this puts you it may or my not be worth it...
There are some great value products out there and the 103 (ideally with some modifications) is definitely one of them. Obviously the market for £3k+ MCs is so limited so its also true that the value of these is more questionable, but if the rest of your system is finalised and of a standard to do justice to this, then it may well be worth it.
StSt Motus DQ + SME 312 'MB Special'
Transfix Axia / HM7
Art Audio Vinyl 1 Ref
Modified Mac Mini/Weiss DAC 202
SJS Model 2
BP P20 (SJS upgraded)
Trenner and Friedl RA
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Obviously the performance of a Ferrari can't be compared with a Vauxhall Astra, from a performance, handling, satisfaction viewpoint. I agree that novelty wears off but it depends on whether you're truly satisfied with the sound being produced and your reasons for upgrading.
My philosophy is simple - use the best cart you can afford to pull out the music then use components to amplify it as purely as possible.
My reasons for upgrading are not driven by dissatisfaction or status - but by logical and incremental steps that take me closer to purity and therefore the musical experience. Which is the point I think.
Adey
In perpetual pursuit.
Technics SP10 mk2
Jan Allaerts MC 1 Boron mk1 cart
Miyajima Shilabe cart
Hashimoto HM-X SUT
Siggwan (gimballed not unipivot) Cocobola 12"
Aurorasound Vida LCR Phonostage
The Truth linestage
Dave Slagle Autoformer Volume Controller
Cary 805c SET amps
Audio Note ANe-SPX speakers
Townshend Isolda speaker cables
Cardas Golden Presence interconnects
High end carts are all hand made, only the body tends to be made by machine, but its all hand assembled, tested and tweaked. A Benz l.p. With boron canti, ruby cross coil former and cyber 2 line contact can't really be compared with a denon 103 that contains no exotic nowt.
Line contact styli are 20x the price of sphericals. I agree there's an awful lot of margin in a 3k mc, probably 2.5k off and various hands in the supply chain.
I favour the best2nd hand cart you can afford. Then get it rebuilt.
Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m
This is my point exactly. We upgrade even though we are not in any way dissatisfied with our actual experience of listening to music.
However much money we have spent on our kit, we all know that there is something out there that will improve on its performance - that's a given. And it is that thought that gets us wanting to change and upgrade something. In other words we are upgrading our system (and I don't dispute that objectively it will probably sound better after the upgrade) but not necessarily upgrading our subjective listening satisfaction.
As I said in my earlier post, that's fine. They are two different things: the pleasure we get from our music (which is purely emotional) and the pleasure that we get from our system (which is tactile, aesthetic, personally emotionally reassuring and probably more besides). There is no reason why we shouldn't have and enjoy both things. It's allowed. But I still think they are two separate things and it helps (me, at least) to recognize that.
IB.