Macca
27-08-2011, 10:55
A while back on AOS one of the yanks recommended this cartridge as an inexpensive but fun match to the stock SL1200 and arm so for thirty-nine notes delivered...
http://www.musonic.co.uk/500-v3-cartridge-p-17622.html
...I thought I would take a punt.
I nipped down to the local pro shop and bought a headshell (£5!) and after a little bit of fiddling and some foul language got the blighter fitted straight and true. It's an odd looking thing with its bulbous clear plastic headshell and plain metal body, and the cantilever is as thick as a baby's arm.:eek:
Having balanced everything out I referred to the spec sheet for the VTF - 'recommended 2-5 grammes' - well that's nice and precise, thanks a lot.:rolleyes:
So, and figuring the higher tracking weight would only apply to those wishing to use the cartridge for something called 'scratching', I dialled in 2 grammes as a starting point and off we went.
First impressions were of some interesting strengths and some equally interesting but disapointing weaknesses.
Strengths first - Bass was deep and solid, indeed the whole sound now had a sense of 'body' and physicallity to it that I have not heard from vinyl repro before. Tracking was incredibly good, as sure footed as the proverbial mountain goat, there was absolutely no trace of struggle even in difficult and demanding dynamic sections of the recordings I tried, the Stanton sailing along quite merrily through everything. Involuntary head nodding and foot tapping was also noticed.
But now to weaknesses - through everything I played there was a lack of tone and colour (not colouration) - bass guitar was deep and timed well but sounded grey and mechanical, six string guitar was bland, drums and cymbals perfunctory. On top of that was an overall hollowness to the sound that was more apparant on some recordings than others but was present nonetheless, giving an overall 'cheap wedding disco' presentation. On top of that there was excesive sibilance to close miked vocal.
After spinning eight or nine albums I switched off, a little disapointed even though I had not really been expecting much to begin with. I had a bit of a ponder. I wondered if the hollowness to the sound was due to the cart's mid-range 'droop'. I then recalled that I had swapped out my Audioquest cable twixt pre and power for a Belkin AV 'truly amazed' jobbie some weeks earlier and had noticed how it had stripped some of the mid-range bloom from the Croft Micro-Basic pre, making it sound more like a transistor pre.
Now I wondered if the combination of the dry and forensic Belkin and the Stantons mid-droop were acting together to totally bleach out the sound. Only one way to find out! The next evening before switch on I reinstated the Audioquest cable and then powered up and span a record...
Well folks, I'm sorry but I am going to have to use that old cliche, because it was indeed
NIGHT AND DAY
What the previous evening had sounded bleached and mechanical now sounded so utterly rich and sumptous, with deep, tight, three-dimensional bass! Liquid midband! Total, magical, musicality! And no trace of 'bad wedding disco' to be heard.
I have never heard in my life a simple cable swap make so much difference. I spent from 1730 to 2330 that evening just playing record after record, thankfully my neighbours are very understanding.
It is not all smiles and sunshine though as some issues still remain. There is still a little excessive vocal sibiliance and the top end is just a little crude compared to more'hi-fi' carts I have owned. Male vocals area bit congested: for example Ian Anderson on Tull's Heavy Horses sounding like he had a bit of a head cold. Well, maybe he did but if so I have never noticed it before in twenty-five years of listening to that record.:scratch:
Nevertheless, if this what a forty quid Stanton can do I am left wondering exactly how good are the more expensive offerings like the 681EE or the 680 V3?
Only one way to find out...:)
My Regards to All
http://www.musonic.co.uk/500-v3-cartridge-p-17622.html
...I thought I would take a punt.
I nipped down to the local pro shop and bought a headshell (£5!) and after a little bit of fiddling and some foul language got the blighter fitted straight and true. It's an odd looking thing with its bulbous clear plastic headshell and plain metal body, and the cantilever is as thick as a baby's arm.:eek:
Having balanced everything out I referred to the spec sheet for the VTF - 'recommended 2-5 grammes' - well that's nice and precise, thanks a lot.:rolleyes:
So, and figuring the higher tracking weight would only apply to those wishing to use the cartridge for something called 'scratching', I dialled in 2 grammes as a starting point and off we went.
First impressions were of some interesting strengths and some equally interesting but disapointing weaknesses.
Strengths first - Bass was deep and solid, indeed the whole sound now had a sense of 'body' and physicallity to it that I have not heard from vinyl repro before. Tracking was incredibly good, as sure footed as the proverbial mountain goat, there was absolutely no trace of struggle even in difficult and demanding dynamic sections of the recordings I tried, the Stanton sailing along quite merrily through everything. Involuntary head nodding and foot tapping was also noticed.
But now to weaknesses - through everything I played there was a lack of tone and colour (not colouration) - bass guitar was deep and timed well but sounded grey and mechanical, six string guitar was bland, drums and cymbals perfunctory. On top of that was an overall hollowness to the sound that was more apparant on some recordings than others but was present nonetheless, giving an overall 'cheap wedding disco' presentation. On top of that there was excesive sibilance to close miked vocal.
After spinning eight or nine albums I switched off, a little disapointed even though I had not really been expecting much to begin with. I had a bit of a ponder. I wondered if the hollowness to the sound was due to the cart's mid-range 'droop'. I then recalled that I had swapped out my Audioquest cable twixt pre and power for a Belkin AV 'truly amazed' jobbie some weeks earlier and had noticed how it had stripped some of the mid-range bloom from the Croft Micro-Basic pre, making it sound more like a transistor pre.
Now I wondered if the combination of the dry and forensic Belkin and the Stantons mid-droop were acting together to totally bleach out the sound. Only one way to find out! The next evening before switch on I reinstated the Audioquest cable and then powered up and span a record...
Well folks, I'm sorry but I am going to have to use that old cliche, because it was indeed
NIGHT AND DAY
What the previous evening had sounded bleached and mechanical now sounded so utterly rich and sumptous, with deep, tight, three-dimensional bass! Liquid midband! Total, magical, musicality! And no trace of 'bad wedding disco' to be heard.
I have never heard in my life a simple cable swap make so much difference. I spent from 1730 to 2330 that evening just playing record after record, thankfully my neighbours are very understanding.
It is not all smiles and sunshine though as some issues still remain. There is still a little excessive vocal sibiliance and the top end is just a little crude compared to more'hi-fi' carts I have owned. Male vocals area bit congested: for example Ian Anderson on Tull's Heavy Horses sounding like he had a bit of a head cold. Well, maybe he did but if so I have never noticed it before in twenty-five years of listening to that record.:scratch:
Nevertheless, if this what a forty quid Stanton can do I am left wondering exactly how good are the more expensive offerings like the 681EE or the 680 V3?
Only one way to find out...:)
My Regards to All