Greg2010
10-01-2012, 07:37
I recently heard a G800 on a technics 1210 and garrard 401 and was impressed by the musical reproduction and decided to get hold of one to try at home.
I have a slightly modified 1210 with an acoustic research arm, the cart sounded very well indeed, very musical and a good match for my system (technics 1210, croft pre, 300b monos and goodmans horns) as with all things audio, assessments are (it seems to me) always comparative. The comparisons I had made were with a couple of carts I had at home that may be put in the same "budget" category with the G800, namely the At95e and denon Dl110. It beat the pants off both of them with room to spare. But.........and it's a large but, I have now had in my possession for a week a modified stylus for the G800, with boron cantilever and micro ridge tip.
The new stylus delivers good musical timing, drive, tempo and rhythm: it gets the essence of the music "right". That sense of musicians playing together, one of the great advantages LP holds over CD, is fully captured. Bass is tight and well-controlled, with great pitch differentiation, and dynamic drive.
It integrates the range of the sonic bandwidth very well: no part of the spectrum sticks out at the listener. It doesn’t sound bright or dull at the top frequencies. Midrange is clear and detailed with no spittiness on vocals.
Due to its strong rhythmic performance and excellent timing, it does well with most choices of material.
To say I'm pleased is a bit of an understatement, I know it's not a "cheap" mod for the G800 but the total price for the exercise still comes way below what many people would be prepared to pay for this level of reproduction.I know there's a bit more tweaking to get the the tracking weight spot on, so maybe when it's fully run in and weighted it will be a little more "right".
Regards
Greg
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/DSCF3389.jpg
http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab152/greg2010_1/006-2-2.jpg
I have a slightly modified 1210 with an acoustic research arm, the cart sounded very well indeed, very musical and a good match for my system (technics 1210, croft pre, 300b monos and goodmans horns) as with all things audio, assessments are (it seems to me) always comparative. The comparisons I had made were with a couple of carts I had at home that may be put in the same "budget" category with the G800, namely the At95e and denon Dl110. It beat the pants off both of them with room to spare. But.........and it's a large but, I have now had in my possession for a week a modified stylus for the G800, with boron cantilever and micro ridge tip.
The new stylus delivers good musical timing, drive, tempo and rhythm: it gets the essence of the music "right". That sense of musicians playing together, one of the great advantages LP holds over CD, is fully captured. Bass is tight and well-controlled, with great pitch differentiation, and dynamic drive.
It integrates the range of the sonic bandwidth very well: no part of the spectrum sticks out at the listener. It doesn’t sound bright or dull at the top frequencies. Midrange is clear and detailed with no spittiness on vocals.
Due to its strong rhythmic performance and excellent timing, it does well with most choices of material.
To say I'm pleased is a bit of an understatement, I know it's not a "cheap" mod for the G800 but the total price for the exercise still comes way below what many people would be prepared to pay for this level of reproduction.I know there's a bit more tweaking to get the the tracking weight spot on, so maybe when it's fully run in and weighted it will be a little more "right".
Regards
Greg
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/DSCF3389.jpg
http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab152/greg2010_1/006-2-2.jpg