An Experiment

[Yiangos]

Hi guys

Many years ago,i bought a mm cartridge hoping one day to install it on my second turntable or eventually fit a second arm so i can play worn/secondhand lps.That cartridge is a Grado prestige Gold.The old one, not the Gold1.A few days ago,i thought i'd do something crazy,so,i replaced the Koetsu i was using with the Grado and i couldn't believe my ears! I was instantly transported in the 70's and i mean this in the good way.That was the analoque sound we "old" people used to know and love.Weighty bass, full sound,panoramic soundstage,the right "dustance" ie not forward nor laid back
etc. Flaws ? Hmmmmm 3 . Flaw 1 : The cartridge is not threated so you must use nuts and trust me,it's next to impossible to fit the inner nut on an sme 309,4 or 5.Second flaw: the stylus quard.You can take it off but it's so tight,
you can't put it back.Flaw 3: The treble.if you are used to a mc,you won't like it.It's good but not as airy as a mc. As for the "grain" reviewers talk about this cartridge,yes,it was there the first day but eventually went away.
Call me crazy but i don't see the Koetsu back.The Grado is here to stay and for once in my life,i am not afraid to break the stylus lol

[Dominic Harper]

Let me have the Koetsu then!! lol.
This is a case of arm compatibility. Koetsu's like top notch turntables and high mass arms because of their low compliance. The Grado is a much easier cart to control and also will not have the finesse, gut wrenching bass, detail and 3D soundstage the Koetsu can muster.

[Yiangos]

LOL Dominic. I am not saying the Grado is a good cartridge.it's just how analoque should sound like ! okay,with a few refinements in the treble area :) if you check my profile, you'll see that i am using 2 completely different cartidges.The Koetsu and a VDH BB.
It's like ice-cream. vanilla vs chocolate. if the flavor is good,both taste good lol

[DSJR]

The only Grado's I tended to like were the cheapest one (Black in this case) or the very expensive wooden bodied ones. The Gold was too dull and bland for me and isn't always stable in some arms. My late 70's Grado F1+ has more "life" to it IMO.

Depends on the Koetsu as to fidelity. Some of them sound over damped and lose proper depth reproduction, this being replaced by a velvet squidge so beloved of "Top End" audiophools. The Koetsu Black was probably the most "honest" or "truthful" of them all, although the lack of a fancy gemstone or wooden body, together with the relatively low cost, tends to make status lovers ignore it. I do understand that modern Koetsu's have a bit more life to them now.

Just my views of course. I think for an SME 309, one of the modern Ortofon MC's should be a basic standard on which to build :)