take5
12-06-2015, 08:43
AUDIO NOTE I.O. (KONDO - Japan ) version
This is a very reluctant sale and is only offered as I want to free up some of the money that I have tied up in cartridges.
It seems that I cant sell my Fidelity Research cartridge, so I have decided to sell the IO.
The FR will remain available, and if it sells first, then this IO will be withdrawn.
I bought this IO last July, when it wasn’t working properly. It is a long story, but is pretty well covered in a thread that I started on Wigwam when I bought it. Im not sure if it is good form to link to that, so I wont. But if anyone would like to read it, please get in touch and I will send a link. It has much useful info, and advice.
Here is the short version.
When I bought it, the cartridge tip wasnt “right“. It had lain unused for approx 5 years.
On the recommendation of several people whose opinion I trust, I sent it down to David Giffin at Goldring.
He confirmed what I and several others who saw it under a magnifying glass had thought.
The end of the cantilever is designed with a hole in it. The diamond sits in this hole. This diamond had become loose, probably because of solvent use in cleaning, and ended up slipping into the hole. So, the blunt end was protruding from the top, with the tip in the hole. It was very lucky that the diamond hadn’t fallen out all the way !
David re-set the diamond correctly.
This was not the original diamond tip.
David advised that the cantilever was the original one ( good news) and that the tip was replaced by Van Den Hull in Oct 2002 (this is etched on the body of the cartridge ).
So, although 12 years since that work, it had lain unused and unusable for 5 of those years.
He advised that the tip was in very good condition and good for many years ahead
The little rubber membrane covering the coils was beginning to perish, so he cleaned it up and replaced the membrane.
The metal body of this cartridge is tarnished. David Giffin commented on this and confirmed what I had been told by others who know about these cartridges.
The method of applying the silver plate to the base metal was not fantastic, and has resulted in many of them looking tarnished, due to plate loss. Mine is like this. It is purely cosmetic and has no impact on sound quality at all.
So, how does it sound……… Wonderful.
It is the best sounding cartridge I have heard in my system. Better even that my Fidelity Research or my Ortofon Cadenza Black, both of which I have used at Scalford (2014 and 2013 respectively) and which many of you will have heard. This IO is better than either of those.
Many Wammers heard this IO at a Bake off at my house back in February. It received much favourable comment.
I will summarise the opinions about the IO…..
“GREAT, FANTASTIC, WONDROUS” etc etc etc etc………………………….
It really is something special, and Im certain good for many years ahead. A buyer would love it, Im sure.
I have some pictures of it, ( they are in the Wigwam thread that I mention ) and if anyone interested in buying would like to see them, please send me an E Mail address and I will send them.
A friend will post a picture of it on this thread today.
This is a very reluctant sale and is only offered as I want to free up some of the money that I have tied up in cartridges.
It seems that I cant sell my Fidelity Research cartridge, so I have decided to sell the IO.
The FR will remain available, and if it sells first, then this IO will be withdrawn.
I bought this IO last July, when it wasn’t working properly. It is a long story, but is pretty well covered in a thread that I started on Wigwam when I bought it. Im not sure if it is good form to link to that, so I wont. But if anyone would like to read it, please get in touch and I will send a link. It has much useful info, and advice.
Here is the short version.
When I bought it, the cartridge tip wasnt “right“. It had lain unused for approx 5 years.
On the recommendation of several people whose opinion I trust, I sent it down to David Giffin at Goldring.
He confirmed what I and several others who saw it under a magnifying glass had thought.
The end of the cantilever is designed with a hole in it. The diamond sits in this hole. This diamond had become loose, probably because of solvent use in cleaning, and ended up slipping into the hole. So, the blunt end was protruding from the top, with the tip in the hole. It was very lucky that the diamond hadn’t fallen out all the way !
David re-set the diamond correctly.
This was not the original diamond tip.
David advised that the cantilever was the original one ( good news) and that the tip was replaced by Van Den Hull in Oct 2002 (this is etched on the body of the cartridge ).
So, although 12 years since that work, it had lain unused and unusable for 5 of those years.
He advised that the tip was in very good condition and good for many years ahead
The little rubber membrane covering the coils was beginning to perish, so he cleaned it up and replaced the membrane.
The metal body of this cartridge is tarnished. David Giffin commented on this and confirmed what I had been told by others who know about these cartridges.
The method of applying the silver plate to the base metal was not fantastic, and has resulted in many of them looking tarnished, due to plate loss. Mine is like this. It is purely cosmetic and has no impact on sound quality at all.
So, how does it sound……… Wonderful.
It is the best sounding cartridge I have heard in my system. Better even that my Fidelity Research or my Ortofon Cadenza Black, both of which I have used at Scalford (2014 and 2013 respectively) and which many of you will have heard. This IO is better than either of those.
Many Wammers heard this IO at a Bake off at my house back in February. It received much favourable comment.
I will summarise the opinions about the IO…..
“GREAT, FANTASTIC, WONDROUS” etc etc etc etc………………………….
It really is something special, and Im certain good for many years ahead. A buyer would love it, Im sure.
I have some pictures of it, ( they are in the Wigwam thread that I mention ) and if anyone interested in buying would like to see them, please send me an E Mail address and I will send them.
A friend will post a picture of it on this thread today.