Comparison of 21 different MC cartridges

[Marco]

Just a bit of fun, and allowing for the limitations of YT, can you identify your favourites and list your top three in order of preference, then explain why:


https://youtu.be/cwGmwBiVmgY

Mine are:

1 - Supex SDX-1100B.

2 - Denon DL-103M.

3 - Pioneer 3MC.

Part of the interesting thing with this test is finding out how you listen to music: do you focus on the bass line, and how deep and 'funky'/groovy it sounds (count me in), or on the high hats and other instrumentation at the top end, or how 'sparkly' the overall sound is?

For me, it's mainly about the tunefulness of the bass and how rhythmic and punchy it sounds, in terms of successfully 'driving' the music along and making it 'fun'.

Everything else is secondary, and my choices reflect that, but also, IMO, get the rest right without too much of a compromise. For me, the best vintage cartridges get it most right, musically, although I'd have preferred to have heard them in stock form, unmodified.

Anyway, what do you think? :cool:

Marco.

[Marco]

Don't all comment at once, lol!:D

Marco.

[Mike Reed]

Well, that WAS informative. I really DO need a hearing aid ! A lot of those cart's were adapted/refurbished in some way, and I'm surprised that this 'survey' wasn't done with standard cart's. Of the 'variations upon a theme' cart's (Denon, e.g.), I didn't detect much difference, esp. in the bass and to be honest, they were all very similar at that frequency. Where the differences came was in the mid frequencies, with more delicate and delineated notes. Not sure why/how these coils had other makes of cantilever or tip as they're not user-replaceable.

I have to say, though, that whereas I thought the Denons were generally as good or better overall, it's the Linn Asaka that concludes the survey which I would choose. I did have a Karma in the eighties, though, so maybe my rose tinted hearing is biassed. :)

I have to admit that I listened on very old Senn, HD 450s without cushions. It should have been my cheap but modern Grados which my wife pinched. If I can find an adapter, I'll press my Elears or HD650s into service for a re-run.

Now how about a similar experiment with upper Koetsu, Lyra, Miyajima, Benz and Ortofon etc.? That would be music to my (failing) ears.

[hifi_dave]

Why did the Asaka play for such a long time, compared to the others ?

[Marco]

I'm guessing because he wanted to play the full track with the last cartridge, or he's just a Linny!:eyebrows:

Which were your favourites?

Marco.

[Marco]

Well, that WAS informative. I really DO need a hearing aid ! A lot of those cart's were adapted/refurbished in some way, and I'm surprised that this 'survey' wasn't done with standard cart's. Of the 'variations upon a theme' cart's (Denon, e.g.), I didn't detect much difference, esp. in the bass and to be honest, they were all very similar at that frequency. Where the differences came was in the mid frequencies, with more delicate and delineated notes. Not sure why/how these coils had other makes of cantilever or tip as they're not user-replaceable.

I have to say, though, that whereas I thought the Denons were generally as good or better overall, it's the Linn Asaka that concludes the survey which I would choose. I did have a Karma in the eighties, though, so maybe my rose tinted hearing is biassed. :)

I have to admit that I listened on very old Senn, HD 450s without cushions. It should have been my cheap but modern Grados which my wife pinched. If I can find an adapter, I'll press my Elears or HD650s into service for a re-run.

Now how about a similar experiment with upper Koetsu, Lyra, Miyajima, Benz and Ortofon etc.? That would be music to my (failing) ears.

Maybe that was because you heard more of it (and the music), as Dave's just pointed out? Easy for that to bias the result;)

Interesting how you listen though, which is pretty much the opposite from me..... On that track, it's all about da bass, and to my ears, how the likes of either Supex or the Pioneer handled the bass line, compared with, say either of the ATs, was very marked! With the ATs doing their usual 'trick' of emasculating it!:rolleyes:

I'm not a fan of stock 103s, fitted with 'posh' tips and/or cantilevers, as for me it makes them sound somewhat 'etched' and hi-fi like, at the expense of the 'boogie factor' that they're renowned for. In that respect, both the Supex (including the 900), and indeed the Asaka, showed it a clean pair of heels, with the Denon 103M demonstrating what a 'properly tweaked' 103 should sound like:)

The other thing that stood out to me like a sore thumb was how differently the older Ortofon MCs were voiced, compared with their modern counterparts, and crucially, how things definitely haven't improved!!

Marco.

[hifi_dave]

Knowing the Asaka from back in the day, when I was a Linn dealer, it wouldn't be my choice. Other than that, I'm not sure which I prefer. They all sounded different but as to a preference, I really couldn't say.

I used to love the Supex 900, way back then and the original Koetsu based on it. I have both somewhere in my cupboards.

[Marco]

The Denon DL-102 doesn’t sound very good!

I don't believe there was a DL-102 shown, Mark. He mentions something about a '103 mono', which to my knowledge doesn't exist. Denon's dedicated mono cartridge is the DL-102, which is rather distinctive looking in its 'silver can' shell:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/924/BezDsw.jpg

It's actually a very good sounding mono cartridge, if you have reason to use such a beast:)

Marco.

[Marco]

Knowing the Asaka from back in the day, when I was a Linn dealer, it wouldn't be my choice. Other than that, I'm not sure which I prefer. They all sounded different but as to a preference, I really couldn't say.

I used to love the Supex 900, way back then and the original Koetsu based on it. I have both somewhere in my cupboards.

Agreed on the Supex 900. One of my all-time favs, as I love how it handles bass-lines! Do you have any experience of the Supex SDX-1100B shown? For me, that produced the addictive 'elastic bass' of the 900, but with added clarity and 'presence' through the midrange and upper frequencies.

Marco.

[hifi_dave]

No, not familiar with the 1100B, just the 900 and 901. We sold bucket loads in the good ol' days.

I used to love the Fidelity Research cartridges, the FR1 Mk3 and FR2 (IIRC). Those we sold in preference to the Linn cartridges - much more informative and lively. Those in the
FR-64S arm were our go-to choice.

Another of my faves are/were the Jeweltone Ribbon cartridges. Talk about 'fast'.

[willbewill]

Listened using LG V20 phone with hifi quad dac running using KZ AS10 IEMs.

Three sttod out for me:

Supex 900
Ortofon MC20s
Asaka

Probably in that order, they had more 'presence' ie noticed greater harmonics, and sounstage was larger.

[Matt_J]

No way of listening via anything other than crappy device speakers, so I'm probably not going to be hearing much between them.

I'm surprised much comes across via a YT recording anyway, is it not all reliant on the recording equipment and YTs audio compression?

[loheswaran]

I am told that the FR1 is a unique cartridge and well worth finding - that said I can't bring myself round to buying a 30 year second hand cartridge for the price of a new MC

[Marco]

No way of listening via anything other than crappy device speakers, so I'm probably not going to be hearing much between them.

I'm surprised much comes across via a YT recording anyway, is it not all reliant on the recording equipment and YTs audio compression?

Yes of course, but all the cartridges have been subjected to the same limitations, and therefore a level playing field. Regardless of the compression, you should still be able to hear clear sonic differences, especially through headphones. Others and I certainly can, as indeed we've outlined:)

Marco.

[Marco]

I am told that the FR1 is a unique cartridge and well worth finding - that said I can't bring myself round to buying a 30 year second hand cartridge for the price of a new MC

Indeed, although it didn't stop me once from buying a NOS/NIB original Ortofon SPU-G/T, from 1958 (for £800), which was in mint condition, played beautifully, and sounded glorious:)

Marco.

[Patrick Dixon]

Ortofon MC20 Super (the first one)
Supex SDX-1100B
Denon DL-103M
Asaka

Seemed the best balanced to me. The drums and cymbals have to sound right, and I need to be able to follow the bass line. I thought these made a decent job of separating the various elements too.

[Marco]

Similar tastes to me, Patrick, although you were only supposed to name your favourite 3;)

Interestingly, I preferred the second Ortofon - sounded 'punchier'.

Marco.

[337alant]

Denon 103 EPS46STQD shibata
I could hear the bass line clearly and it had weight, initial symbol sounded natural, just sounded musical got me foot tapping

Alan

[Patrick Dixon]

Similar tastes to me, Patrick, although you were only supposed to name your favourite 3;)

Yeah but we heard the whole track with the Asaka, and it made a decent fist of it so it was hard to leave out.

I had a Troika once, which I enjoyed.

[Marco]

I also liked the Asaka, but it was on completely the wrong arm. For me, there are only two arms on which to mount a Linn cartridge: Linn's own (and with an Asaka I'd want an Ittok), or a Naim Aro.

I've owned/heard most of Linn's 'classic' cartridges, and enjoyed them all, particularly the Karma and Arkiv (the Trak was rather fun, too). Apparently the earlier ones were Supex-based, which would explain a lot in terms of their sound, although I'm unsure of that. Perhaps Dave, or someone else 'in the know' could confirm or deny?

Therefore, although I enjoyed the Asaka, I knew it was at a distinct disadvantage, in comparison with the other cartridges demonstrated, which would've been happier in that Jap detachable-headshell arm, and so my choices reflected that:)

Marco.

[Barry]

I also liked the Asaka, but it was on completely the wrong arm. For me, there are only two arms on which to mount a Linn cartridge: Linn's own (and with an Asaka I'd want an Ittok), or a Naim Aro.

I've owned/heard most of Linn's 'classic' cartridges, and enjoyed them all, particularly the Karma and Arkiv (the Trak was rather fun, too). Apparently the earlier ones were Supex-based, which would explain a lot in terms of their sound, although I'm unsure of that. Perhaps Dave, or someone else 'in the know' could confirm or deny?

Therefore, although I enjoyed the Asaka, I knew it was at a distinct disadvantage, in comparison with the other cartridges demonstrated, which would've been happier in that Jap detachable-headshell arm, and so my choices reflected that:)

Marco.

I used to own a Linn Asak. The origin of which is hard to find, but I think they were made for Linn by Osawa on an OEM basis. The connection to Supex is uncertain, though they may have had a part in the design. Any connection to the late Sugano san is even more tenuous.

Sold the Asak on as everyone much preferred the EMT XSD15 which was my then prime cartridge.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?56813-Linn-Asak

[hifi_dave]

I think they were made by Osawa, as I had a range of Osawa cartridges with a form very similar to the Asak and Asaka but with standard pins. They were very good and far better priced than the Linn offerings.

[Shovel_Knight]

For me, the most interesting thing was the difference between stock DL103 and various retipped versions. This kinda confirms my suspicion that Denon's excellent generator is held back by its stylus.

Also: his SL-1200 has a warped platter!

[Matt_J]

Struggled to pick any of them to be honest, a lot of Shibata tips there. None of them stood out, aside from the not very good sounding mono carts obviously.

I don't think the choice of music did much for choosing a favourite, at least for me.