Been looking at one of these, just wondered if they are any cop.
Been looking at one of these, just wondered if they are any cop.
If I recall, the MC cartridge motor assembly & stylus etc., is similar to that on the S15 T. The housing and transformer are different I believe, but the basic MC cartridge is a lovely sounding device and works better without the accompanying small transformer and used directly into a good separate SUT. Presumably you'd want to keep the whole assembly original though. I had an S15 T and removed the transformer, using an Osawa SUT instead and it sounded superb.
From the model designation it will be an SPU fitted with a spherical tip (17um IIRC), complete with SUT and mounted in the Ortofon whale-shaped headshell with SME/EIA bayonet coupling.
Is this a used cartridge? Do you have any idea of how many hours playing time it has had? What is the condition of the stylus?
Is it "any cop"? Yes of course it is - I regard the SPUs to be second only to the EMTs and ahead of the Denons.
You could always 'rewire' the cartridge, connecting the output from the generator directly to the pins of the bayonet headshell fitting; eliminating the on-board transformer. You would have to leave the transformer in situ or replace it with a block of the same mass and thickness, otherwise the low frequency resonance will be increased too much, and the headshell will 'bottom out' on the record. I would suggest you leave the SUT in situ.
It is a wonderful sounding cartridge and don't be put off by the conical tip, you'll find all the detail and transparency coming through just fine. As Barry suggests, keeping it structurally whole is good and I personally would bypass the onboard transformer. If you were not confident of doing it, I'm sure NWA could do this if you asked.
It's a great sounding cartridge without a doubt, but what its not is Hi Fi. To my ears, they are really sweet and lush, but they don't tell the truth, rather its a beautiful, wondrous lie. However, they are a great source and though I would not like it as a main cartridge, there are certain albums I would love to have one for.
tbh i canned the idea of getting one of these. I'm now looking at headshell and new cart bodies for my Denon 103 & valve system.
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Originally Posted by REXTON