Well, after winning this little baby on Ebay last week and having it shipped from the States:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...EOIBSA:US:1123
I finally got around to installing it this afternoon... And I have to say that I am UTTERLY, UTTERLY gob-smacked!!
I'll just put a few initial thoughts down as I'm still optimising the set-up and tweaking a few things, but even at the moment, it sounds simply stunning and is arguably the best cartridge I have ever heard.
This thing does not sound like any MM cartridge I've used, as it has much of the refinement, subtlety and resolution of a good MC but with it such massive weight, scale, and cavernous soundstaging in terms of both height and depth, that it takes your breath away. It is yet another classic 1960s-era broadcast cartridge featuring Alnico magnets which completely outperforms the 'forensic', thin-sounding monstrosities, posing as phono cartridges, foised upon us today.
It trumps the DL-103SA in all the areas which it traditionally excels: bass weight (here the M3D has massive extension and drive which almost makes the 103SA seem 'anaemic'), rhythm, midrange clarity, tonal richness and tunefulness, and adds with it more 'insight' through the upper frequencies with all types of music giving a listening experience that is utterly beguiling. It is funky with a capital 'F' and boogies like a b*stard. I literally can't believe what I'm hearing with this cartridge - it has to be the bargain of century at £80-odd including shipping from the States, so excuse me while I laugh out loud!
It's a bloody huge bugger to fit into a headshell, though. If you thought the 103 was 'chunky', then the M3D is a veritable King-Size Yorkie bar in comparison, being both wider and considerably deeper, and also heavier. It took my extra-long NOS AT-LT12 headshell to accommodate it, especially when positioned sufficiently back towards the bayonet fitting (necessary for optimal alignment), squeezing my bulky solid-silver Ortofon headshell wires tightly up against the back. This is not a cartridge that will fit in a 'normal' arm or headshell.
Like a 103, it also needs plenty of mass, so the 17g of the magnesium AT headshell including cartridge stabiliser seems about right. VTF has been set at 3g (I think the range is 3-5g somewhat like an SPU). The cantilever is about the thickness of a toothpick so high VTF should present it no problems, and in terms of vinyl wear I'm not someone who frets over such matters as long as the stylus is in perfect condition and tracking securely, which sonically it appears to be, although I will treat myself to an original and genuine NOS stylus from Ebay shortly.
Anyway, as I say, it sounds absolutely stunning and begs me to ask the question: when these cartridges were first introduced, did the amplifiers and, in particular, phono stages exist to show what they were truly capable of??
I suspect not!! Quite frankly, short of a top-notch SPU, there is nothing on the market today which offers the M3D's type of sonic and musical qualities. If you see one in good condition for sale on Ebay, just buy it!
More later when I've got a better handle on things
Marco.