Whats the prettiest cartridge

[Marco]

The finest looking cartridge I ever saw was back around 1983 and was a Lapis Lazuli bodied one. I'm not sure but I think it was by Kiseki.

Ah yes, from Kiseki:



Nice, but a little garish for me... They sounded superb, though!

Marco.

[Vrajbasi]

Nari alluded to the Axia being a Lyra, but 'tain't. 'Tis a Transfiguration, forerunner or successor to the Aria, the cheapest in the range. Transfig's don't really attract adjectival comment because they're simply too transparent; seemingly without a sonic tag. Above the Aria/Axia is the Phoenix, then Proteus (formerly the beloved Orpheus). In addition, it doesn't look like any Lyra I've known or had. I concur about the Jade; lovely, restful but exorbitant green.

I am sorry mike my mistake, the only Transfig I have owned at any length is the Orpheus which was nice, and I do have a bee in my bonnet about Lyra so went of on one The interesting thing about the stone bodied koetsus is that each body does influence the sound I know the Jade quite well its the softer sounding stone bodied cartridge, the best to my ears was the Black Onyx very rare happy with the brown Tiger eye.

[Vrajbasi]

Ah yes, from Kiseki:



Nice, but a little garish for me... They sounded superb, though!

Marco.

Superb sounding beast dont make them like they used too.

[Marco]

I completely agree! Cartridges are 'voiced' rather differently these days, with to my ears, a rather forward, soulless overall balance and spotlit (somewhat too 'insistent') top-end, together with a lack of bass authority, to properly underpin the sound and give it gravitas.

There are some exceptions, but they're few and far between! The fashion now seems to be for trading tone, for (uber) detail retrieval. Not my thing, as I'm a TONE and RHYTHM/BOOGIE-MEISTER (so I like 'heft' and weight), not some emaciated, ethereal 'tinkly sparkle'

Marco.

[Vrajbasi]

I completely agree! Cartridges are 'voiced' rather differently these days, with to my ears, a rather forward, soulless overall balance, with a spotlit (somewhat too 'insistent') top-end and lack of bass authority, to properly underpin the sound.

There are some exceptions, but they're few and far between!

Marco.

Spot on it was easier to find a nice cartridge upto the mid to late 90's there was so much choice, now all into this extra transparency which generally leads to a thin bleached midrange, no impact to the bass and just un musical. I remember the koetsu 80th anniversary I owned once on a goldmund turntable it was magic, then I was stupid to fall into the trap of trying to find better, these day much more cautious.

Thank god we still have the ortofon spu, the Miajima range and some of the koetsu's even some of those are going funny my latest cartridge the Etsuro is very natural with a nice sence of body looks pretty too. I am still not convinced about the Top wing I have it has the tendency to be strident its all an expensive game these days and you only learn by living with something.

I remember an early Koetsu even making a Roksan Xerxes sound kind of listenable in the late 80s try that now be like wall paper stripper

[Mike Reed]

......... not some emancipated, ethereal 'tinkly sparkle'

Marco.

I'm sure you mean 'emaciated' . Maybe part of the 'Free from' Sainsbury's range? I've an 'orrible feeling that what I've got in the Transfig. might be resembling your remark ! Then I compare Lyra (had two and borrowed Titan i in November) and think I'm on the safe side. Loved my Benz Ebony, and the Transfig is just a more transparent 'version'.

Always considered cartridges' tonal presentations to be able to be described as rungs on a ladder. The Benz would be half way up, with the Transfig very close but more neutral (up half a rung). Koetsus (and, I'd say, Mayajimas) deffo on the bottom rung. Lyras are three-quarters of the way up, with VdH (well, some) above that. This is a moving coil ladder, of course, comprising, say, 10 rungs.

I'm sure Clearaudios, Linns et al can be slotted in somewhere. Now where's my medication.......?

[Marco]

I'm sure you mean 'emaciated' .

Ah yes, too much vino at lunchtime!!

Marco.

[Mike Reed]

Ah yes, too much vino at lunchtime!!

Marco.

'Emancipated' is fine, as it signifies freedom of speech, as it were.... Love your inebriated emoji, but 7 bottles.......?

[Barry]

I liked the look of these when they came out, don't have one, but have a spare stylus.

prd343lg by A60man, on Flickr

I still use the Ortofon MC200 'Concord' - looks very similar, apart from the finger lift which is black and affixed to the body with two screws. (And being an MC obviously doesn't have a user replaceable stylus.)

[Barry]

Sorry, that gay-boy pink Transfiguration does nothing for me (in looks or sound)... Other cartridges I like the looks (and sound of) are the Jan Allaerts MC18:








And the jewel-like Koetsu Jade Platinum, mainly because I love this shade of green:





Also love the Blue-Lace Onix:





Or Ikeda Kai Reference, which reminds me somewhat of the Linn Trak, from the 1980s:





Linn Trak:





I rather like its quirky looks, and have fond memories of its sound, from back in that day!

Marco.

I once used a Linn 'Asak'. Looked virtually identical to the 'Trak'.

Don't like the look of any of the stone-bodied Koetsus: the wood-bodied versions and the black Urushi samples are more to my visual tastes (but even the latter are verging on the wrong side of 'bling').