Is there any room for moving magnet or moving iron cartridges?

[Moog]

I had a disastrous experience this evening. When i attempted to play my  vinyl record, i noticed that the head-shell was  not alligned with the the first groove and when i tried to guide the headshell to the starting point with my fingers, i must have broken one of the delicate hairline-thick cables on the Sumiko Blackbird Moving Coil cartridge. Although the right channel was playing fine, the left channel was just buzzing. I have contacted the local dealer and am waiting for a solution. However, in order to ensure tha the show must go on, i installed a NEW OLD STOCK Shure Ultra 500 moving magnet cartridge. This was the top of the range cartridge from Shure and did cost about US$500 way back then, about eighteen years ago, i think. The sound of the Shure cartridge was very lifeless and uninvolving. Seeing that Shure cartridges sold in millions, i began to wonder if there are any mm cartridges out there that really stand out, when compared to moving coils. For those who are using moving coils, which brands do you recommend, within the R10 price bracket?

[Agaton Sax]

I am a little surprised. Way back in the day I used an Ultra 500 with very good results. After Dynavector after Dynavector,finally culminating in the then top of the range 17D failed the late Mark Poole persuaded a very sceptical jdza to try the Ultra 500-It never went back  and saw use for 4 years when it was replaced by a wicked naked EMT vd Hul. I remember the Ultra as dead neutral, great detail retrieval but somewhat lacking in gosh wow.If I listened professionally my choice would still be an Ultra 500-it always told the truth,adding or subtrackting nothing.

Thinking back it's arm was a Fidelity Research 64fx,pre amps Precision Fidelity,the greatly underrated Acoustat TNP and a Conrad Johnson Premier 3. I sold it on a Linn /Ittok into the Acoustat ,a  Luxman valve power and old Quad stats where it formed part of one of the finest systems I ever heard.

[Hi-Phibian]

Hi Moog

Sorry to hear of the misfortune but lets see tomorrow. Maybe maybe.

The Blackbird is a high out MC so though it plays well with 40 to 50 dB of gain, it performs well with loading between 2K to 47K. If somehow your phono stage has been set down to some of the lower impedance settings, it would certainly kill the life out of any MM designed for 47K or similar load. Just a thought.

[Moog]

Hi JDZA, i am not sure whether there a lack of  synergy there, but compared to the Sumiko moving coil, there is less bass (i am bass fiend by the way) and the mid  was much less enticing. I am also using a valve amp for my vinyl playing system.

[alternativeroute]

I find with a few old carts I come across that the suspension rubber has perished so that even if you get the vtf right vta is out...

[mafioso]

JDZA

How does the Ultra compare to a V15 Type 111 (if you have heard a Type 111, of course)?

I have both nos Types 111 and 1V here. The 1V is completely original but I think I prefer the 111.

As an aside, the two Shure cartridges were acquired new years ago but never used.

One rainy Sunday, I set both up on identical turntables, arms and headshells and had a shootout at the OK Corral...and couldn't decide which I prefer.

Later, I got mrs twogoodears in here and she gave the nod to the Type 111.

Still later, I mused about the fiddly business of mounting these cartridges so I rustled-up a blackwood 'carapace' for the 111 with onboard 12.7mm spaced threaded inserts. Much easier to fit, and everything is reversible.

By this time, it was still raining and the dog was getting on my t!ts wanting a walk in the rain so off I go into a workroom and locked the door but this didn't help much as the ougat pestilence started scratching on the other side of the door

By this time, the devil was on my shoulder and I heard the bliksem whisper "What if..."

I had a spare stylus holder for the Type 111 here with a whacked needle and a gave it a complete makeover - liposuction, arse-tuck, nose job the works.*

*) It got a Gyger FG11 needle, more powerful but smaller samarium-cobalt magnet, and a new suspension similar to a certain MC cartridge I know of.


Man oh man...you must hear what this mongrel sounds like.

I'm calling it "Shivambu" Type 111, by the way, because it's black and goes loud

mafioso

Sorry Moog, I got about carried-away after reading about your mishap.

 

[Steerpike]

I find with a few old carts I come across that the suspension rubber has perished so that even if you get the vtf right vta is out...

I had this with a pair of AKGs. The diamond was still good though, and replacement impossibly rare and expensive.
I suceeded in replacing the suspension with Syntegra polyurethane. So far, working well, though I have no info on the expected life of the Syntegra.

[Agaton Sax]

Mafioso
I think it is well accepted that the IV killed Shure in the eyes of the audiophile community. Before that usage of the III was  a no brainer. Everybody used it ( some really strange persons would use Deccas or the odd ADC).The IV was a technical marvel that sounded like ...well almost exactly like Moog described.The V (of which the Ultra 500 was a derivative) heralded a return to form for Shure.

It used the Micro Ridge stylus (does anybody still use that ?) where a thin lip was cut on the diamond. This lip caused a dramatically reduced contact area to the vinyl and is s(h)urely a technical marvel of manufacture.

While there was little doubt that early ( and current! ) CD sucked it did show that vinyl ,then at its absolute peak, had serious colourations and distortions. I'll never forget how clean and undistorted that Ultra 500 sounded.It also caused a sense of calmness in me as totally absent was an unconscious stress moment as musical climaxes and the inevitable distortion approached. The Ultra would simply climb the peak and totally unflustered soldier on.

Having written all of that snot,I have no idea how I would react to one today and to answer your question I have absolutely no idea how it compares to the III though I am pretty damn s(h)ure  -ooh I love this s(h)urely- your Cape cooking version  would make the V sound like Koshuis meatballs.

BTW around that time the SME V was released. With no hope in hell of ever being able to afford one ,arrogant Kiepie wrote to SME asking which cartridge they recommend? The answer: "Only 2, the Koetsu Rosewood and Shure Ultra 500."

Steerpike

In all the years I have never had to throw a cartridge out because of a worn stylus . Apart from ones that was accidentally destroyed or just plain stopped working (Dynavector,Dynavector, Dynavector) the others were all due to worn (stiffened) suspensions

[mafioso]

Thanks for the insight, JDZA.

Maybe one of the Ultras crosses my path...

Regards

mafioso

[Moog]

I find with a few old carts I come across that the suspension rubber has perished so that even if you get the vtf right vta is out...

From, your post, it would appear then that buying a NOS vintage cartridge will pose some challnges due to the possibility that the rubber suspension has perished.

[alternativeroute]

From, your post, it would appear then that buying a NOS vintage cartridge will pose some challnges due to the possibility that the rubber suspension has perished.

You need to check first... There is a place in Cape Town (Radio Discotech) that has a whole lot of NOS styli for Shure and a range of other cartridges. I bought a Pioneer from them, only to discover when I got home that the cantilever practically fell out... The rubber was way gone. Luckily I successfully transplanted the stylus/cantilever into the old cart with success...

As a very very (I repeat very) rough rule of thumb from limited experience I have gleamed from collecting some vintage turntable stuff. Everything I have received from JHB/PTA has been in excellent aesthetic condition with almost zero corrosion on the metal parts. But, just about everything that is rubber (like coupling rubbers, suspension, grommets. wire insulation etc..) is finished and brittle.

The exact opposite for coastal stuff I have picked up. The metal is shocking and suffering serious metal cancer (corrosion) yet a lot of the time the rubbers are still serviceable with a cleanup....

In the car market a lot of who-ha gets added to the 'low mileage' tag... Now if a car is 20 years old and only has 10 000km on it you can bet your bottom dollar that lots of the rubber bits are still going to need replacing unless the car has been kept in temperature and humidity controlled museum like conditions...

I think with NOS cartridges it is safe to say that the buyer should beware, unless you can get the cart checked out by a professional who can check the current specs against the published specs....

[joel]

I'm happy with my Clearaudio Aurum Beta S

[Moog]

I'm happy with my Clearaudio Aurum Beta S

Joel, how does it compare with other moving coils that you have tried?

[alternativeroute]

I'm happy with my Clearaudio Aurum Beta S

ooooh

[mahleu]

My Ortofon Blue 2m keeps me happy, although it is partial to very clean vinyl, which is why I might be changing...