Round about November last ( when I was working too hard to play with my toys ) I purchased a Jico Hyper-Elliptical stylus for vintage Goldring G900E ( E denoting elliptical diamond stylus ) from turntableneedle.com . Now this costs more than twice as much as the Elliptical version , about R1000 landed here at the time , probably more now the Rand's gone for a flying loop .
I popped it in a TD125 with clean SME3009 S2 early version . This is my favorite and by far best T/T . Pivot-bearings and knife-edge bearings operating as they should , smooth and free . SME arm fitted with original SME cable and plugs . Table and motor run silently , speed doesn't go awry , and suspension is setup decently . Other equipment is a Rotel RA-980 BX 100wcp integrated ( using this amps phono-stage - still have to find good phono-stage , but hey ) and vintage B&W DM12's Bookshelves ( bought these from Mr. Kassler 2 years ago and love them to bits ) , these are sealed cabinets , solidly built with complex built-in crossover and protection ( which kicks in when the Rotel is dialed to about 7/10 - seriously loud in my spot ) . They sound really good to me , not too bright and not boomy , just smooth . The Rotel has a high damping factor , which probably helps . No Sub .
I'm pretty new to the stereo scene ( about 2.5 years ) , having been absent from it and without gear for the past 16 years ( in my early 20's I owned an entry-level NAD setup with cheap AR " Studio Monitors " ;D . Then I was broke , and on the outers and sold it for .......... money . >
. By the time I was liquid again I'd developed a serious penchant for hi-end PC gear , and so , this is where my cash went ( and sometimes still does ) . I realize that my gear is pretty dated , but for now it's good enough for me . I'm a newb and am only starting to grasp concepts like sound-stage , imaging , warmth , speed , etc. in audio .
And the more I read , the less I realize I know . I want more .
Old Chinese proverb says , " The further knowledge travels ,
the less it becomes .
So the wise man stays at home ,
and knows everything " :BWAHAHAH: ( I've noticed there are some seriously sussed folk on this forum . )
Speaking of which , I was immediately absolutely blown away when when I today first dropped this Jico HE stylus on " The Beach Boys - Still Cruising " . I use this scratched vinyl to setup and test cartridge ( so as not to stuff up the pretty vinyl in the setup process ) and it sounds really good . Wide sound-stage , clearest bass and brilliant stereo imaging . The OEM G900 cartridge was already brilliant , but this is waaaaay beyond .
I've had various other MM cartridges in this table - Shure M97XE ; Technics EPS270 ; Grado MC+ ; Audio Technica AT110E . All these cartridges sound pretty good , especially the AT110E OEM , but this Goldring with Jico HE stylus is just ridiculously good .
I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about Hyper-Elliptical as opposed to Elliptical or conical , now I'm seriously starting to wonder about shibata , nude and MC cartridges .
Anyone wondering whether they should buy Hyper-Elliptical instead of Elliptical ; Doenit ! One can also order directly from Jico in Japan , but methinks their shipping costs are higher . Check it out . :2c: There are lots of old cartridges around and one can order different diamonds for popular cartridges like the AT95E .
I'll update with pics the week after next when my camera's back in my possession .
It would be good to hear of similar experiences ( eg. MM to MC ect. )
I popped it in a TD125 with clean SME3009 S2 early version . This is my favorite and by far best T/T . Pivot-bearings and knife-edge bearings operating as they should , smooth and free . SME arm fitted with original SME cable and plugs . Table and motor run silently , speed doesn't go awry , and suspension is setup decently . Other equipment is a Rotel RA-980 BX 100wcp integrated ( using this amps phono-stage - still have to find good phono-stage , but hey ) and vintage B&W DM12's Bookshelves ( bought these from Mr. Kassler 2 years ago and love them to bits ) , these are sealed cabinets , solidly built with complex built-in crossover and protection ( which kicks in when the Rotel is dialed to about 7/10 - seriously loud in my spot ) . They sound really good to me , not too bright and not boomy , just smooth . The Rotel has a high damping factor , which probably helps . No Sub .
I'm pretty new to the stereo scene ( about 2.5 years ) , having been absent from it and without gear for the past 16 years ( in my early 20's I owned an entry-level NAD setup with cheap AR " Studio Monitors " ;D . Then I was broke , and on the outers and sold it for .......... money . >
. By the time I was liquid again I'd developed a serious penchant for hi-end PC gear , and so , this is where my cash went ( and sometimes still does ) . I realize that my gear is pretty dated , but for now it's good enough for me . I'm a newb and am only starting to grasp concepts like sound-stage , imaging , warmth , speed , etc. in audio . And the more I read , the less I realize I know . I want more .
Old Chinese proverb says , " The further knowledge travels ,
the less it becomes .
So the wise man stays at home ,
and knows everything " :BWAHAHAH: ( I've noticed there are some seriously sussed folk on this forum . )
Speaking of which , I was immediately absolutely blown away when when I today first dropped this Jico HE stylus on " The Beach Boys - Still Cruising " . I use this scratched vinyl to setup and test cartridge ( so as not to stuff up the pretty vinyl in the setup process ) and it sounds really good . Wide sound-stage , clearest bass and brilliant stereo imaging . The OEM G900 cartridge was already brilliant , but this is waaaaay beyond .
I've had various other MM cartridges in this table - Shure M97XE ; Technics EPS270 ; Grado MC+ ; Audio Technica AT110E . All these cartridges sound pretty good , especially the AT110E OEM , but this Goldring with Jico HE stylus is just ridiculously good .
I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about Hyper-Elliptical as opposed to Elliptical or conical , now I'm seriously starting to wonder about shibata , nude and MC cartridges .
Anyone wondering whether they should buy Hyper-Elliptical instead of Elliptical ; Doenit ! One can also order directly from Jico in Japan , but methinks their shipping costs are higher . Check it out . :2c: There are lots of old cartridges around and one can order different diamonds for popular cartridges like the AT95E .
I'll update with pics the week after next when my camera's back in my possession .
It would be good to hear of similar experiences ( eg. MM to MC ect. )
