Re: [LAU] Pro Audio? OT rant.

On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 14:29 +0100, Jeremy Jongepier wrote:
> On 12/28/2012 07:25 AM, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> > The cartridge's
> > company seems to be important. I still couldn't pay for a new cartridge,
> > so I'm using an Audio Technica, because the old needle for a better
> > cartridge gets broken. The Audio Technica does sound ugly, no bass, so I
> > talked to one of those Technics MK2 users and he experienced the same
>
> Which cartridge do you have? I'm planning to have an Audio-Technica
> fitted in my SL1210 as I read some good reviews about them.

I can't help, I just experienced old Audio Technica as bad and the
Technics user some new and more expensive than mine as bad too.

The one I know with 2 Technics players recommended Ortofon. My Audio
Technica is from a Nordmende HiFi RP 950 from around 1980, perhaps the
most worse record player I ever owned, so I seldom used it and the
needle and cartridge are still ok. I mounted it to a cheap, but good JVC
player. There's nothing written on the cartridge, but the Internet says
it should be an Audio Technica AT 12 XE. The Technics user bought some
Audio Technica cartridges around the year 2000 and didn't like them. My
dentist is audiophile, so I read some magazines in the waiting room.
Some Audio Technica cartridges got good valuations, but I guess they
cost >= 500,- $/€. It was a magazine for audiophiles, so they also
printed a lot of nonsense, but the cartridge tests might be ok.

The Internet does know my cartridge from 1978 and a German test claims
that the cartridge should be very good, neutral sound, no difference to
a test tape, good bass. This test result is completely different to my
experiences. Another cartridge from another vendor I used before, was
from the same age and did sound as an expensive Ortofon cartridges does
sound today.

The Audio Technica cartridges I know might be comparable with todays
elCheapo Audio Technica cartridges between 20 and 60 $/€. I suspect the
person with the Technics Turn Tables does use around 200 $/€ cartridges
from Ortofon and the ones from Technics for sure were in the same price
range. The cartridge I used before, that was better, can't remember the
Vendor, probably wasn't (much) more expensive then the Audio Technica.

If I would buy a cartridge today, I would try to get in contact with the
Technics user I know, since he is a DJ and professional audio engineer
(he mixed Motörhead in the studio, but personally he prefers old school
HipHop), but since we aren't near friends, it's always hard to get his
new email address or telephone number.Last time I wrote to a Studio far
away in Frankfurt to get his address in my neighbour town Duisburg. I
don't know any other serious person, regarding to experiences with
cartridges. My dentist and another person I know are audiophiles, I
wouldn't trust their perceptions and most of my friends today listen to
CDs only or they use elCheapo turn tables with elCheapo Audio Technica
cartridges I don't like. A women some time ago gave me a Kenwood player,
but I never tested it and don't know what cartridge is mounted.

For me the price-performance ratio must be ok too, so a cartridge should
cost around 60,- €, but today it seems, I need to pay more than 100,- or
200,- €, to be satisfied. I guess the Technics user never tested a >=
500,- € Audio Technica cartridge, they might be ok, but I wouldn't trust
payable cartridges from this vendor.

Do you need a new cartridge? Can't you replace the needle of a cartridge
you own and that was ok for your taste? The issue with god cartridges
from the 80s is, that I can't get needles any more and perhaps the
cartridges self are that aged, that a new needle wouldn't do the job,
but I don't guess that the cartridges are broken, the needles definitive
are dead.

For a long time I seldom listen to records, more often I listen to CDs.
Yes, I prefer records :(, but I'm neither willing nor able to pay around
200,- € and never asked a dealer near to my home, if there might be less
expensive cartridges that fit to my needs.

Perhaps the combination phono pre-amp and cartridge is important. It
might be not that easy to decide what cartridge is good with the used
amp.

I'm using cheap branded consumer HiFi equipment, individual devices, no
compact HiFi devices, from the 80s and 90s. The sound quality should fit
as near as possible to my needs.

I never would buy a consumer DAT recorder again, this is the only
equipment were I guess, that I need something more expensive, but for
amps, players etc. I don't pay much money, since they don't have that
damageable wear parts as DAT recorders have got. I experienced that only
HiFi amps and tape decks get broken or simply do sound bad after some
years, CD players and turn tables should last forever. Resp. new CD
players seem not to last forever, when using them very often.

Regards,
Ralf

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Received on Fri Dec 28 20:15:02 2012