Hard to pick when comparing 21 cartridges but two that seem to jump out for good detail, dynamics and refinement (refinement is so important) are the Denon DL-103 w' Technics EPS-46STQD stylus... and the Linn Asaka.
They all sounded like computer speakers to me. Honestly I appreciate the work put into this. Mostly I could hear differences in bass tightness and openness of the high end.
I personally like 18 best with your set up here. Anyhow a cartridge will sound different when you dial in different tracking angles , and tracking forces. We can only hear the differences in dynamics , frequency responses, and a bit of airiness from the RUclips recordings. Really can’t say which is better. Thanks for the entertainment though with all the hard work.
No. 8, 9 and 17 are my favorites in your comparison - for example the "punch" of bass and drumset in the first 10 seconds has more space. Great video and a lot of work to do ... thanks for uploading it.
A 7" single is not the best way to make a comparison, most of the times they were recorded at very high levels with much more compression than the original album, and no matter that they spin at 45 RPM, they are pressed close to the center so, is true that run a high speed but the stylus speed in the groove is much slower than the speed can suggest.
N°10 is my favorite, sounds very precise, lots of details, you hear every sound variations .. the N°15 (Supex 900) is very close .. sounds almost identical to me ... the N°11 is pretty close, it's a Denon too but with another cantilever, but the N°10 sounds clearer .... It's funny to notice that some of them sound so different ! .. I really don't like the Linn Asaka (the last one), it sounds so blurry, non accurate !!
I was told it was the same guy who designed or made the Koetsu cartridges. They call them the poor man's Koetsu. Cost $500 in 1980 and still goes for $400.00 to $500.00 on Ebay.
Linn Asak, Asaka, Karma and maybe Troika also designed by Asakura, IIRC. Some of the Supex MCs are "almost Koetsu", and in case of SDX, better than the later Koetsu, IMO. I'm on the poor man's side so I prefer Supex than Koetsu.
Poor man's Koetsu- BS! I have had both black & rosewood of both and the Supex 900 super is better than Koetsu in every way. One of the best MC cartridges ever. I currently have a Garrard 301, two 401's and a Micro Seiki with various esoteric arms- the Supex sounds best on them all.
@@davef608 I have thought of upgrading but to what ? I have a spare new in the box. I had a friend with a Koetsu Rosewood and it was thick sounding in the lower midrange.
Wow! Is that you? Thanks for inventing Paradox. I've learned so many things during the recasing process, especially the importance of damping. Now I'm using the lead shots for most of all my mods, both recased and non-recased versions ;)
Haha OK lol! At the moment I don't have any "lead suit" or something, so it would be OK except when I use the vintage solder. Thanks for always give me a kind advice!
Para mis oídos, la cápsula que tiene más calidad es la número 21- Linn Asaka. Donde se percibe mejor es en los bajos, más naturales y profundos que el resto. Aunque realmente, la prueba se debería hacer con otro tipo de música, Jazz o clásica, dónde se podría percibir mejor todos los diferentes matices que puede ofrecer una buena cápsula y poder evaluarla mejor. Gracias por el vídeo.
One crucial overriding thing to remember w. MCs: The choce of SUT/ step up. Its make or break. And probably why you see soo many differing opinions on the std. DL103. Make it right - really right - its a fab cart. Otherwise you'll think: What's all the fuss 'bout?😞 Once owned the Linn Asak - great cart too.
Thank you for your afford. Would a mono cardgrige not destroy the stereo information on the disk (no vertikal vibration)? I recommend a track, that can be found on itunes for comparison (of course, not a popular one).
Thanks for your comment. The mono carts on this video are modified DL-103. I mean, they were stereo carts originally, and I rotated the coil 45 degrees to pick up lateral signals. They still have vertical movement, so they don't damage the groove.
After living with a Denon DL 300 (LOMC), which I like a lot, I wasn't too keen on the 103 in any of these samples. Was almost considering purchase after all the positive press. The 103 that comes before the Linn Asaka was maybe the worst. The 'normal' 103 (# 7) sounded dull on top, I guess that one has a conical tip ? I might like # 10 the best of the Denons. Nice separation on the Supex 900, don't care much for the tonality. Ortofon MC 30, tubby sounding. Of course all of these MC carts will be affected postively or negatively by loading, which we can't tell here.
I like that you did them all back to back on the same track, but the piece chosen is all percussion so you can’t tell the musical qualities of these carts at all. :(
The cartridges will be as good as the rest of the system, as an owner of the shelter 7000 which is perfect I would have to say that the denon 103 is the best value for money out there no matter the cost.
The Denon DL103 sounds very bad here and somethings not right with that. Did u use every MC cart on the same arm? Because every cart has a different compliance (even every single version of the 103) and i know the normal 103 inside and out and mine doesn't sound anything like yours. Much more clear, tight and with a big soundstage. The match with my Transrotor arm is spot on. Matching 20+ carts with the same arm is just not a fair test. And yes i saw all the different headshells, but those don't make enough of a difference. The one you used with the normal 103 (Pioneer silver coated sme type) is much too light for that cart.
how do you recantilever a cartridge, because I have a Denon DL-160 that the cantilever is broken off, but left with a stub and I would love to have this recantilevered :(
I did actually, and it sounded great after I super glued a diamond stylus, but it was a conical stylus and plus, I just didn't trust having a cheap stylus super glued to an expensive cartridge, the stylus is more and likely not aligned really well which will wear down my records in a weird way, so I just placed an order on Amazon on the popular Audio Technica AT95E, I can't wait for it.
Bonded conical tip for MC is not good. That's why I use the high-quality styluses for the refurbishment/modifying. These days I damp inside the unit as well. Better tip + internal damp makes the sound better.
Nice lineup. Wow they are all very good carts. My current, the 103 is probably ranked lowest. Which is your favorite?Which cart is the best bang for the buck?Which has the worst return on investment?
My favorites are 12, 16 and 21. The sound of this movie is thin MP3, so it's far inferior than the actual sound of my system. The best bang for the buck? I have no idea. They all sound "different" and I like each of them. Otherwise, no BAD return on investment. I know what I'm doing and I won't do anything that would make the sound bad or worse. These carts are all "modified", so the sound has been improved, basically.
I really like 16: Supex 1100B + Nagaoka 87-44X. The Nagaoka was my favorite stylus and the Supex was my favorite cartridge. I read the comments disparaging the Linn Asaka, but I'd say it has a different but equally valid set of virtues.
@@kabutaaudiolab9531 Woah! I like 16 best (and one of the modded Denons but can't remember which one - probably 8, 10 or 11). Where do you get all these modded Denons from and any idea of the cost? Also, is the Supex a current production cartridge? I'd never heard of them before - I thought they just made pro audio stuff.
You cannot broadcast lp sound through RUclips ya nut ! The best you can do is give your opion ! And it looks like you have a major wobble problem with your tt !
To my ears,the Supex 900 sounded the best,very clear and fluid.
Hard to pick when comparing 21 cartridges but two that seem to jump out for good detail, dynamics and refinement (refinement is so important) are the Denon DL-103 w' Technics EPS-46STQD stylus... and the Linn Asaka.
The Linn Asaka is my favorite because of the deeper bass.
I can see why destincktive sound just plays music👍
They all sounded like computer speakers to me. Honestly I appreciate the work put into this. Mostly I could hear differences in bass tightness and openness of the high end.
I personally like 18 best with your set up here. Anyhow a cartridge will sound different when you dial in different tracking angles , and tracking forces. We can only hear the differences in dynamics , frequency responses, and a bit of airiness from the RUclips recordings. Really can’t say which is better. Thanks for the entertainment though with all the hard work.
No. 8, 9 and 17 are my favorites in your comparison - for example the "punch" of bass and drumset in the first 10 seconds has more space.
Great video and a lot of work to do ... thanks for uploading it.
A 7" single is not the best way to make a comparison, most of the times they were recorded at very high levels with much more compression than the original album, and no matter that they spin at 45 RPM, they are pressed close to the center so, is true that run a high speed but the stylus speed in the groove is much slower than the speed can suggest.
Sound of this video is MP3. Otherwise many of the watchers can recognize the difference. That's enough for me at least ;)
N°10 is my favorite, sounds very precise, lots of details, you hear every sound variations .. the N°15 (Supex 900) is very close .. sounds almost identical to me ... the N°11 is pretty close, it's a Denon too but with another cantilever, but the N°10 sounds clearer .... It's funny to notice that some of them sound so different ! .. I really don't like the Linn Asaka (the last one), it sounds so blurry, non accurate !!
Interesting comparisons. I have used a Supex SDX-1000 for many years now and have not really heard much better. I also have the Supex 900.
Asakura designed Supex MCs sound terrific!
Much earlier, low output SD700A is also nice ;)
I was told it was the same guy who designed or made the Koetsu cartridges. They call them the poor man's Koetsu. Cost $500 in 1980 and still goes for $400.00 to $500.00 on Ebay.
Linn Asak, Asaka, Karma and maybe Troika also designed by Asakura, IIRC.
Some of the Supex MCs are "almost Koetsu", and in case of SDX, better than the later Koetsu, IMO.
I'm on the poor man's side so I prefer Supex than Koetsu.
Poor man's Koetsu- BS! I have had both black & rosewood of both and the Supex 900 super is better than Koetsu in every way. One of the best MC cartridges ever. I currently have a Garrard 301, two 401's and a Micro Seiki with various esoteric arms- the Supex sounds best on them all.
@@davef608 I have thought of upgrading but to what ? I have a spare new in the box. I had a friend with a Koetsu Rosewood and it was thick sounding in the lower midrange.
Why did you play the Linn Asaka so much longer ? it is a nice cartridge though
listen to the cartridge at 5:48 into the video, Paradox Pulse Guard body.
Wow! Is that you? Thanks for inventing Paradox.
I've learned so many things during the recasing process, especially the importance of damping.
Now I'm using the lead shots for most of all my mods, both recased and non-recased versions ;)
That is great, I even damp interconnects, speaker wire, turntables and their motors, my electronic chassis etc...
Then, probably the next thing I should do is to damp myself with the lead when I listen to my audio system ;)
Be sure it doesn't touch your skin as lead is toxic and can be absorbed into the body through the skin.
Haha OK lol!
At the moment I don't have any "lead suit" or something, so it would be OK except when I use the vintage solder.
Thanks for always give me a kind advice!
Para mis oídos, la cápsula que tiene más calidad es la número 21- Linn Asaka. Donde se percibe mejor es en los bajos, más naturales y profundos que el resto. Aunque realmente, la prueba se debería hacer con otro tipo de música, Jazz o clásica, dónde se podría percibir mejor todos los diferentes matices que puede ofrecer una buena cápsula y poder evaluarla mejor. Gracias por el vídeo.
I like both Ortofon MC-20 cartridges. They sounded really smooth to me. I would have liked to have heard them with vocals. Great video.
One crucial overriding thing to remember w. MCs:
The choce of SUT/ step up. Its make or break.
And probably why you see soo many differing opinions on the std. DL103.
Make it right - really right - its a fab cart.
Otherwise you'll think: What's all the fuss 'bout?😞
Once owned the Linn Asak - great cart too.
Why is the entie platter wobbling up and down Bro ?
I like this track ... it sounds fun, crazy, colorful, and vintage of course ! :)
AT-UL3!!!!!
Treble is so fine there!
Thank you for your afford. Would a mono cardgrige not destroy the stereo information on the disk (no vertikal vibration)? I recommend a track, that can be found on itunes for comparison (of course, not a popular one).
Thanks for your comment.
The mono carts on this video are modified DL-103.
I mean, they were stereo carts originally, and I rotated the coil 45 degrees to pick up lateral signals.
They still have vertical movement, so they don't damage the groove.
kabutaaudiolab
Ah, OK. Thank you for your respond!
I've had this song in my head since yesterday... I am going to find the single now.... hopefully on 12" ;(
How do you have all these cartridges with other cantilevers and stylus's do you do this or have them done ?
After living with a Denon DL 300 (LOMC), which I like a lot, I wasn't too keen on the 103 in any of these samples. Was almost considering purchase after all the positive press. The 103 that comes before the Linn Asaka was maybe the worst. The 'normal' 103 (# 7) sounded dull on top, I guess that one has a conical tip ? I might like # 10 the best of the Denons.
Nice separation on the Supex 900, don't care much for the tonality.
Ortofon MC 30, tubby sounding.
Of course all of these MC carts will be affected postively or negatively by loading, which we can't tell here.
I like that you did them all back to back on the same track, but the piece chosen is all percussion so you can’t tell the musical qualities of these carts at all. :(
The cartridges will be as good as the rest of the system, as an owner of the shelter 7000 which is perfect I would have to say that the denon 103 is the best value for money out there no matter the cost.
The Denon DL103 sounds very bad here and somethings not right with that. Did u use every MC cart on the same arm? Because every cart has a different compliance (even every single version of the 103) and i know the normal 103 inside and out and mine doesn't sound anything like yours. Much more clear, tight and with a big soundstage. The match with my Transrotor arm is spot on. Matching 20+ carts with the same arm is just not a fair test. And yes i saw all the different headshells, but those don't make enough of a difference. The one you used with the normal 103 (Pioneer silver coated sme type) is much too light for that cart.
And the Clearaudio Goldfinger?
No Nagaoka cartridges? What a shame
how long did it take to set all these up correctly and record this?? thanks for the vid
I don't exactly remember. 30-40 minutes?
Obvious that the SRA is different for each but otherwise, alignment is correct?
how do you recantilever a cartridge, because I have a Denon DL-160 that the cantilever is broken off, but left with a stub and I would love to have this recantilevered :(
If your DL-160 still have a stub, then the easiest way is to overlay that stub with different stylus and glue them with epoxy.
I did actually, and it sounded great after I super glued a diamond stylus, but it was a conical stylus and plus, I just didn't trust having a cheap stylus super glued to an expensive cartridge, the stylus is more and likely not aligned really well which will wear down my records in a weird way, so I just placed an order on Amazon on the popular Audio Technica AT95E, I can't wait for it.
Bonded conical tip for MC is not good. That's why I use the high-quality styluses for the refurbishment/modifying. These days I damp inside the unit as well. Better tip + internal damp makes the sound better.
dampen with what? surely water will corrode the terminals. (An audio repairman of repute has told me that)
water? "glue" and "water" is completely different thing.
Nice lineup. Wow they are all very good carts. My current, the 103 is probably ranked lowest. Which is your favorite?Which cart is the best bang for the buck?Which has the worst return on investment?
My favorites are 12, 16 and 21. The sound of this movie is thin MP3, so it's far inferior than the actual sound of my system.
The best bang for the buck? I have no idea. They all sound "different" and I like each of them.
Otherwise, no BAD return on investment.
I know what I'm doing and I won't do anything that would make the sound bad or worse.
These carts are all "modified", so the sound has been improved, basically.
I really like 16: Supex 1100B + Nagaoka 87-44X. The Nagaoka was my favorite stylus and the Supex was my favorite cartridge. I read the comments disparaging the Linn Asaka, but I'd say it has a different but equally valid set of virtues.
@@kabutaaudiolab9531 Woah! I like 16 best (and one of the modded Denons but can't remember which one - probably 8, 10 or 11). Where do you get all these modded Denons from and any idea of the cost? Also, is the Supex a current production cartridge? I'd never heard of them before - I thought they just made pro audio stuff.
what song is this?
Lorelei (instrumental): Tom Tom Club
B side of 'Genius of Love' 7"
(Island WIP 6735)
what one did you decide to keep on your record player?
7. normal 103 for the comparison purpose, and 12. Paradox recased 103.
Other much better sounding recased versions are being listed on eBay.
Would have liked a review off some Jeswelda carts
No contest. No. 16 [ 7:52 ] is the best. No. 12 [ 5:49 ] also plays well.
Denon sounded awesome
Denon DL 103M and Ortofon MC20s won in my ears
Honestly think it sounds quite shit compared to most others, supex 900 super was even better and most were better than That .
9, 10, 17, 18 for me... can't believe how lifeless the MC30 is and muffled mid/top for the Linn.. expected more from both of these!
Nice, what turntable did you use ?
+hamish maclean Denon DP-DJ100. Cheap DD drive ;)
I think Ortofon and Denon was best! Exept Ortofon MC30.
Linn Asaka was very great to.
Pioneer 3MC cartridge tracking force please!!!
no contest... great music :)
quel est le titre de la chasson ?
8, 9 and 15 seem to have the most depth across the spectrum. I think it's really noticeable. Linn's Asaka was so average! Shocked.
Pioneer 5MC
Is it me or does ortofon MC30 sounds by far the worst?
Love the music, I must get it.
worst one is denon 103 normal
unfortunately you are right :(
45rpm rocks
Not a very wide range of manufaturers
the song is very good.
Hear the King of them all here, The Ortofon Cadenza Black!
ruclips.net/video/HEyUgKKkSjY/видео.html
Te audio technicas soud the best to me.
Asaka musikal
The Ortofons win
You cannot broadcast lp sound through RUclips ya nut ! The best you can do is give your opion ! And it looks like you have a major wobble problem with your tt !
This is an unfair comparison because by the time you get to mc cartridge 21 all grooves would have worn out.
Uh... Do you think so?
Then I believe you trash your records after you played them 21 times ;)
[OP] Funny.
Just awful choice of music for testing.
What kind of turntable / tonearm are you using?