Cartridge Reviews

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Cartridge Reviews
Allaerts MC2 Finish Gold phono cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 30, 2007  |  0 comments
These are great times for analog, and I'm happy to have played a small part in the revival, but recently the demand for some products has outstripped supply; getting review samples has been next to impossible. I've requested an Audio Research PH7 phono preamplifier for literally years now, but ARC can't build them fast enough, so they don't need a review. The more they sell, the greater the buzz, and the greater the buzz, the more e-mails I get from readers asking for a review. It's not nice to not be needed.
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Cartridge Reviews
Audio Technica AT-VM95ML Vs. Ortofon 2M Blue File Identities Revealed!
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 13, 2020  |  7 comments
Here's the reveal of the files used in this cartridge comparison:

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Cartridge Reviews
AudioQuest 7000 Fe5 MC phono cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 02, 2007  |  0 comments
You know what's the first thing they teach you in dental school? Don't ever say "Oops!" Even if you stick one of those hooked teeth scrapers through the patient's cheek, you don't say "Oops!" "Don't move!"? Yes. "Oops!"? No. That's the big day-one lesson—and given the cost of medical malpractice insurance today, a damn good one.
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Cartridge Reviews
Can Putting a Jico V15xMR Stylus Replacement Turn a Shure M97xE Into a V15xMR?
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 07, 2014  |  47 comments
What happens when you install in a $70 M97xE a $179 Jico V15xMR stylus replacement?
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Cartridge Reviews
Denon 103 Slip Over Aluminum Body: Does it Improve Sonics?
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 22, 2019  |  42 comments
Denon's 103 cartridge originally introduced in the 1960s for radio station vinyl playback is still in production and now has achieved near-mythical status. A few body upgrades are available, most of which require the motor to be removed from the less than rigid body. However, this one costing $85 with the not particularly clever name Aluminum Body Cap is one you can easily add yourself to your existing 103.

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Cartridge Reviews
Gimme Shelter! 501 Mk III That Is
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 20, 2014  |  16 comments
I was lucky enough to see the St. Petersburg Philharmonic play Carnegie Hall recently. They did Prokofiev's Violin Concerto with Julia Fischer, who played wonderfully and then Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony. We get great seats courtesy Joe Kubala of Kubala-Sosna cables who had a scheduling conflict and kindly thought of me. We had to drive through a snow storm to get there but it was well worth it.

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Cartridge Reviews
High Performance, High Value Hana ML and MH Cartridges (Reversed Channels Fixed)
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 01, 2020  |  55 comments
Though AnalogPlanet reviewed the low output $750 Hana SL cartridge back in 2017 in a “shootout” with the $999 Ortofon Quintet Black S, we’re kind of “late to the fair” on these two newer Hana models, in part because they’ve been reviewed by others in Stereophile (and of course elsewhere), where I mostly (but not exclusively!) cover the top end of the high performance market.

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Cartridge Reviews
How Much Would You Pay For This Cartridge?
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2019  |  35 comments
The picture purposely obscures this moving magnet cartridge installed in the Rega Planar 8 tonearm plugged into the Graham Slee Accession. That's because I don't want you to know its identity. Rather, please listen to the file and tell everyone how much you'd be willing to pay for it and how you think it sounds.

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Cartridge Reviews
Is This Oyster Worth $300 Clams?
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 23, 2018  |  17 comments
Sumiko has been shucking these Oyster moving magnet cartridges for many years. They've mostly been entry level products aimed at getting one started in the analog world, placed on a budget turntable and priced accordingly. The least costly $79 Oyster sported a spherical stylus that didn't deliver much in the way of detail but made set up easy and got the job done.

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Cartridge Reviews
Koetsu Urushi MC phono cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  May 07, 2006  |  0 comments
What makes a phono cartridge worth $3500 or $4000? Pride of ownership? Snob appeal? Sound? Tracking ability? Exotic materials? Styling? Labor cost for skilled artisans? Special ether? Cool wooden box? All of the above?
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Cartridge Reviews
Looks Good Enough to E.A.T. JO Nº 5 Moving Coil Cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 16, 2018  |  12 comments
This revolutionary cartridge comes in two flavors: plain and peanut. When the stylus wears out instead of having the cartridge re-tipped, you eat it. It melts in your mouth, not in your hands. Best for “mint” LPs, etc.

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Cartridge Reviews
Lyra Clavis Da Capo moving-coil phono cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 02, 2007  |  0 comments
Scan-Tech builds low-output moving-coil cartridges for a number of companies, including AudioQuest, Linn, and Spectral (footnote 1). It also markets its own line, under the Lyra brand name (Lydian, Clavis, Parnassus), which is imported and distributed by Immedia out of Berkeley, CA.
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Cartridge Reviews
Lyra Kleos MC Cartridge Still A Smoothy After All These Years
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 09, 2014  |  6 comments
The $2995 Lyra Kleos Cartridge was billed back in 2010 as a replacement for the Helikon. The Kleos is a much better sounding cartridge in every way. It maintains and actually ups the Helikon’s detail resolution, while adding the more expensive Skala’s smoothness and midband warmth.

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Cartridge Reviews
Lyra Parnassus D.C.t phono cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 11, 2006  |  0 comments
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Cartridge Reviews
Lyra Skala moving-coil phono cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 18, 2007  |  1 comments
Back in 2000, when Lyra introduced the Helikon moving-coil cartridge, which replaced the then six-year-old Clavis D.C., the company inexplicably retained the Clavis D.C.'s retail price of $2000. This was inexplicable because the Helikon's revolutionary design was new from the ground up, and because audiophiles—like most, if not all, consumers—perceive price to be a reflection of quality and performance.
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