WANTED: Audiophile with Air Tight or My Sonic Lab AND Koetsu Listening Experience

Ron Resnick

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Cartridges probably are the most difficult component to compare. There is the variability about setting up two different cartridges as similarly as possible, one after the other, on the same tonearm. There also is the fact that sample-to-sample variation among different copies of the same model of cartridge exceeds the sample-to-sample variation of any other type of component.

Selecting a cartridge is the only decision I have yet to make to have all of the components of my future system resolved. On the one hand I am considering the Air Tight PC-1 Supreme and Opus and the My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex and Platinum Signature.

On the other hand I am considering the Koetsu Blue Lace and Coralstone (while also being reluctant to eliminate the Rosewood Signature Platinum because I know (ok, I don’t know but I very strongly suspect) I would love how it sounds).

On the third hand I have the recent entrance as a contender of the ZYX UNIverse Premium-X.

On the fourth hand I know I would like the Benz Micro LP S-MR (I used the Ruby II for the last 16 years and Marty likes his NOS LP S-MR) but the lack of clarity on who is making the new cartridges and exactly how the new production LP S-MR differs from the original LP S-MR (a November 2014 press release on the Benz Micro website states that "advances in design and materials have resulted in new Benz Micro models that surpass all previous versions") has made me wary of the new LP S-MR. And I do not know of anyone who has heard a new production LP S-MR.

Just to make it more complicated, other than Robert Harley, I do not know of anyone who has auditioned any of these cartridges on the Basis Audio Superarm 9.

Selfishly, I have to start somewhere trying to eliminate some of the contenders. Anecdotally and from discussions with audiophiles it seems that the people who have a lot of experience with the Koetsus have not had much, or any, experience with either the Air Tights or the My Sonic Labs.

So this post is an all points bulletin for anyone who has a material amount of listening experience with either the Air Tight or the My Sonic Lab and one of the listed Koetsus to report his listening impressions and compare and contrast those particular cartridges.

Thank you.
 
Last edited:

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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Ron, I would also be very interested in the thoughts of those who have actually heard these carts. Particularly the new My Sonic labs Platinum Signature. However, it is important to remember that the My Sonics cartridges have a much 'healthier' output than any of the other carts you are asking about.
FWIW, I am also highly interested in the koetsu RSP. It may be a little too colored though, that is the question??
Even with members insights and opinions, I still have to believe that the ONLY way to really know for sure with any cart is how it interacts with your own system and room....which as we both agree is so very difficult to compare.
 

Altanpsx

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Sep 10, 2014
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It depends, how your system sounds, what will you expect from your new cartridge. I know these three cartridges, all of them have different strong suits, which you may like to use them to change your system, and also use them to compliment your system strong suits. Most neutral, most realistic player again imho zyx universe. Considering that you like benz, my sonic lab and koetsu would be a safe bet. lately i listened transfiguration proteus, which i beleive like zyx, have great potential. Good luck with your blind date...
 

cdk84

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Dec 19, 2015
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Hello Ron,

May I assume, given the date of this post (March 2016), that you have seen the recent thread by Gian entitled 'AirTight Opus 1 arrived'?

Several of the posts address the cartridges you ask about.

Hope you find them helpful.

I know Peter Ayer's system very well and have had the same listening impressions he describes, in particular the differences between the AirTight and My Sonic Labs cartridges.

Best Wishes,

David
 

gian60

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Apr 17, 2016
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Dear Ron,
i don't want to give to you other headache,but i will check also other cartridges for your reference system,but is only my idea.

I listen in Munich last year with Italian distributor the Kodo that are similar to your,then i know very well Trident,Pantheon and Mojo and i know well VTL 450 because my friend has with Infinity IRS
You will have a reference system,with more than incredible bass of Pendragon,but for what i listen all product you have,top product,have a sound very natural and very very little on the dark side,while for example Spectral,Costellation,CH Precision,Tad,Burmester are a little on the bright side,

so,but is only my idea,then is better always try,i suggest to you one cartridge open and fast like Atlas SL,new Proteus diamond or ZYX diamond ,all 3 dynamic,fast and with a lot of detail
Also Opus 1 with his incredible bass will be fantastic with Pendagron and also has a large soundstage so the sound will be out of this big speaker
I think Koetsu is not the right choice because Pendragons has impotent bass and i think Coralstone can add some in mid bass and little less details in top high frequencies.

My system with CH,my cable and speaker has a sound a little on bright side so Koetsu and Opus 1 seems perfect
MSL platinum listen one time with FM and Ubiq,but no idea of his sound because the system i didn't liked

Regards
Gianluigi
 

Ron Resnick

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Jan 24, 2015
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Dear Gianluigi,

Thank you very much for thinking about my future components and analyzing the net dark/bright balance and making suggestions! I appreciate it!

I am very sensitive to brightness, and what many people would consider to be dead neutral, I would consider to be slightly bright. So my personal preference is to tilt a little bit toward the dark side. To me a little bit dark is more natural sounding than dead neutral.

I did not hear the Pendragons as being on the dark side. (Their air motion tweeter goes up to 32 kHz.) I know the American Sound turntable is not on the dark side.

One of your recommendations -- the ZYX -- is currently my first choice, and a ZYX UNIverse Premium X-SB2 will ride on an SME 3012R. I want to stick with the boron cantilever, rather than the diamond cantilever (whether the ZYX or the Coralstone) because I do not care for the sound of very fast or of a lot of detail. I think the diamond cantilever, in theory anyway, is too much of a good thing.

One of the things which appeals to me about the Coralstone is that it would be rich in the midbass and lower midrange and it would have less details in the top high frequencies. I like that balance. So with the ZYX I think I would be tilting 1 step to the dark side and with the Coralstone I think I would be tilting a bit more than 1 step to the dark side.

I heard the Ortofon Anna as being more neutral than the ZYX UNIverse Premium (admittedly on different tonearms at Steve's house) but I easily found the less neutral ZYX to sound more natural than the neutral Anna.

I have found every Lyra cartridge I have ever heard to be too bright and fast-sounding and overly analytical, except possibly for the Etna SL, which seems to be something different.

Between the ZYX UNIverse Premium and the Opus 1, which cartridge do you feel is warmer or richer-sounding and less detailed in the top high frequencies?
 

gian60

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Apr 17, 2016
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Hi Ron,
the only ZYX i listen in my life is the diamond of my friend
No one in Italy has ZYX cartridge because Italian distributor don't follow well and has price list very high

Opus 1 is little more dark than ZYX Diamond
Opus 1 has better deep bass and image and ZYX has little more details,but both have very natural sound
 

Exlibris

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Oct 7, 2015
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systems.audiogon.com
Cartridges probably are the most difficult component to compare. There is the variability about setting up two different cartridges as similarly as possible, one after the other, on the same tonearm. There also is the fact that sample-to-sample variation among different copies of the same model of cartridge exceeds the sample-to-sample variation of any other type of component.

Selecting a cartridge is the only decision I have yet to make to have all of the components of my future system resolved. On the one hand I am considering the Air Tight PC-1 Supreme and Opus and the My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex and Platinum Signature.

On the other hand I am considering the Koetsu Blue Lace and Coralstone (while also being reluctant to eliminate the Rosewood Signature Platinum because I know (ok, I don’t know but I very strongly suspect) I would love how it sounds).

On the third hand I have the recent entrance as a contender of the ZYX UNIverse Premium-X.

On the fourth hand I know I would like the Benz Micro LP S-MR (I used the Ruby II for the last 16 years and Marty likes his NOS LP S-MR) but the lack of clarity on who is making the new cartridges and exactly how the new production LP S-MR differs from the original LP S-MR (a November 2014 press release on the Benz Micro website states that "advances in design and materials have resulted in new Benz Micro models that surpass all previous versions") has made me wary of the new LP S-MR. And I do not know of anyone who has heard a new production LP S-MR.

Just to make it more complicated, other than Robert Harley, I do not know of anyone who has auditioned any of these cartridges on the Basis Audio Superarm 9.

Selfishly, I have to start somewhere trying to eliminate some of the contenders. Anecdotally and from discussions with audiophiles it seems that the people who have a lot of experience with the Koetsus have not had much, or any, experience with either the Air Tights or the My Sonic Labs.

So this post is an all points bulletin for anyone who has a material amount of listening experience with either the Air Tight or the My Sonic Lab and one of the listed Koetsus to report his listening impressions and compare and contrast those particular cartridges.

Thank you.
Did you ever end up comparing an Air Tight or My Sonic Lab to a comparably-priced Koetsu? I find myself currently interested in all three brands.
 

Ron Resnick

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No , unfortunately.
 

bonzo75

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I got to listen to koetsu urushi and to the jade with diamond cantilever regularly before lock down for almost two years, on FR 66s, as someone nearby owns one. This is is apart from the koetsu listening at Shakti which was fr64s. In many other cases on SME 3012r, SME V, Ikeda 407, koetsu arm, it just sounded poor. The urushi on the FR 66s sounded the best once the Soulution preamp was added into the system, And we have other SPU and Decca to compare it to.

For airtight vs MSL check tang. I also sold my koetsu coralstone to him after I heard it on kuzma 4p, and compared to Lyra atlas, never liked it.

Koetsu is silly. Silly price, silly sound. If anyone really wants it get an FR arm, arche headshell, and urushi with the paratrace is sufficient. Then set up the rest of your system to make it sound good.

Otherwise get any of the normal carts, they will all sound better. Or if you are a dealer get the koetsu because people will buy it from you suspecting midrange magic and some mythical legend

Koetsu system in London

http://zero-distortion.org/soulution-pre-kr-va-200/
 

PeterA

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One of my local audio buddies describes most cartridges as either falling into the "Japanese" sound or the "European" sound. The former he describes as "pleasing" while the latter he describes as "accurate".

He has an Orofon A90 and has heard my vdH Master Signature, AirTight, and MSL cartridges. I think this only confirmed his suspicions. I think he would consider Lyra as having a "European" sound.

Do other listeners have similar thoughts about such a division of sonic character between cartridges? Is it this simple? Based on my limited experience with my various cartridges, I understand what he is saying, though the MSL tends to be a bit in the middle to my ears, and as I continue to fine tune my system and improve my ability to set up my vdH MS, it sounds accurate in terms of capturing what is in the grooves, but it is also very natural and musical sounding. I really love it.
 

Hi-FiGuy

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My Sonic Lab is the only cart I have ever heard that satisfied me across the board in both high and low end. To me many do one end of the spectrum or another very well but not both.
So many variables in making that choice its mind boggling.
I believe I have similar taste as you Ron on the matter.
 

bonzo75

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One of my local audio buddies describes most cartridges as either falling into the "Japanese" sound or the "European" sound. The former he describes as "pleasing" while the latter he describes as "accurate".

He has an Orofon A90 and has heard my vdH Master Signature, AirTight, and MSL cartridges. I think this only confirmed his suspicions. I think he would consider Lyra as having a "European" sound.

Do other listeners have similar thoughts about such a division of sonic character between cartridges? Is it this simple? Based on my limited experience with my various cartridges, I understand what he is saying, though the MSL tends to be a bit in the middle to my ears, and as I continue to fine tune my system and improve my ability to set up my vdH MS, it sounds accurate in terms of capturing what is in the grooves, but it is also very natural and musical sounding. I really love it.

Caesar too had started a provocative thread with American vs European sound
 

Hi-FiGuy

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Koetsu is silly. Silly price, silly sound. If anyone really wants it get an FR arm, arche headshell, and urushi with the paratrace is sufficient. Then set up the rest of your system to make it sound good.

Otherwise get any of the normal carts, they will all sound better. Or if you are a dealer get the koetsu because people will buy it from you suspecting midrange magic and some mythical legend
Koetsu has never impressed me at all in fact to my ears quite the opposite.
 

bonzo75

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Btw, having heard Urushi at Shakti, Audioquattr (IIRC it was the Urushi he had on the Feickert with the Magico M3), at Anamight sound, and in the above linked Avalon system, it sounded the worst of the Koetsus, until the preamp was switched over the Soulution. Why it improved with that technically I cannot say, but sure has a synergy.
 

PeterA

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Caesar too had started a provocative thread with American vs European sound

Yes I vaguely remember that thread. But cartridges are mostly made in Europe and Japan And in very broad and general terms there seems to be a sound characteristic to the respective group. Perhaps it is narrowing much like some people think the differences between tubes are solid-state are narrowing. Or perhaps not. I think it’s an interesting topic
 

spiritofmusic

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Soundsmiths made in US...how do they fit on the spectrum?
My five Japanese carts all different
Incisive Denon 103R
Lush Lyra Parnassus
Brittle Lyra Skala
Neutral Transfiguration Orpheus
Polite Transfiguration Temper Supreme

My European (British) Roksan Shiraz a little dry.

My American Soundsmith Straingauge, now you're talking...lush, incisive and transparent. Maybe the ultimate cultural chameleon, the best of Japanese and European characteristics.

Shakti absolutely loves his.
 

bonzo75

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Yes I vaguely remember that thread. But cartridges are mostly made in Europe and Japan And in very broad and general terms there seems to be a sound characteristic to the respective group. Perhaps it is narrowing much like some people think the differences between tubes are solid-state are narrowing. Or perhaps not. I think it’s an interesting topic

I do think European sound is more uncolored, transparent, natural, and components are more boutique. The SETs too. What Japan and EU are using as reference on the SETs horns side though, which is the sound of WE, Altec type, is American. I think those two and Apogees were the best products to come out of the US, and Dagostino who built something that could drive the Apogees. Some might argue he ruined the SETs philosophy, that's fine, but his Krell then, and the Dags today, are still as good as it gets for those applications that require it. And Devore is nice too on a more budget frame.

Otherwise I personally like a EU stuff. The only UK product I like are Tannoys, vintage.
 

bonzo75

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I like some German and East EU products very much. Lampi aside, Poland and East EU has a great DIY community that makes some boutique, sonically, great sounding products at reasonable costs.
 

bazelio

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I think ddk has similar thoughts, @PeterA . Though I find quite a bit of variation between, say, Koetsu, MSL, and Transfiguration. Lyra does fall on the analytical side, to me. Koetsu, I just haven't liked any time I've heard their various offerings, but the Coralstone might be the best of them that I've heard. MSL Platinum Sig I've only heard once, and only with about 10 hours on it. I'd agree it was in the middle. To me, it was too smooth though. I was wondering if it'd get a little grittier (in a good way) over time. I guess we should throw in the Japanese Top Wings too. Take a Blue Dragon, and I felt it was closer to the Euro sound. But then I felt the Red Sparrow combined attributes of both and was stunning. Incredibly detailed and with gorgeous tone and swing, but a somewhat laid back and easy going presentation at the same time. Not slow or thick at all. Almost hard to describe. Not a a stereotypical "Japanese" sound. Where are Benz Micro carts made? Not a stereotypical Euro cart sound to me, there.

The VdH Master Sig is probably the cream of the Euro crop. I think I'd be a bit afraid to detune the slight (IMO) sibilance out, though. I felt it was revealing of the source more so than sibilant on its own. If it no longer reveals sibilance, then what else does it no longer reveal is my concern.
 
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