The latest edition of Stereophile had a review written by Michael Fremer of the Transfiguration Axia phono cartridge. The Axia retails for $1950. I found the review to be out of touch with reality on several levels. Michael says the Axia "lacks deep bass" and recommends it be used with a stand-mounted pair of two-way speakers with a bass bump in order to make up for the Axia's lack of deep bass. Really?
Since Audiogon put me in a crappy mood today over the ****-poor way they treated me in some emails over them not publishing the negative feedback I submitted for the guy who sold me the piece of junk plinth (they had the nerve to tell me that I didn't purchase the plinth through Audiogon when clearly I did and that I was the problem!) They finally apologized and told me to resubmit, but now I so mad at them I can't see straight. I'm convinced that Audiogon is a great moneymaker, they just don't really give a damn about their customers and think they can treat them like dirt because they are the best game in town for buying and selling used audio gear.
So being on a tear today, I submitted the following to Stereophile:
Editor,
I find myself appalled that a cartridge that costs $1950 has no low bass according to Mikey and you need to use it with stand mounted speakers with a mid-bass bump to “compensate for its lack of deep bass.” Really? Is that the best we can expect for $1950 from a phono cartridge? That’s pathetic and I’m embarrassed for the hobby if this is the point we have reached now. You spend $1950 for a cartridge with no bottom end and then the rest of the review compares this cartridge to much more expensive cartridges in order further show how deficient this cartridge is and how much music you are missing by not having a much better cartridge. I find this review to be rather strange and the conclusion even stranger: “The Transfiguration Axis is easy to recommend at its price.” Really?? $1950 for a cartridge with no bottom end? No thanks, I think I will pass on that deal. There are plenty of cartridges out there that get the bottom end for far less than $1950.
I guess what really alarms me is that we (or at least Mikey) have reached a point where you don’t really expect too much from a $1950 cartridge. Mikey said that for $1950 “you’re entitled to expect something that’s well made and performs at a high level.” But apparently this cartridge doesn’t perform at a high level if it doesn’t have low bass and is recommended for use with bookshelf speakers with a mid-bass bump. Something is just wrong here. I think you have a right to expect a lot from a $1950 cartridge. There is really nothing that justifies the high prices of phono cartridges in the first place. How much more does it really cost to make an expensive cartridge vice a “cheap” cartridge. There just isn’t that much material involved in manufacturing a cartridge. I don’t think there is anything on earth that costs as much per gram of weight as a phono cartridge. The Axia weighs 7 grams. That’s $278.57 per gram. A gram of gold is currently selling for $48.47. Platinum is trading for $65.10 per gram. A Koetsu Bloodstone Platinum sells for $9999.99 and weighs 12.5 grams. That comes out to $799.99 per gram. It takes the same skill level to assemble cheap cartridges as it does expensive cartridges. Something is wrong here people. And it starts with saying a $1950 cartridge with no bottom end is acceptable. It’s not. If it truly is missing the bottom end, it’s a flawed product. Recommending the flawed product be used with a flawed pair of bookshelf speakers in order to compensate for the lack of bottom end seems out of place in a high-end magazine (two wrongs make a right here).
Since Audiogon put me in a crappy mood today over the ****-poor way they treated me in some emails over them not publishing the negative feedback I submitted for the guy who sold me the piece of junk plinth (they had the nerve to tell me that I didn't purchase the plinth through Audiogon when clearly I did and that I was the problem!) They finally apologized and told me to resubmit, but now I so mad at them I can't see straight. I'm convinced that Audiogon is a great moneymaker, they just don't really give a damn about their customers and think they can treat them like dirt because they are the best game in town for buying and selling used audio gear.
So being on a tear today, I submitted the following to Stereophile:
Editor,
I find myself appalled that a cartridge that costs $1950 has no low bass according to Mikey and you need to use it with stand mounted speakers with a mid-bass bump to “compensate for its lack of deep bass.” Really? Is that the best we can expect for $1950 from a phono cartridge? That’s pathetic and I’m embarrassed for the hobby if this is the point we have reached now. You spend $1950 for a cartridge with no bottom end and then the rest of the review compares this cartridge to much more expensive cartridges in order further show how deficient this cartridge is and how much music you are missing by not having a much better cartridge. I find this review to be rather strange and the conclusion even stranger: “The Transfiguration Axis is easy to recommend at its price.” Really?? $1950 for a cartridge with no bottom end? No thanks, I think I will pass on that deal. There are plenty of cartridges out there that get the bottom end for far less than $1950.
I guess what really alarms me is that we (or at least Mikey) have reached a point where you don’t really expect too much from a $1950 cartridge. Mikey said that for $1950 “you’re entitled to expect something that’s well made and performs at a high level.” But apparently this cartridge doesn’t perform at a high level if it doesn’t have low bass and is recommended for use with bookshelf speakers with a mid-bass bump. Something is just wrong here. I think you have a right to expect a lot from a $1950 cartridge. There is really nothing that justifies the high prices of phono cartridges in the first place. How much more does it really cost to make an expensive cartridge vice a “cheap” cartridge. There just isn’t that much material involved in manufacturing a cartridge. I don’t think there is anything on earth that costs as much per gram of weight as a phono cartridge. The Axia weighs 7 grams. That’s $278.57 per gram. A gram of gold is currently selling for $48.47. Platinum is trading for $65.10 per gram. A Koetsu Bloodstone Platinum sells for $9999.99 and weighs 12.5 grams. That comes out to $799.99 per gram. It takes the same skill level to assemble cheap cartridges as it does expensive cartridges. Something is wrong here people. And it starts with saying a $1950 cartridge with no bottom end is acceptable. It’s not. If it truly is missing the bottom end, it’s a flawed product. Recommending the flawed product be used with a flawed pair of bookshelf speakers in order to compensate for the lack of bottom end seems out of place in a high-end magazine (two wrongs make a right here).
I think Mikey will be more careful in the future by "phrasing more elegantly". Looks like you've done your job.
