to go with another cartridge soon. My Benz Ruby IIH is a "good" one (I've had 3). It has about 4-500 hours on it, well under the proposed limit of 1K hours. Although, it's near 8 yrs old, it sounds as good today, if not considerably better, than it did moons ago. However, I realize that time is not on it's side, and sooner or later ...
So, I've been considering alternatives. The easiest alternative is to remain with the line and update/trade the Ruby. However, a few issues may prevent that from happening, foremost, Benz has become an inactive company with a questionable future(?). The other is that I'm not as big a fan of the micro-ridge stylus as I am the Fritz Gyger. It's not so much an issue of stylus sound quality, it's more an issue with potential setup within my system; I can view the cut/profile of the FG much easier, therefore I can better attain the 92 degree SRA required.
I've "had" certain preferences ..
- high quality LC type stylus
- boron type cantilevers.
- open assembly (so I can view the relationship between the coils & poles/magnets as it relates to setup)
- 3 to 6 mv output
- rigid construction
However, I've been "eying" the Ortofon Black, Transfiguration Phoenix ... and ... (gulp) London Reference pickups.
The London is a totally foreign cartridge to me, a total about-turn so to speak. In fact, I'd never have considered it until UHF magazine adopted it within their reference system. And considering they still use the Alphason HR100s, the same arm I use, it seems to be a "safe" bet.
What experience do others here have with these weird but supposedly wonderful carts?
tb1
So, I've been considering alternatives. The easiest alternative is to remain with the line and update/trade the Ruby. However, a few issues may prevent that from happening, foremost, Benz has become an inactive company with a questionable future(?). The other is that I'm not as big a fan of the micro-ridge stylus as I am the Fritz Gyger. It's not so much an issue of stylus sound quality, it's more an issue with potential setup within my system; I can view the cut/profile of the FG much easier, therefore I can better attain the 92 degree SRA required.
I've "had" certain preferences ..
- high quality LC type stylus
- boron type cantilevers.
- open assembly (so I can view the relationship between the coils & poles/magnets as it relates to setup)
- 3 to 6 mv output
- rigid construction
However, I've been "eying" the Ortofon Black, Transfiguration Phoenix ... and ... (gulp) London Reference pickups.
The London is a totally foreign cartridge to me, a total about-turn so to speak. In fact, I'd never have considered it until UHF magazine adopted it within their reference system. And considering they still use the Alphason HR100s, the same arm I use, it seems to be a "safe" bet.
What experience do others here have with these weird but supposedly wonderful carts?
tb1