Through some good luck (and a good spy network , I was lucky enough to score a new Benz LP-S. Boy, it was tough deciding but I figured I'd go for the LP-S since so many raved about it. Because I'd heard about it being much differnt than an LP I was a bit apprehensive. And with only 13 hrs. on it all I can say is YES, it's different. I liken it to an LP that went to Weight Watchers and lost a bunch of belly fat. Gone is the midrange weighted sound. That part I will surely miss, but what you gain is better clarity and insight. I can understand lyrics much better and your hear more of a singer's voice, more detail. The good news is that the detail isn't overboard. The LP-S sounds like it's a bit tilted towrds the upper midrange but I am not so sure that this is the case. It may seem this way only because much of the low-midlle midrange emphasis has been removed. The LP-S seems to be more even from bass to treble with more detail added in. At this point, the treble is still a bit grainy yet and can get a bit harsh on some classical creshendo's but I am hoping that will improve with time. Another thing is that this specimen has .38mV vs .34mV of my LP. Combine this with more clarity and and definition and I seem to require less volume to listen than in the past.
Right from the start I knew it would be different. Brass is seen everywhere when looking at this cartridge. Even with the Phantom Supreme's larger weight it had to be brought back farther than I expected. Youser! Set up has proved much, much easier this time around vs. my ol' LP. Using the Graham jig was much easier since the cartridge did not take nearly the same amount of rotation to align the cantilever. The "MR" stylus is much smaller to the naked eye, or at least seems so. Azimuth set up required less CW rotation and more CCW, a good sign, since it was seemingly more in a neutral rotation. I brought out the Fozgometer just to see how the readings/settings compared to the LP. Much better all around. As it turns out my eyeball setting was very close to what the Fozgometer had shown. So I figure I'll listen from there and adjust later. But one thing is different from my LP, slight adjustments in azimuth make bigger changes in L vs R channel output. In fact, running the signal from my phono preamp, it was easy to go past 40 with seemingly less rotation vs what my LP required, which never hit the "40" mark with either channel. I'm guessing that the "MR" stylus has something to do with this and maybe other things that make the LP-S different from the LP.
I will post more as break-in passes for those who like me had/have an LP and are thinking of buying a rebuilt LP or a new LP-S.
Right from the start I knew it would be different. Brass is seen everywhere when looking at this cartridge. Even with the Phantom Supreme's larger weight it had to be brought back farther than I expected. Youser! Set up has proved much, much easier this time around vs. my ol' LP. Using the Graham jig was much easier since the cartridge did not take nearly the same amount of rotation to align the cantilever. The "MR" stylus is much smaller to the naked eye, or at least seems so. Azimuth set up required less CW rotation and more CCW, a good sign, since it was seemingly more in a neutral rotation. I brought out the Fozgometer just to see how the readings/settings compared to the LP. Much better all around. As it turns out my eyeball setting was very close to what the Fozgometer had shown. So I figure I'll listen from there and adjust later. But one thing is different from my LP, slight adjustments in azimuth make bigger changes in L vs R channel output. In fact, running the signal from my phono preamp, it was easy to go past 40 with seemingly less rotation vs what my LP required, which never hit the "40" mark with either channel. I'm guessing that the "MR" stylus has something to do with this and maybe other things that make the LP-S different from the LP.
I will post more as break-in passes for those who like me had/have an LP and are thinking of buying a rebuilt LP or a new LP-S.