Did you try the LPS with the CSPort before you installed the Gold ? My LPS is a much better cartridge on the tubed Io Eclipse than it was on my SS phono.I'm feeling like the winner here... where Mike has the good fortune of lots of turntables and a small "Gold" stash, he's also enjoyed several of the very top cartridges so moving up to Etsuro, while a significant step, is much more an incremental gain vs. the joy I am having breaking in the Gold & CSPort in my system. For me, having lived with my much loved BENZ LPS for half-dozen years, the move up to Etsuro Gold is a giant leap; in every cut I am hearing so much "more". Bass is crisper, tighter, more harmonically rich and tuneful, mid-bass still needs some fleshing out, midrange--OMG the vocals male and female just keep startling me with so much additional nuance and texture. And the top end... well I tinkered a little with VTA this evening and a couple LPs were a wee bit harsh, but the tinkling of small bells or triangle has this delicate shimmer and decay. Again and again I notice small inflections, shifts in tone as a note decays previously unheard.
This is fun!
(To he honest, I shouldn't assume Mike's joy is any less than mine).
Etsuro Gold MC Cartridge in house
- Thread starter Mike Lavigne
- Start date
The MC input on the CSPort is spec’d for low output cartridges with internal impedance <20 ohms. the LPS is 38 ohms I believe so I didn’t try it with CSPort. I also did not try the Etsuro with the Einstein, though I’m sure I’ll give it a go as it’ll be lots easier than swapping out a cartridge. The Einstein came with four resistive loading plugs the lowest is 40 ohms. Typically this would be a good number for the 7ohm impedance of the Gold but it was recommended to me loading quite low which would’ve required making new plugs. My solution was just get the new phono stage.
One reason I chose the CSPort to go with the Gold (besides hearing the combo together) was lack of worry about loading. The two go together like hand in glove. This might be a deal breaker for some, in that the CSPort has no loading option. For that I imagine one needs to go the route of external SUT into one of the MM inputs. Mike did that, but not, I believe, for loading but to use a different SUT than the internals of the CSPort.
Hi Bobvin,
If you really wanted to explore loading a phono stage like cs port, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t just solder in the desired load on your interconnect rca plugs. This should work and be fairly straightforward assuming you don’t mind modding your cables.
I'm feeling like the winner here... where Mike has the good fortune of lots of turntables and a small "Gold" stash, he's also enjoyed several of the very top cartridges so moving up to Etsuro, while a significant step, is much more an incremental gain vs. the joy I am having breaking in the Gold & CSPort in my system. For me, having lived with my much loved BENZ LPS for half-dozen years, the move up to Etsuro Gold is a giant leap; in every cut I am hearing so much "more". Bass is crisper, tighter, more harmonically rich and tuneful, mid-bass still needs some fleshing out, midrange--OMG the vocals male and female just keep startling me with so much additional nuance and texture. And the top end... well I tinkered a little with VTA this evening and a couple LPs were a wee bit harsh, but the tinkling of small bells or triangle has this delicate shimmer and decay. Again and again I notice small inflections, shifts in tone as a note decays previously unheard.
This is fun!
(To he honest, I shouldn't assume Mike's joy is any less than mine
I am so happy for you, Bob!
I used a Benz Ruby 2 for 18 years, and I loved the LP S-MR as well whenever I heard it. I am thrilled for you that the Etsuro Gold is such a big step up for you!
Do you feel that the Etsuro Gold is superior to the LPS in literally every parameter?
I also owned the LPS-MR cartridge previously, Ron. Nicely poised music maker.
a helpful data point might be that jazdoc owned the Benz LPS for years (which i heard many times) and now has the Etsuro Bordeaux; both on the same tubed Experience Music phono. i always enjoyed the LPS in his system, but to my ears in his system, the Bordeaux is a different level of cartridge all around.
No doubt, Bill, for the DYI minded a matter of adding a resistor(?) to the cable would be a relatively easy task and a way to explore. That said, I’m not so handy with a soldering iron, nor inclined to develop the skill. I prefer to defer to the knowledge and skill of others have more knowledge and experience than myself.
Hey Bobvin - I totally get it. I am half lost in my own mad world of doing these things whereas most folks just want to listen to their music and have a beer lol
Enjoy.
Hi Ron, thank you. I had a Ruby3 for several years, on an ClearAudio table playing into a SimAudio Moon phono stage. I read the original reviews of the AMG Viella and begged my local dealer at the time to add it to their portfolio, then bought the first one they brought in. They used it at a Music Matters event and it had an LPS-MR mounted up so I bought that too. All in all it was a huge step up for me as I’d only returned to the hobby a few years prior. I upgraded my phono to the Einstein and was very happy with that combo until I got the itch a couple years ago.
I had decided a new phono stage was a logical step—even though my buddies told me the Einstein was not the weak link in my system. I researched (without auditioning, its tough with phono stages) and had made an offer on an Ypsilon which would have included needing an SUT. This brought me to learn the high internal impedance of the LPS is not common wrt low output MC cartridges. So I bagged the idea and several forum members suggested I’d probably get more bang for my buck moving up to a higher level cartridge.
About that time the initial rave review of the Etsuro Gold came out, the Mike started this thread (I’m not hijacking Mike's thread I hope!) That really got me curious, but the high price scared me off until I had the good fortune to visit Mike’s place mid-winter before the WuFlu. Hearing Mike’s rig for the first time I’d be foolish to say I could tell what the cartridge contributed vs the phono stage — Mike’s rig is a paradigm shift I’m sure for many as it was for me. I trusted Mike when he said the Gold was a step up from even the Goldfinger or Anna Diamond (which was on my short list to hear if possible).
The not trivial price of the Etsuro put it out of reach. But I was smitten with the idea of having one and after almost daily searches I was able to secure a very slightly used one. MikeL suggested I speak with Mik in the UK who knows about all there is to know about the Gold. It was Mik who suggested I consider loading the cartridge lower than I had a plug for. Rather than making up or buying some loading plugs (the Einstein uses XLR sockets to insert plugs with different load resistors), I asked Mik about phono stages. He thought the CSPort was an incredible value and played extremely well with the Etsuro. MikeL thought so too so I ever-so-gently convinced the Minister of Finance we needed a new phono stage.
A very long buildup to answering your question but I thought some context and background might explain how I feel about the LPS vs the Gold. The Benz cartridge is one of those terrific values that occasionally comes along in this hobby. A great all-round performer that, at the time, was about half the price of many of the elite cartridges yet yielded only slightly to those elite names. Slightly warm and not the last word in resolution, it worked extremely well with the Einstein. The ever-so-slight emphasis of leading edge of transients of the Einstein added a slight bit of liveliness that made the pairing with the LPS extremely satisfying until I got the itch to see what more could be coaxed from my system.
I don’t want to speak poorly of the LPS, but the Gold kicks it to the curb with a steel-toed boot. The Benz isn’t quite left huddled and whimpering, but knows its been beaten. Body shots, jabs, upper-cuts and hooks, it was over in the first round. I’ll be kind and not declare the Benz was left unconscious, but a TKO for sure. (And the Etsuro just stepped into the ring, not even warmed up.)
As I continue to listen as the phono stage and cartridge settle in, I continue to be astonished what a wonderful pairing is the Etsuro and CS Port. A new analogy came to mind the other day... moving to the Etsuro/CSPort combo like visiting the eye doctor: “which is better 1... or 2”, now 2... or 3.” Well, the new pieces are (to me) like having the doc switch in a new plate “ok, now which is better 3... or 4?” And where you thought 3 really was better than 2, and would have gone on your way happily never having looked through 4, along comes 4 and you are astonished just how crisp, clear, and focused everything is. You pick up a book and the text leaps off the page, you step outside and the world appears new to you once again. That is what the EtsuroGold(mg) and CSPort bring to my listening. I am loving this as things seem to improve nightly.
And now a new LFD cable is on the way. I couldn’t reach quite to the level Mike did, but excited to hear what this new “cables are components” upgrade adds To the sound. 4... or 5?
And now a new LFD cable is on the way.
I couldn’t reach quite to the level Mike did, but excited to hear what this new “cables are components” upgrade adds To the sound. 4... or 5?
Bobvin, slightly off topic, but thanks for this post (my bolded text).
After some componant upgrades in my phono stage (Jupiter copper foil caps, Charcrost Z film and Shinkoh resistors) I can now hear better whats going on with my cartridge and I have been adjusting down the loading on my phono stage for use with my 1 ohm Transfiguration Proteus. Although a completely different cartridge and phono stage, and I realise one can't make a straight correlation between cart and phono for every cartridge, your observation about resistive loading against a cartridge impedence of 7 ohm is really interesting.
Just wanted to note my appreciation of what was probably just a throwaway comment. Details help! Sorry to be off topic.
Great Combo CS Port and Etsuro Gold what is the recomended Loading for Etsuro Gold?As I continue to listen as the phono stage and cartridge settle in, I continue to be astonished what a wonderful pairing is the Etsuro and CS Port. A new analogy came to mind the other day... moving to the Etsuro/CSPort combo like visiting the eye doctor: “which is better 1... or 2”, now 2... or 3.” Well, the new pieces are (to me) like having the doc switch in a new plate “ok, now which is better 3... or 4?” And where you thought 3 really was better than 2, and would have gone on your way happily never having looked through 4, along comes 4 and you are astonished just how crisp, clear, and focused everything is. You pick up a book and the text leaps off the page, you step outside and the world appears new to you once again. That is what the EtsuroGold(mg) and CSPort bring to my listening. I am loving this as things seem to improve nightly.
And now a new LFD cable is on the way.
I think the internal impedance of the Gold is 7 ohms. I considered using my prior Einstein ‘Turntable’s Choice’ phono stage with the Gold, and the relevant options that come with the Einstein were 40 & 85 ohm (other included options were 150 & 300 ohms, and custom plugs could be made. Loading accomplished by inserting an XLR plug which included the loading resistor).
I was told, however the Gold might sound good with 10 - 20 ohm load. The CS Port is designed for low output MC cartridges with internal impedance of 3-20 ohms, so I am guessing this might be where the load suggestion came from. Using one of the MM inputs and a SUT one could alter load as desired via the SUT. As is I have no additional loading on the Gold, plugged into the MC input of the CS Port (which has internal transformers).
I was told, however the Gold might sound good with 10 - 20 ohm load. The CS Port is designed for low output MC cartridges with internal impedance of 3-20 ohms, so I am guessing this might be where the load suggestion came from. Using one of the MM inputs and a SUT one could alter load as desired via the SUT. As is I have no additional loading on the Gold, plugged into the MC input of the CS Port (which has internal transformers).
The technical Data are showing 4ohm DC resistance for the Gold.
The other Etsuro carts do show 3ohm impedance.
Currently I am using 30 ohm load (as I do for my other Etsuro Cart as well) on my Boulder 2008.
My alternative Phasemation step up T-550 in use is fine from 1,5ohm to 40ohm.
As the Phasemation carts do have 4ohm as well, I assume the step up is optimized for 4ohm,
so I decided to order the Phasemation T-2000 step up for the Gold.
Will become an interesting comparison between full 66db solid state MC gain stage
and the combination of 44db solid state MM Gain plus the 26db gain from the T2000.
i use a pair of 1:10 EMIA silver wound SUT's with 2 of my Etsuro Gold's, which i believe are 4-5 ohms. i do not add any loading pins to the SUT's.
my other Etsuro Gold is connected to one of my darTZeel preamp phono's and i was loading it as 50 ohms. right now that Gold is on the shelf as my Durand Telos Sapphire has been sold and i'm waiting for my on order Durand Tosca (my second Tosca) to arrive. then i will play around with the loading some more. i had not been playing that one much before; but with the Tosca i plan on much more listening to that.
I have a humble AMG Viella with the “turbo” tonearm. MikeL has the CSPort top table (LFT1?) and I have just seen a thread here somewhere a user is getting TAT2. Mik (user name 108CY) in UK has both. The day may come I move to upgrade my table, but for now the combo Etsuro Gold(mg), CS Port phono, and LFD cable has completely transformed my system. I was eager to get new speakers now not so much my rig is sounding amazing. I am having more appreciation for my sonic remodel too.
Bobvin, my Straingauge/Nat SETs dealer in UK runs his AMG Viella with the LFD phono cable. He can't stop telling me how much he loves the combo.
I have a very large “water feature” in my back yard, and have done a lot of study to optimize the flow from the pumps. Hydrostatic head and friction loss due to diameter and type of pipe makes a huge difference in the performance of a pump. The coefficient of friction between a 3” pipe vs 4” is exponentially less—output from a pump can easily be cut in half choosing the wrong diameter tubing. This is what I think is happening with the LFD cable, it seems to reduce the “friction” to the flow of electrons. With a water pump, where the cost of electricity is a big factor in the ongoing cost, you want to see as much water flowing over the falls as possible so maximizing output makes sense. Now I see my investment in Etsuro Gold and CS Port phono would have been crippled using the wrong phono cable. The LFD in this analogy is using a 6” pipe where a 3” would be normally specified, allowing the music (water) to flow freely and not be “forced”.
I am not sure of the science of the materials used by LFD, but i am thinking perhaps a key is use of amorphous metals.
(edit... perhaps I should have posted this in the “cables are components” thread)
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