Could be coincidence.
No way is a cart designer optimising for LT use.
But maybe LTs track so well that the RS excels.
No way is a cart designer optimising for LT use.
But maybe LTs track so well that the RS excels.
I would love to have this as the final cart but need more positive non Vyger data points for flexibility, especially normal pivots.
Its works exceptionally well on pivots and in some cases better. LT's that have more weight on the arm do sound equally amazing, but as Marc pointed out tracking and how well it sits and stays in the groove is a pretty vital role in the Top Wing performance.
Unipivots, for example, tend to work not so well unless they are heavier mass. Keep in mind this is a high compliance cartridge so it kind of contradicts that. Stability is the key.
I have tried quite a few arms with the Red Sparrow and Blue Dragon on Thorens, SME, Cornet, SEAC, Graham to name a few and of course my favorite Primary Control. The LT used by Aries Cerat is the Bergmann Magne System with the Magne ST arm.
We tried the Etsuro Gold and Red Sparrow while listening to the Contendo system and it was far from a clear winner. However, Stavros chose the Red Sparrow as their new Reference for Analogue. I tend to favor the Etsuro Gold as an overall cartridge, but with being a traditional MC most go with the Top Wing because it costs so much less to retip in the event of wear or the dreaded "accident"
Isn't there a Blue cart as well?
Bill, same here re stylus costs on Straingauge. Literally only a $few hundreds. And I get a spare stylus each time, upgraded to current best tip.
One thing I noticed and mentioned to The General on the phone this morning is how utterly solidly still it tracks - it doesn’t flinch, seemingly utterly locked into the groove. I have never seen a cart so literally locked in position when tracking.
It is interesting that the Aries team are using the Bergmann LT.
The consideration on retip was actually quite a factor for me too given the initial outlay.
Wouldn't say they use it. For repeatable results in testing and development of new products Digital is their mainstay, but for the visitor who wants to enjoy analog it is more for them and so they have a rig for that purpose. It does the job very well as you can tell from the recorded videos, but the arm still could be improved to get max performance.
You don’t like the Bergmann LT?
I never said I didn't. It is in fact a very solid table (pun intended). The arm I feel is too commercial in its construction, not necessarily in the design. It doesn't feel as solid and doesn't track as well as some others I have had the pleasure to try it on.
Ron just bought the Bergmann LT arm - not sure if a different model. This was why I asked as I haven’t heard it for ages.
Ron bought Odin, which is the new, improved, and quite a bit more complex tonearm.
But I obviously beg to differ on the Magne as well. It tracks exceptionally well, and I've used a few different cartridges on it, with nary an issue.
Magne is supposed to be a simple, straightforward design. So, while you can always do/get better, there's nothing inherently wrong with the Magne tonearm or turntable, specially if you consider their cost (turntable/arm combo is cheaper than the cartridge that's the topic of this thread).
My humble feed on this.(It is the Sidre btw)
I think the Bergmann LT is probably top tracker in comparison to most LT i had the opportunity to play on.I have seen LT jump around just by looking at the tableno names needed to be mentioned
Having the air supply on the carrier and not the tonearm makes a lot of positive difference,as the other way around creates unsolvable issues.
However..The tonearm is light,and it does sounds lighter in midbass compared to conventional ,uni or not.
Also the VTF is not practical to adjust ,same as VTA.
It is one of the quietest TT i had the pleasure to work on though.
Cheers
Having heard Gian's and his friend Marc's, that is spot on
Hey Ked, glad I'm always in yr thoughts. Your life is ruled by comparisons, so your comment is par for the course.
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