Howie what turntable do you not have ?
van den Hul Colibri Grand Cru
- Thread starter PeterA
- Start date
Hi Thank you, I like the TA 7000 Very much , I had a SME 309 before and it was a big change to go for the TA 7000 much more dynamic and tighter bass more airy sound
Ha ha. My Acutus was the first one I bought when I 'got back' into audio way back in 2007. Love the design and compact size and it sounds great. Just need to find something to replace my SMEV which got sold a couple of years ago. Suggestions welcome!Howie what turntable do you not have ?
TA7000 is 9 inch? I have a TA1000 lying around somewhere. A dealer just gave it to me a few years back but not sure if I should look for something better...
I think you are onto something combining your Acutus with a Colibri- their strengths definitely overlap. The Avid does something really nice with the upper mids and treble, so a good match.
For a tonearm i intend to partner my vdH with a Schroeder LT.
Usefully i can't actually tell you how this works yet? But with the speed that you move Howie, perhaps you could end up educating me....
I pass on this suggestion as two tt manufacturers i respect- Chris at Artisan Fidelity and Steve Dobbins of Kodo- endorsed it.
I'm feeling positively lethargic compared to others on here!
. Funny how without the default SME V it becomes more tricky to find a right combo but I guess that is part of the fun too.
Some might argue the default in this parish is the 3012r?
That would be my next thought for a Colibri. It's also a well- regarded combo.
With the added benefit of working with your current armboard?
Quite reasonably priced, maybe a third the price of a Scroeder or Dobbins LT.
(They make slightly different versions. Steve Dobbins makes it under license from Frank Schroeder, and uses a magnesium wand)
That would be my next thought for a Colibri. It's also a well- regarded combo.
With the added benefit of working with your current armboard?
Quite reasonably priced, maybe a third the price of a Scroeder or Dobbins LT.
(They make slightly different versions. Steve Dobbins makes it under license from Frank Schroeder, and uses a magnesium wand)
The standard Acutus armboard is for a 9 inch SME arm so it would need a new armboard for a 12 incher like the 3012. All my other arms are 12 inches so it would be nice to keep a 9 inch for this table I think.
Congratulations! They are very special cartridges!
SME 309 with Magnesium Arm Tube a good choice with VDH Carts.How about a 3009R
I had a Black Beauty and Frog copper in the SME sounds amazing
I had a MS Sig Strad 1.1mV but could not like it on my 4 point. It may be because it is a wrong match or it may be my personal preference. I have sent it AJ VdH and he confirmed the cart was operating flawlessly. Since then I retired the cart, because it meant I do not prefer this sound. I have used it less than 100 hours. It had explosive dynamics, deep bass and a very open sound but it did not sound balanced to me. I hear exaggerated highs. This makes some recordings really attractive and not so much on many others in my system.
Okan, do I recall correctly that Mr. VdH set yours to operate with the 18g effective mass of the 4P?
@petek - It's worth pointing out the effective mass - earlier 11" 4P brochures incorrectly listed it as 14g and the manual listed EM at 13g. Correct spec is 18g, per Franc K. The specs for the Master Sig and Grand Cru come written inside the box lid and effective mass compatibility is given as a range. From my own and pictures I've seen, few if any of these cartridges show 18g withing that range. I don't know if you have the 4P and are considering the cartridge or vice versa. If you're looking to buy a Grand Cru you might consider asking for one suited for 18g eff. mass, otherwise it may require a trip to Holland for modification.
If you have the 9-inch 4P, its eff. mass is 13g which should already be compatible with most of the MS and GC. The 14-inch is rated at 19g.
Fwiw, I'm very happy with the 4P + MS sonics.
Kevin Scott ran master signature with 4p on the vox palladian at Munich, only time I liked the Vox
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