What Cartridge(s) Is Everyone Using

DasguteOhr

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Sep 26, 2013
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Lyra clavis d.c so detailed open sound with piano music a milesstone my favorite now. 20230718_160936.jpg
my alltime favorite allrounder vienna the best ortofon i ever heard...sorry dust old photo
Ortofon Vienna.JPG
Zyx airy 3 copper low so close to universe love it over years. 115826-bfece3f6-large.jpg
Next week i get back my shinon ruby red a amazing cart a mix of koetsu and lyra sound.
 

tony22

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Nov 4, 2019
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I had to send my Benz LP-S in for some TLC (age, wear), so I switched to my Sussurro MkII. Another wonderful (IMO) cart.
 
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tom539

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Dec 28, 2021
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Van den Hul “The Colibri XGW Stradivarius“:

IMG_5570.jpeg

atb, Tom
 

Audiofreak71

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Aug 25, 2023
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Good seeing an Ikeda. Great cartridges!
Currently I am using a Goldenberg Maestro. We will be using a DS Audio W3 with a new optical phono stage available from Angus Leung at WestminsterLab once it arrives in late October. (small chassis on top of the Quest pre-amplifier.
Yes they are although the cantileverless ones are a bear to align.
 

Robert Young

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Oct 22, 2020
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Here's a partial collection of carts that get a lot of rotation, primarily because I have CDD (Cartridge Deficit Disor...oh look! there's a Koetsu I should have!).

Seriously, I really enjoy finding vintage MMs and MIs and seeing how much I can get out of them with the right headshell and tonearm. Though the Allaerts usually owns the Schroeder Reference, and the Sony has staked a claim on the Bokrand, I try most of these out on arms ranging from a Gray 108 to an Infinity Black Widow, with an SME 3009 Series II non-improved in-between (and yes, there are more arms...I do indeed have a hoarding issue). The rest are a lot of fun, and frankly super cheap relative to their performance. The Micro Acoustics are both ridiculously good, and the ESE Maya, which is based on the lowly but actually great AT95e is just killer (probably can't see, but it has carbon fiber outriggers on the cantilever, and a gorgeous wood body. If you ever see one for sale, buy it immediately). The B&O is also far better than it should be, and the weird Empire 880p (which looks like a Rebel fighter from Star Wars) is crazy good with '60s jazz recordings... Right now I miss a Supes 9oo Super that I sold recently, and a Shure V15 III with Stanley body and Jico stylus that I sold a couple of years ago to a lovely person who broke the cantilever immediately...sigh. I have to decide if I want to add more of these "bargains," or sell the lot and get a Tedeska Torres and DaVa and call it a game.

IMG_1216.jpeg
 

tom539

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DasguteOhr

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Into the groove...rs 30 shibata Zyx Rs 30 Shibata.JPG
 

the_nines

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Jul 6, 2019
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Here's the newest kid on the block.

Lyra Etna Lamda:


Exceptional sounding cartridge.
 

Mendel

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Feb 13, 2012
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GTA
New Kleos for me. Best cartridge I’ve ever had!
 

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DasguteOhr

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Mendel

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Last edited:

DasguteOhr

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Sep 26, 2013
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I’m assuming this is vintage? What year is it from?
First series of zyx cartride I can't tell you exactly, I know that the company Zyx has been around since 1987. I bought it defectively in 1994 and had it retip with bor cantilever shibata diamond. It plays very homogeneously and the 300 German marks (150€) were worth it.
 

Juiced

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Nov 26, 2022
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Zyx Ultimate EX-100,
The Bass extension really surprised me

20230807_165100.jpg
 

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