HI All,
Wow, this thread has been a pleasure to read. I'm impressed by the variety of cartridges mentioned, the knowledge and experience of the owners, the cost of many of these systems, and the quality, in general, of the arms and turntables. I have stated in the past that we are living in the Golden Age of analog reproduction and this thread supports this view.
I'm going to first give my system context. I wish everyone had done this. Tone Arms: Eminent Technology ET2.5, Graham 2.2 Deluxe. Turntables: Sota Nova, Oracle Delphi V, Thorens TD125 Mk1. Phono preamp: Aesthetix Rhea. The remainder of my electronics are ARC. Speakers are Martin Logan CLS II esl's with dual biamped subwoofers.
I am currently using the Lyra Skala on one ET2.5. The other ET2.5 has a Monster Sigma Genesis 2000. The Graham has the Audio Technica OC9/2 on the TD125.
I have used many MC's over the years. The only one that has really stuck is the Monster. The Lyra Skala is relatively new replacing a Clearaudio Discovery. The Skala is the best cartridge I have used. The Discovery was something of a disappointment. Good but not great. The Skala outdistances it in most every way and they cost about the same.
The OC9/2 was the biggest surprise. This is a good cartridge that does everything well. It does not elevate to great but for $500 it is a worthy cartridge that needs to make no apologies for its humble place in the cost category.
I must wax poetic about the Skala. In almost every way it is outstanding. It does all the required things well such as tracking, frequency response, and separation-the things that can be written on a spec sheet. The sound fits my tastes to a tee. My sonic priorities place detail, resolution, and imaging at the top of the list. But the Skala does much more. Excellent bass, outstanding dynamics, realistic midrange, very resolving without edge-just natural. I find this cartridge to be very honest. It's not warm, not edgy, not cold, has tremendous dynamics and its sound staging is three dimensional. Like most great hi fi gear, it has little signature to write about. I have never heard this cartridge mistrack. The Skala is not in the Koetsu camp. Of course, this is not a quality judgment. It simply is a statement about my taste in sound. I've never admired Koetsu. Too colored in spite of its wonderful strengths.
I think it is important to live with a piece of gear for a while before making public pronouncements. Hearing something at a show is not a fair way to judge. Too many times it is wrong.
I would love to hear other top end cartridges but I can only afford what I have. Living out here in the wilds of New Mexico, there are few opportunities to hear the best cartridges. But the chile is great!!
Sparky
.) Well worth the effort, IMO.
