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I was gifted with a NOS Spectral MCR Signature cartridge. Internet searches did not turn up much information other than many of them for sale in the past were re-tipped. Additionally, a friend of mine knew someone back in the day whose stylus disappeared after about two months use. Visually, the stylus and cantilever do not appear robust, almost requiring a magnifying glass, making me fear that my fine motor skills are not up to the mounting task. The MCR would be replacing a van den Hul MC2 in a VPI tonearm (a cartridge I would not consider replacing other than this gift). Preamp is a McIntosh C2300. So, where does the MCR stand in the pantheon of cartridges? Is it robust? Anything I should know? Thanks in advance!
Follow Ups:
The McIntosh C2300 specification for the mc input is 0.45mv for 5V balanced output. Coda tells me my monoblocks will clip with a 2V input. So, it should work, perhaps with a higher volume setting than I'm used to. I now need the courage to go ahead and mount it. Thanks for your responses
The Spectral Signature is a high quality LOMC cartridge with a low output of 0.2 mv/ch. It has a ceramic reinforced aluminum cantilever with a line contact stylus. It has a lateral dynamic compliance of 8 x 10-6 cm/dyne that places it somewhere between low compliance and medium compliance (vague terminology).The low output requires a phono preamp and MC headamp/stepup transformer combination with at least 63db combined gain. Lower gain will result in too much noise in the background.
Unless someone else has better information I would assume that this cartridge is not a "robust" cartridge (like a Denon DL-103/103R) and the cantilever/stylus that your referring to is a very low mass assembly.
If I read the concern in your post...this is not unusual but it does require some precautions when using the cartridge. I have found that placing the turntable close to eye level helps in handling the tonearm and preventing cantilever accidents.
Ed
We don't shush around here!
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof
Edits: 09/22/14
I have a MCR Select. It likes a lot of gain. I'm using a Levinson 25 into my Mac MA6500 aux input. Brian at the Analog Room said it also likes the tone arm slightly tail down ( less SRA?). I've often wondered what a Bottlehead Eros would sound like, probably would need a SUT though. I'm running 1.8 grams tracking force, and it sounds great, though it's years since I've heard anything else long enough to get a feel of how it sounds. On a good clean record, the record disappears. I don't remember that aspect as much with my Grace F9E, but there could have been other factors at play.
It's a good cartridge, it deserves a good phono stage.
Good luck,
Dave
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain
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