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In Reply to: How did the Magneplanar stack up against the 309? posted by tubesforever on December 18, 2005 at 11:26:33:
I had the Unitrac for a number of years before I had inadvertantly broke it. It was discontinued and I called Magnapan to see if they were still doing repairs on it. I sent it back and they sent me a brand new one! About 7 years ago, I somehow screwed that one up. I still had the Signet, so I reinstalled that one.After a year or 2, I had the itch to upgrade the tonearm. I really wanted a unipivot design, but the Graham was too expensive. Of course, the SME had (and has) a great reputation and the 309 was in my price range and offered much the same performance as the IV and V.
By that time, the sonic characteristics of the Unitrac had faded in my memory. But I will say this: It was compatable with the large number of cartridges I tried over the years. It's a beautiful piece of machinery, but a bit of a b*tch to set up. It tracked great with a few of the Signet MM and MC's that I've owned (1812 Overture). It also "felt" great, as if there was no mass when it was lifted.
About a year ago, I saw that mosin (on this forum) owned 4 (I think) of the Unitracs. I emailed him to see if he would part with one of them. But nooooooo! He wouldn't part with one of his precious Unitracs. Just kidding mosin.
Saw one in a box on ebay recently that went for about $500. I think it was about $400 when new.
Am very happy with the 309, but would definitely give the Unitrac another try if the price were right.
Follow Ups:
I still won't part with them. I want your broken one, though. :)
Heck if Mosin likes it, I bet it sounds pretty damn nice!By the way I love my SME Series II Improved and Series III 3009 arms. Wonderful sound, although quite a bit different in how they present the soundstage.
Have you ever tried a Woody Grado model? I bet a Sonata would be a great match.
Over the years, I've tried more cartridges than I can remember, but I always came back to the Signet/AT's, including my current latest incarnation of the OC9. There's something about those cartridges that really sound good to me, and match the rest of my system well.I have neither the desire nor the funds to try the "super expensive" cartridges, nor to 'roll' cartridges. The most I've ever spend was for the Micro Benz (or is it the Benz Micro?) Glider. Sold it last year for $300 after about 50 hrs. of use.
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