|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
173.225.52.226
I was planning on getting a Reference Sonata1 for my new turntable
A friend has suggested a Gold1 with the 8mz stylus as a possible half price "95% of the Sonata" alternative.
I went through a web search and people's experiences and reviews seem to say it's a "giant killer" combo - though I have been burned in the past by following up on such claims - though in this case it sounds like the combination is much like a Sonata1 without the potting compound.
If I already had a grado cart, this would be a "no brainer" for me, but I am buying for the first time, so it really is $600 vs $320 "giant killer"
Any thoughts?
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad"
Follow Ups:
You might find this site interesting, if you haven't seen it already:
http://daveyw.edsstuff.org/vinyl/cartridges/mi-cartridges/
Looks like he tried the 8mz with a Prestige Red and liked it. He has samples posted for comparison, including one from a Reference Sonata.
Never heard of Carmel before but this one track made me look up her album.
AFA the cartridge comparo, my Grado SR-60s and WMP, as usual, make everything sound pretty much the same. Great effort byt Dave, tho'.
Hey that's great!I can hear the differences between the various levels.
Based on a quick listen to track 1, it does seem like the Sonata1 is more detailed and has more extension than the various other grado combinations - though the Gold + mcz is darn close to it. THe extra $250 is definitely law of diminishing returns (especially since a new stylus is $100-150 and a "retip" on Sonata is about $400-500!) You can really hear the tonal richness compared to all of the non grados, too!
It had a DL-160 there, which is my current cart. The tonality is spot on in the WAV file the guy generated, so I am sure I can understand some of the differences by listening to the other carts.
Was also impressed with the Dynavector 10x5 and 20x - so if I feel the need to grab a spare MC cart ... this would be a great choice, too, esp the 10x5.
THANKS!
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad"
Edits: 05/22/12
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: