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RE: Have a Scout, have a PS Audio GCPH on order, and am considering a cartridge upgrade . . .

Posted by AnalogJ (A) on August 21, 2012 at 12:43:07

In Reply to: Have a Scout, have a PS Audio GCPH on order, and am considering a cartridge upgrade . . . posted by JoshT on August 20, 2012 at 10:59:55:

Let me tell you, I have an ACE as well as a wood body Glider (the one up from the basic Glider). I can tell you, if you like the Scout, you'll LOVE the wood body, though it may be a bit of a stretch. I actually don't think the ACE is a great match with the Scout arm. Comparatively speaking, it sounds dull or polite to me in comparison with the wood body series Glider. I have also had a basic Glider, though not on the JMW-9 arm and I think it's a better cartridge than the ACE.

Bes at Music Direct loves the ACE, but not on the JMW-9 arm, but he agrees that the wood-body Glider is a really good match. He personally feels that the wood-body Glider is the sweet spot in the Benz line, the best value per se.

I haven't heard the Dynavector 20X series, but Harry Weisfeld loves it on his tables. The Karat is a different sounding cartridge than the 20X. Harry told me once that with the 20X, you give up soundstage depth, but otherwise really plays music. I lent him my wood-body Glider and he thought it was a great cartridge, but heard a bit of a recessed midrange (I agree -- the whole Benz line does). He told me he thought the wood-body would be a fantastic cartridge if the midrange didn't have that slight dip. Nonetheless, the Benz wood-body is really musical. Not the fastest, but it's a great cartridge to listen to over the long haul.

I have heard a Soundsmith Zephyr and, while it was extremely fast, it left me rather cold.

In any event, you like the overall flavor of the ACE, so you'll get that, but a MUCH more engaging cartridge in the wood-body (or even the Glider, though the Glider is a bit light for the JMW-9 -- you'll need some headshell weights).

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