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Kiseki Blackheart Compliance

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Posted on September 13, 2023 at 06:34:39
Mister Pig
Audiophile

Posts: 531
Joined: September 21, 1999
I have a 1st generation Kiseki Blackheart cartridge that has a compliance of 20x16-10 dyne listed on Vinyl Engine. What I cannot tell is if this is listed at 10 Hz or 100 Hz. If 10 Hz this makes it a relatively high compliance cartridge. If 100 Hz then not so much, a somewhat high low compliance design. No one seems to know who built the Kiseki cartridges with any certainty, so we do not know if this is a Japanese builders spec or not.

I am thinking of installing it on a SME V. That leads to another interesting question. The V is a 9.5 gram arm, and I do seem to remember owners and even reviewers pairing it with cartridges such as a Koetsu Rosewood. Seems like a significant mass and compliance mismatch. Matter of fact, most moving coils from the time of the original SME V seem ill suited to use with this arm. Even a good number of current moving coils are not likely to be compliant enough. So aside from some of the Audio Technica cartridges, what are favorable pairings?

I currently have a Transfiguration Proteus on it, and I had someone contact me interested in purchasing it. Now I had not given thought of selling it, but this has tickled my what if button. It also can make me think of selling my V and refitting my SOTA Cosmos with new arm and cartridge. Or selecting an appropriate arm for the Blackheart if the V is not compatible.

There would be ultimate kudos if someone ever answered with conviction who built the Kiseki. I don't think Mr Foduko ever clipped a lock of hair and began polishing away to build super diamonds. But it's a great story, isn't it?

 

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RE: Kiseki Blackheart Compliance , posted on September 13, 2023 at 13:21:23
flood2
Audiophile

Posts: 2517
Joined: January 11, 2011
Japanese usually publish compliance specification at 100Hz. The specifications indicate a lower compliance than you quoted (16um/mN).

There are different opinions on the optimum LF resonance range but I wouldn't obsess over it too much. The V is very broadly compatible with most medium to med/low compliance cartridges on the market today.

The standard recommendation is for LF resonance to be in the range 8 to 12Hz. Bruel and Kjaer have suggested 10 to 12 Hz and some suggest even higher to around 14 to 16Hz.
What matters more is how well damped the response is at resonance.
I personally find that 10 to 12Hz is a better range to aim for; I have many high compliance cartridges that hit 7Hz in my arm. I flatten and centre all my records so this doesn't cause any technical issues for tracking, but piano notes can sometimes reveal LF resonance related warbling. With a LF resonance >8Hz, the warbling is not audible and once we get to 9 to 10Hz, the sound becomes very realistic and stable with silent backgrounds.

Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

 

RE: Kiseki Blackheart Compliance , posted on September 13, 2023 at 13:51:46
Mister Pig
Audiophile

Posts: 531
Joined: September 21, 1999
Except Kiseki is a Dutch company wh used an undisclosed builder who may very well have been Japanese. So do we have a 10 Hz or 100 Hz compliance rating?

I will mount it this weekend though and give it a listen on the V. It's really the only way to know what will happen.

 

RE: Kiseki Blackheart Compliance , posted on September 13, 2023 at 18:19:09
Mister Pig
Audiophile

Posts: 531
Joined: September 21, 1999
I did install the Kiseki this afternoon, and got the set up set. Of course I need a bit of fine tuning of tracking weight and VTA. This long body is a bit of a bastard to get on the SME arm, but it does fit. But the initial impressions are very positive, I think this cartridge is going to stay on this table. A very nice presentation. These first generation Kiseki were indeed special. They say the Blackheart was supposed to be an affordable alternative to the TOTL Lapis Lazuli, but who knows as there is always a bit of showmanship with this brand. Nevertheless, very nice indeed.

 

RE: Kiseki Blackheart Compliance , posted on September 14, 2023 at 05:50:54
Alex M
Audiophile

Posts: 911
Location: Hampshire
Joined: February 9, 2001
Milltek was the "budget" range from Kiseki, and many years ago I used their Olympia low-output MC on my SME Series IV. It sounded excellent, though I appreciate that the compliance may not have been consistent between the Milltek and the actual Kiseki ranges.

Alex

 

RE: Kiseki Blackheart Compliance , posted on September 19, 2023 at 10:18:02
Mister Pig
Audiophile

Posts: 531
Joined: September 21, 1999
I suspect that 20 dyne compliance is a 10 Hz based number. I put the cartridge on a SME V and it sounds lovely! I have it slightly tail down, and when I hit this current position, I was listening to an album that had so much lower bass than I had expected. The presentation was remarkable and wholly unexpected.

I remember back to a conversation I had with a audiophile a number of years ago who said he had went to the audio store one day and came back with a Kiseki Purpleheart. How he loved the sound of that first generation Purpleheart (yes this was in the 1980s) but the cartridge did not last a long time. It makes me think it might have been used in a higher mass arm and not a good match.

For now it stays on the SOTA/SME, it's a combination that is working very well.

 

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