kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Let us know once you get it installed!
Audio Hardware Deals: Speakers, Headphones, Turntables, Etc.
- Thread starter AnthonyI
- Start date
What do you think of yours? I’ve got maybe 35 hours on mine and I’m beyond pleased.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Been very happy with it. Honestly haven't been listening to the cart so much as just enjoying the records, if that makes sense.
It's a good fit for my setup. The channel separation/imaging is great (a trait I also love in the Zephyr MIMC Star). I certainly prefer it to the MasterTracker.
It's been way too long since I've listened to my Soundsmith, so I can't easily compare them straight up, but at the very least I'm not constantly missing that cart the way I was with the MoFi. So that's high praise.
It totally makes sense. The SAE sounds like nothing. It’s completely invisible in my system. As you know, I was eyeing the Carmen, and had I spent $1000 to get sound like this, I would have thought it fair.
After comparing the Otello to the Grado in my system, I ultimately figured out that the Soundsmiths aren’t a great match in my system. Bass was incredible, but the highs seemed rolled off and detail was lacking in relationship to the Grado. If you know me at all, you’ll know I have a drive to figure out why things are as they are.
After talking with @AnthonyI it turns out that he set his capacitance at 200 pF on his Manley. The Sutherland Duo has 0 pF capacitance by design- it uses a servo instead of capacitors. So the Manley the way it’s set for @AnthonyI ’s system will have better highs. The Sutherland isn’t adjustable. Your Soundsmith doesn’t have a servo- it likely has 100-200 pF capacitance.
I initially thought that couldn’t matter as both the Soundsmith and Grado are Moving Iron designs and per Grado is impervious to differences in capacitance. It turns out while they are both MI, they are not similar otherwise. Grado is super low inductance- like a MC. Soundsmith is much higher inductance, like 13x higher- similar to a MM. The Soundsmith needs to have higher capacitance otherwise high frequencies will be rolled off. With a Grado or MC, capacitance differences only affect frequencies higher than humans can hear.
Had I wanted to go Soundsmith, I would have needed a high capacitance phono cable from the Technics to the Sutherland- something like a Morrow Audio cable. And that was the direction I was headed until I decided to take a gamble on the SAE.
If the Carmen had sounded close to this (with an appropriate cable) I’d have been happy. The fact that the SAE does exactly what I’d been searching for at 90% less is beyond amazing.
HayesWeighsIn
Well-Known Member
I was constantly fiddling with the StudioTracker as well. Just could never get it to do what I wanted it to do.
folsom_lives
Well-Known Member
I'll probably take a stab at them this weekend or if I can squeeze one in on a weeknight after the kids are in bed.
One thing I noticed as well on these was a bit of corrosion/accretion on the cantilever. It looks flaky and crystalline. One of the diamonds looks a bit tarnished too, more so than the other one. @HiFi Guy any recommendations there? I don't want to end up using a chemical and losing the diamond.
EDIT: Not my photo but from SHF and looks a bit worse than mine, but for example's sake.
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AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
This is exactly where I found myself with the Otello and now the SAE, they both just kind of disappear into the system and let the music/sound come through. I was telling @HiFi Guy, I don't think I've ever felt this much synergy from my system/configuration as I do now, these two carts kind of brought everything together nicely.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
I'm convinced some of these got damp in a saline environment, like they were stored near the ocean or something. That just looks like salt to me. Has anyone tried just a little distilled water?
Suddenly that Humminguru Ultrasonic Stylus Cleaner's not looking like a bad idea...
I wouldn’t worry about getting the cantilever spotless. Try dipping the tip in a Magic Eraser or Blue Tac.
The E seems have been stored in a less ideal location vs the LT.
I’ve got the Hudson HiFi and it works fine. I use it once a month. Magic Eraser otherwise.
dansomeone
Well-Known Member
It looks like it got some accumulation during that layover in Cleveland. Just have the crew spray it with de-icer, you'll be ready for takeoff
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I just use Blue-tac once in a while and it's fine. My records are clean enough thanks to the Humminguru + Thunderon brush that I don't get nearly as much stylus crud as I used to.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
I was looking for an inexpensive TT to put in my "Cleaning Room", it's where I have my RCM, sleeves, books and what not, I wanted something in there mainly to check warps without having to go to the other room and see whats, what. So this was made apparent tonight from Mazzy on Youtube,
They run $500, but if you go to the ProJect site and click on the "Buy now from Amazon" they're 50% off while supplies last. Not the end all be all TT, but perfect for my needs and the Beatles part was just a bonus
Project site/page
Not many left if you're interested.
They run $500, but if you go to the ProJect site and click on the "Buy now from Amazon" they're 50% off while supplies last. Not the end all be all TT, but perfect for my needs and the Beatles part was just a bonus
Project site/page
Not many left if you're interested.
I was looking for an inexpensive TT to put in my "Cleaning Room", it's where I have my RCM, sleeves, books and what not, I wanted something in there mainly to check warps without having to go to the other room and see whats, what. So this was made apparent tonight from Mazzy on Youtube,
View attachment 160752
They run $500, but if you go to the ProJect site and click on the "Buy now from Amazon" they're 50% off while supplies last. Not the end all be all TT, but perfect for my needs and the Beatles part was just a bonus
Project site/page
Not many left if you're interested.
The 2 Experience Pepper’s one is an absolute bargain. That’s a really good table for that money!
notjhill
Active Member
Thank you again! Cartridge looks great, just waiting for the hardware now.
HayesWeighsIn
Well-Known Member
Seriously. I’ve always thought the White Album 2Xperience with the acrylic platter looked incredibly slick. That one never seems to go on sale!
Jonny77
New Member
Any idea how it compares to the Debut Pro? Looking to upgrade my table and planning of spending up to $1k
Better table. Better arm, better motor, more mass. It’s the equivalent of the X2 in the current line.
HayesWeighsIn
Well-Known Member
FWIW, I have read a couple of takes on the Debut Pro vs the 2X, (what the 2Xperience is now) and both seemed to state that they overall preferred the Debut Pro by a smidgen, believe it or not. Both cited a certain "excitement" to the music that they wanted to return to with the Debut Pro. I have no hands on experience, just what I have read. I did have a 2Xperience for a while that I thought was a really excellent sounding table. Sadly had to send it back due to a tonearm wiring issue and moved on from there, but I really enjoyed my time with it.