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afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
$170
Fluance RT80 Classic High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable Record Player with Audio Technica AT91 Cartridge, Belt Drive, Built-in Preamp, Adjustable Counterweight, Solid Wood Plinth - Piano Black https://a.co/d/fDpXQMo
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
Decided that my old AR XB turntable (which I'm trying to sell) running an almost-as-old Audio Technica Lab Series LS500 microline moving magnet cartridge had convinced me that I needed to upgrade the Ortofon Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge with nude elliptical stylus.

My dealer is such a straight-up guy. My inclination was to go with the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze to get that. He stocks Ortofon, Audio Technica, Denon, and Hana cartridges. After much discussion, I settled on the hand-assembled and tested Hana ML moving coil cartridge. The AT & Denon choices were very good and a little less coin. The Ortofon Cadenza Bronze was 2x the money. It took me a little over 1/2 an hour to dismount the Quintet Blue, mount the Hana ML, align it, set the VTA and the azimuth, and calibrate the tracking force to 2.0 grams.

What a lovely sound! Suddenly there's deeper bass with more detail, richer mid-range, and smoother treble. More channel separation, and space, tracking is sure (though that was never a problem with the Quintet Blue either.) It's far less tolerant of any contamination deep in the grooves, so I'll only run records that have been run through the ultrasonic cleaner. It's a keeper!
Hanna_ML_tracking.jpg

Hana_ML_Cartridge_Box.jpgHana_ML_LoveOverGold.jpg
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
Good to hear Ken, the Hana line of cartridges seem to be getting a fair amount of good press these days
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
Mikado463 said:
Good to hear Ken, the Hana line of cartridges seem to be getting a fair amount of good press these days
Click to expand...
I was quite surprised that my dealer had them in stock! Yes, they are getting rave reviews.
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
Well it seems I rushed to judgement and the Hana ML is not what I really expected. It appears to be a very rare defective one. The cartridge has a strong right channel bias, noticeably weak left channel. I thought it might be the recording, but it wasn't. The Luxman integrated amp has a balance knob, I think good for 6 or 10dB of shift either way. It was not enough. It's going back to the importer (Musical Surroundings in California) to get checked. For now, back to the original Ortofon Quintet Blue.

In the meantime, I'll try this Audio Technica AT33Sa cartridge. It's got a stellar reputation and a lot of notable features, though primary among them is the Shibata stylus profile that I'd been after. We shall see. I like that it's $300 cheaper than the Hana. I may install it over the long weekend.

AudioTechnica_AT33Sa_cartridge.jpg
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
afterlife2 said:
Happy Turkey Day!Anyone use these? 12.99 black Friday sale.
Click to expand...
No, but I'd like to know if they're "anti-static" or not. The ProJect "Leather-It" one I'm using is quite good and seems really effective in reducing static electricity charge.

Happy Thanksgiving to our US-based members, and an especially respectful blessing the Native Americans and others observing Native American Heritage Month.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
TT mats are platter / table dependent IMO, my VPI Aries III with super platter utilizes none. I have zero static issues during the winter months by using a good carbon fibre brush and maintaining close to 50% humidity in my man cave
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
Mikado463 said:
TT mats are platter / table dependent IMO, my VPI Aries III with super platter utilizes none. I have zero static issues during the winter months by using a good carbon fibre brush and maintaining close to 50% humidity in my man cave
Click to expand...
We can agree on that.

I have an E.A.T. C-Major turntable which has an integral mat made of recycled record vinyl. Another I have is an Acoustic Research XB (modified) that has a two-piece platter, and the outer portion must be lifted off to access the belt & motor pulley to change between 33-1/3 and 45 rpm. That means the mat must be removable, and durable. That's where the Leather-It mat excels. A third turntable (waiting in the wings until the AR XB sells) is a Kenwood KD4100 that has an integral but removable rubber mat that sits deep into the counterbored platter surface.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
KenM10759 said:
No, but I'd like to know if they're "anti-static" or not. The ProJect "Leather-It" one I'm using is quite good and seems really effective in reducing static electricity charge.

Happy Thanksgiving to our US-based members, and an especially respectful blessing the Native Americans and others observing Native American Heritage Month.
Click to expand...
Just bought it for looks let's see if there is a sq difference I doubt it, but some claim yes.
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
The Project Carbon EVO turntables come with felt mats which seemed weird after years of using rubber. I replaced the metal platter with an acrylic one which does not require a mat but the records can slip a little if I try to clean them while on the platter. Thought about adding a rubber mat but the added height would throw off the vertical tracking angle so the platter is still bare. Would still like to get a record washer to properly clean the LPs and then I won't need to clean them on the platter.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
I am stuffed! Hopefully everyone had a great TG! Ordered my first one!
$7ish with coupon:
Viborg LP528S Record Weight Stabilizer Turntable Level Strobe Making 3 in 1, 280G (9.9 OZ) LP Vinyl Clamp with Bubble Leveling (50Hz, Silver) https://a.co/d/e4f6klJ
 
KenM10759

KenM10759

Audioholic Samurai
afterlife2 said:
I am stuffed! Hopefully everyone had a great TG! Ordered my first one!
$7ish with coupon:
Viborg LP528S Record Weight Stabilizer Turntable Level Strobe Making 3 in 1, 280G (9.9 OZ) LP Vinyl Clamp with Bubble Leveling (50Hz, Silver) https://a.co/d/e4f6klJ
Click to expand...
Are you in a country which uses the 50hz electric supply frequency? I noticed they offer both 50hz and 60hz options. Weird is that they list material as being "plastic." I know some dense plastics but nothing that heavy.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
KenM10759 said:
No, but I'd like to know if they're "anti-static" or not. The ProJect "Leather-It" one I'm using is quite good and seems really effective in reducing static electricity charge.

Happy Thanksgiving to our US-based members, and an especially respectful blessing the Native Americans and others observing Native American Heritage Month.
Click to expand...
Well, they're called 'slip mat', so I'm not sure they're made for normal listening (aren't those used for Rap, House and Hip Hop?).

Also, the ad shows 'Effective Bass Response'- huh?
 
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