Andy needs a new cart

[bob orbell]

Originally Posted by bikerhifinut

Just a daft quick one Bob.
AT that price to replace even after the trade in, it may be worth someone like Dom harper or Len gregory re-building it as long as the tie wire hasn't gone twang.

A.

Yes I have given this option a thought, but after your comments about the rondo it may not be possible, anyway, my local Dealer, who I some times ride with, bicycles that is, dose me a price just over trade, I may still give Dominic a call though at a later date. BOB

[justin brown]

Hi Bob.

Last year my cantilever snapped off after someone attempted to clean my cartridge at the wigwam show. I sent it off to Dom who put a new one on for me. It cost me £370, but had a cartridge which was 'as new' afterwards.

Justin.

[bob orbell]

Thank's Justin, I will give the man a call. BOB

[justin brown]

Bob,

As your cartridge is fairly new, this may not be relevant, but when I visited Dom & Nat last year, we moved onto tonearms as well as cartridges. I ended up ordering an Audiomods M5 and recently had Dom fit it to my TT. When I visited last year Dom showed all he can do, and I even had a look through his microscope to see the stylus and tips.

Dom explained that following his research he has been able to learn about the principle components of cartridge design and quality. He showed me his own very high quality wire that he uses to wind his own coils.

The consequence being that even though Dom repaired my cartridge last year, with my new tonearm I took up Dom's idea about him winding new coils onto my glider.
I now have a glider that trades punches with Koetsus (their words, not mine!). This upgrade was £300 ( as opposed to a new Koetsu at £2k)
Food for thought...

[bob orbell]

Originally Posted by Gerry B

Hi Bob,
commiserations!
In case you are interested I have a nearly new Kontrapunct B that I dare not put in my system due to 2yr old daughter! Its been sitting in its box for ages, so PM me if you want to know more.
Gerry

Cartridge arrived this morning, very well packed, thank's Gerry, fitted it into the arm, switched on and turned up the volume, oh my god what is that dam hum, pushed the start button on the Linn and it got a bloody site louder, took the Linn off and turned it upside down, removed the arm lead, cheeked with a multi meter, no fault found, refitted, still humming loud, oh ****, what have I just bought, a load of junk?, can't be the cartridge, Iv'e had one of these before, in desperation I removed the arm,yet again, took it over to my bench and there was the problem, I had connected the two earth wires the wrong way round, green to blue and blue to green, what a plonker, after fitting the wires the right way round, no hum just wonderful sounds. A big thank's to Gerry B and apologies for even thinking that I had been sold a bummer. BOB

[Gerry B]

Ah, thanks, glad to hear Bob.
So that's what happens when you connect the leads the wrong way round then!
I learn something new every day!

[bikerhifinut]

Don't chuck your old cartridge out Bob.

It could still form the basis for a very nice rebuild in the future.

Although I wouldnt go for a ruby cantilever, a solid boron one is scary enough for "Passion hands andy" (If i had to explain that seafaring term i'd get banned!)

I have just taught Granny to suck eggs................

Enjoy your cartridge Bob. I'm finding the Quintet Black to have a very "rich" presentation and suspect I may need to alter the loading capacitance and resistance on the Phono stage. But It's a nice bit of kit all the same.

A.

[bob orbell]

No I shan't fling it Andy, but to be honest I am thinking of buying another Kontrapunkt B from e-bay, (William Thacker in Germany) he still has a few new ones left, the sound is faultless from this cartridge, brilliant high's powerful bass and best of all very little sibilance, I did like the Cadenza a lot, but think that pound for pound the Kontrapunkt B is better in my system, and Noel Keywood uses one. BOB

[bikerhifinut]

Update.........

I did the hamfist earlier this year with my ortofon Quintet Black .

Managed to "pop" the plastic "bodywork" off the cartridge ally chassis by using a screw that was less than 1mm too long. You have been warned! I only use the screws supplied by ortofon now. In the process of trying to stick it back on I knocked the fancy shibata diamond off the end of the boron cantilever.
I agonised for a long time over what to do and I was almost on the point of cutting my losses and going for a 2M black MM cartridge.
But a phone call to Dom harper and i sent it off to be looked at. The result was a new Fritz Gyger profile tip and Dom also realigned everything that had been knocked out of line, for all I know it may never have been properly aligned.
A couple of months later and it is, to my ears, a much better thing than when new. Still got that Smoothness that I liked but somehow the slightly warm tone? has gone and it seems to dig details out and just sings. And the added bonus is that the surface noise off LP seems much lower, to the extent that records I could hardly bear to listen to are now enjoyable.
Well worth the price, not a massive amount more than a 2M Black so I think I have got a giant killer now.
He ain't cheap but does deliver, well done Dom!

Andy.