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Post by dsjr on Apr 9, 2021 7:11:14 GMT
No point in arguing, but I disagree Andr'e. 1042 is a bit rough and raspy in other arms but so was the 920IGC and I sold enough of the effers at the time. AT540 and 750 rather better today in alternative UK audiophile arms with ringy midranges and in the Rega arm, the 2M Bronze is my weapon of choice at that price (£300 or so).
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Post by No.6 on Apr 9, 2021 10:47:28 GMT
No arguing its all personal choice.. Well my 920 Wernt raspy but i know full well the Bottom end was fab.
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Post by Westie on Apr 9, 2021 14:59:32 GMT
Well I’ve got the first OC9XML..........and haven’t bothered to fit it. I’ll get round to it sometime. Removing an arm (with captive cable as well) just to fit a cartridge is downright stupid. As much as I like the sound of my arm, I’m getting one with a removable headshell. Should’ve done so ages ago. Not a lot of choice out there though: 9” Jelco?
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Post by No.6 on Apr 9, 2021 15:15:41 GMT
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Post by Westie on Apr 9, 2021 17:59:11 GMT
They are utterly beautiful, but I just couldn’t spend that sort of money on hifi. I was shocked how easy fitting a cart was today. Mind you, it’s the same cartridge, except with a different stylus so it did t need any setup. Just bolt onto exactly the same place and I was done
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Post by classicrock on Apr 9, 2021 18:52:05 GMT
I'm not sure that RB300 and 1042 are a good match. Liked the 1042 on Linn Basic+ but one I had disapointed on RB300 and swapped it for an Ortofon MC. RB300 works well on certain decks likely with a rigid mounting - Michell and Nottingham. I don't think it's best choice for Thorens or Technics either. Current models might be better? Was thinking of trying a !042 on the Technics but they are now a bit pricey and may not be better than the AT95SL or SH. Can you even get a replacemnt stylus for an old 920 IGC?
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Post by No.6 on Apr 9, 2021 19:15:06 GMT
No you cant get the Styli but you can get the styli Retipped with Paratrace for not that much.
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Post by No.6 on Apr 9, 2021 23:13:57 GMT
They are utterly beautiful, but I just couldn’t spend that sort of money on hifi. I was shocked how easy fitting a cart was today. Mind you, it’s the same cartridge, except with a different stylus so it did t need any setup. Just bolt onto exactly the same place and I was done Another proof that the Japanese make the best equipment However i still prefer Mr Ikeda earlier Fidelity Research arms. The 1960's 'FR24' was a beauty
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Post by dsjr on Apr 10, 2021 8:12:02 GMT
I'm not sure that RB300 and 1042 are a good match. Liked the 1042 on Linn Basic+ but one I had disapointed on RB300 and swapped it for an Ortofon MC. RB300 works well on certain decks likely with a rigid mounting - Michell and Nottingham. I don't think it's best choice for Thorens or Technics either. Current models might be better? Was thinking of trying a !042 on the Technics but they are now a bit pricey and may not be better than the AT95SL or SH. Can you even get a replacemnt stylus for an old 920 IGC? Notts isn't a solid mounting as such - they use a collet allowing easy VTA adjustment if that means anything.
The 1042 and RB300 was a great match - on a Rega 3 - try it sometime - we did and sold many hundreds between the two stores and I suppose opinions firm up once they're repeatable that number of times. Not saying the 1042 works on anything else and it was horrible here. Got to say I very much liked the Ortofon 500 series and the higher up versions weren't perhaps as 'fierce' as the 10** series can be. The 2M Blue which replaced the 520 can be a bit picky, but the 2M bronze was delightful when I listened to one I'd set up a while ago.
I don't think any of the above would give the better OC9 models any headaches though... About the only thing westie and I agree on these days.
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Post by Westie on Apr 10, 2021 9:31:06 GMT
I returned the unwanted stylus yesterday so it should be with Scott Monday. I’ve paid the balance, so i should have a second 0C9XML by midweek. The things I like about the OC9 are:
1. I believe Microline stylus profile is the best. It’s less fussy than shibata, has larger contact area and it’s wear pattern means it lasts longer, so is kinder to records.
2. Boron cantilevers are supposed to be superior to aluminium and less fragile than sapphire.
3. The sound of the OC9s is as “nude” as anything I’ve heard, there are no veils and no added warmth. Bass and treble are fully extended,
4. There are a load of high end features that smaller makers either can’t match, or charge way more for.
5. I love the new threaded body. It makes fitting a doddle.
6. The new XML sounds better than any OC9 before it, there’s a YouTube comparing it with the MLII. No comparison to my ears....and I liked the MLII.
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Post by No.6 on Apr 10, 2021 10:53:55 GMT
Dave: No good saying you sold loads, that means nothing as its a fact audio enthusiast sheep share one brain cell. There is one reason why those arms sold so many & you know it. Like i say its all personal choice but im with classic. My RB300/1042 did not work for me. Recently had a Goldring 'E3' which did work for me. Before you come with the Audio Technica cop out who cares its still a Goldring but who gives a rats arse anymore, i do have a life unlike some. Precisely the reason i dont do so called specialist Hi-Fi anymore. It a load of bollox , you might think its ok first off till the penny drops. Do yourselves a favour & buy a laptop & some good headphones. If your into Nostalgia like me, yeh buy records & an old decent no specialist Hi-fi & listen to them for, well nostalgia sake ofc, thats all i listen vinyl for nowadays, i grew up with records & feel empty without them, of course i like good pressings but its a record at the end of the day. Serious listening is files & headphones. If there is ever a mugs game it is truly Hi-Fi. If i could think of one meaning for the word DELUDED it would be 'Hi-Fi Enthusiast'
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Post by Westie on Apr 10, 2021 11:45:42 GMT
The manager of the dealers I worked at used to like the 1042 on a Rega 3. He also used to like the profit. The other guy and I both thought it sucked. It never worked properly in a Rock or Xerxes with RB300 either, to my ears.
I just think it’s a case of personal taste. The manager and I were listening to the same setup and heard opposing things. The other guy and I tended to hate all the stuff he liked. Nobody was right, but we were all right in terms of what we liked,
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Post by Westie on Apr 10, 2021 11:53:38 GMT
I should add that the manager was a very different character to me and the other guy. We were both quite lively, whereas he was the nearest thing to Alan Partridge you will ever find. And so I later came to nickname the 1042 “The Partridge Cartridge” and I still think of it in that way today. RB300 is equally grey and sour to me. It reminds me of watching Germans on holiday trying to dance. They just don’t have music in their DNA.
My point? I think our choices and tastes reflect our personalities. The 1042 has no passion, heart, mojo, style or whatever you want to call it AFAIC. It will appeal to more objective/reflective types. The stuff that appeals to me may appear equally unpalatable to a different character. Thoughts?
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Post by Westie on Apr 10, 2021 12:05:13 GMT
Dave: No good saying you sold loads, that means nothing as its a fact audio enthusiast sheep share one brain cell. One reason why those arms sold so many & you know it. Like i say its all personal but im with classic. My RB300/1042 did not work for me. Recently had a Goldring 'E3' which did work for me. Before you come with the Audio Technica cop out who cares its still a Goldring but who gives a rats arse anymore, i do have a life unlike some. Precisely the reason i dont do so called specialist Hi-Fi anymore. It a load of bollox , you might think its ok first off till the penny drops. Do yourselves a favour & buy a laptop & some good headphones. If your into Nostalgia like me, yeh buy records & an old decent no specialist Hi-fi & listen to them for, well nostalgia sake ofc, thats all i listen vinyl for nowadays, i grew up with records & feel empty without them, of course i like good pressings but its a record at the end of the day. Serious listening is files & headphones. If there is ever a mugs game it is truly Hi-Fi. If i could think of one meaning for the word DELUDED it would be 'Hi-Fi Enthusiast' Isn’t the Goldring E3 made by Audio Technica?
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Post by dsjr on Apr 10, 2021 12:06:21 GMT
I sold loads after demming every one (people don't spend the current equivalent of three hundred noites on a cartridge blind, or at least didn't then! - I was happy to fit what they wanted and listen and compare with them - that's how I learned my trade of the time. Doesn't that count? I heard and compared the combination with other things all the time, something a domestic amateur cannot do on a daily/several times a day basis. Before that we sold the K9, which is a direct ancestor to the Goldring E3 although the K9 was one we couldn't all deal with ourselves at home, especially if we had stereo's optimised around the Asak/karma/troika whatever (the K18 was unreliable at first sadly and was soon abandoned for fear of collapsed styli, but the mk2 was excellent I recall). Having tried to use the 1042 outside of a Rega 3 and at home, I was most disappointed and back then, AT didn't have their MM range twenty five years ago as well sorted as well as today. Sorry to repeat myself for fear of repeated flaming, but I had decent repeatable references to try to get close to (and a mastering engineer friend to keep me grounded as to what was real in audiophool land), both analogue and digital, not just a personal opinion as to what 'sounded good to me on the day.' I wanted to hear recordings more as they were made, not just a nice sound at home. I really am trying to appreciate you may not feel this way, but give an old seasoned pro a chance FFS. At the lower end prices we're talking about, lots of wiggle room in analogue formats I admit as regards what compromise suits you best but surely the end game in any 'high fidelity' audio system is to try to get the 'serving plate' of a system as clean as possible and the musical 'food' on offer not 'dirtied up' or 'tainted' excessively by the stereo gear itself? As you say Andr'e, its great you don't have to spend a fortune to do it either. Let's face it though, if you're used to a mid level (in price) decent MC such as a well tipped OC9, you're not going to take to a VM95ML so easily, are you?
RB300 sour or grey? I've always found that fascinating as to me, it just reproduces shit cartridges as shit - if you found the 1042 that way then fine, but I'd temper that by suggesting that speakers with no bass may not be right with this cartridge - and Kans/IBL's and other favoured speakers of the time for example have no bass at all really and a rather exposed upper midrange, often calling for ripe soft sounding cartridges and definitely no digital! Unlike the RB330, the single nut direct couple approach may have made it too sensitive to armboard materials and I think that was discussed on AoS once a few years back, with Speedy Steve making nice wooden Rega-cut armboards for the Techies that used to be butchered over there.
Just my take of course.
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