greg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (09/24/84)
Last week I bought an Audioquest 404 and would recommend serious consideration of it to anyone who needs a new phono cartridge in the $200 bracket. List price is $225, and I paid $149.50 (bought by mail from HCM Audio in Chico, Ca.). It definitely needs a low-resonance headshell (I bought the Audioquest "Orsonic" for $32) and, having relatively low compliance, would probably not be a good match for an ultra-low mass arm, as are found on the newer generation of Dual turntables. This won't match the $650 Koetsu Black, but for less than half the price it's definitely a "high end" cartridge in terms of timbre definition, reproduction of depth, and clarity in the midrange. Highs are very clean and "live" with no edge or stridency. Low-level resolution is also excellent. There seems to me to be a lack of extreme low bass, but what bass there is (not being an oscilloscope I can't tell you exactly where it slopes off, but I'd guess around 40 Hz) is clean and tight. For detail, reproduction of ambience, and clarity of transients, I'd rank it considerably higher than the Grace F9E that I replaced with it. The Grace itself had been a quantum leap above the Shure V-15-IV I had had before it. This Audioquest will definitely (when mated with a decent turntable, preamp and speakers) let you hear what people like me are raving about when we discuss the old RCA Victor Reiner/Chicago and Mercury "Living Presence" LP's. Hear it for yourself. - Greg Paley