greg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (08/17/84)
I'd be very interested in opinions people have about the latest generation of high output moving coil cartridges (i.e., those which do not require a step-up device to interface with a preamp phono input). Several years ago, when I was upgrading my cartridge, I settled on a Grace F9E, since at the time there seemed to be serious compromise in those high output moving coil types which were available (Dynavector, Adcom). I didn't find out about the Grado models until after I had bought the Grace. In any case, the Grado cartridges at that time suffered from tracking problems, though I gather they've been immensely improved. Since then, I've seen numerous models by Audioquest, and was particularly intrigued to see a high output model of the Sumiko-imported Talisman. I had heard the low-output Talisman "Sapphire" and found the sound of that extremely impressive. Has anyone heard these or heard about them? I'd also be interested in any comparisons between these and the upgraded versions of Joe Grado's fixed-coil Signature series. - Greg Paley