Ortofon A90

[mulveling]

Couldn't resist a used A90 that showed a pristine clean stylus via the seller's pro-quality studio photos. Got it mounted on my Phantom Supreme, partly because it should be a good match, and partly because that arm is the easiest to setup a new cartridge on (with the aid of extra arm wands). I'm impressed! I got it to try a "yin and yang" duo opposite my Koetsu Coralstone Diamond, and perhaps I amped up the expected differences in my mind because on first brush they're actually far from "night and day" different until you fixate on the nuances. I used to have a Windfeld MC (the original version, not Ti) on an Fidelity Research arm that was probably a little too heavy and a little underdamped for it. Also I've paired this A90 so far with a warm and full-bodied SUT: EAR MC-3. So the net result is this A90 really goes a long distance in the right directions for me: midrange still neutral & clean but definitely less analytical and dry than Windfeld MC (much appreciated). It definitely has more top end energy than the Koetsu, but this is tempered so that it never "seared" my ears during a long listening session, which could be a problem with the Windfeld MC in my old system. It retains a very crisp/snappy/punchy sonic disposition, which is what I liked about the Windfeld. Detail is fantastic. Totally grain-free and with a VERY low noise floor, like the Windfeld. Bass on the A90 may actually be a tad less impactful (maybe the only slight knock on it - maybe the SUT?), though it's still superb (I considered this a strength of the Windfeld) and I'll need more listening to confirm that anyways.

I will enjoy the heck out of exploring my vinyl collection with this excellent new sound! And of course will reserve final judgement for a few weeks later - my history, since first hearing a Koetsu, is that I always come back to a Koetsu as #1 favorite!

Phono stage is the amazing VAC Renaissance SE. Turntable is Clearaudio Master Innovation - a beautiful table, but boy was I cursing it as I had to tear it all down yesterday to retighten EVERYTHING on it that had gotten loose over time!

Also...my interest in the A95 and Windfeld Ti is on the rise!

 

[Mike]

Congrats. Did you find you were growing tired of everything sounding warm/romantic with the other cart? The A90 is quite neutral. About as neutral as they come. Curious to know which you like better over time.


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[mulveling]

Congrats. Did you find you were growing tired of everything sounding warm/romantic with the other cart? The A90 is quite neutral. About as neutral as they come. Curious to know which you like better over time.

As wonderful as the Koetsus sound, as much as I am in love with them (and probably always will be), I do find myself getting an itch after a while to sample something "different". But so far when I've tried something different, I get excited about it through the "honeymoon" period as I parse out its unique sonic signature against my LP collection, and then eventually end up going back to the Koetsu as my preference. On further analysis, I realized perhaps my problem is that I've been trying "Koetsu Lite" cartridges like Shelter Accord/Harmony and Benz LPS. And of course I know Ortofon is very different from Koetsu, not a "Lite" version - maybe just needed to go further and more recent in their lineup

I still really like that Shelter Accord btw, for daily listening I actually prefer it over its big brother Harmony. I think the combination of titanium and dry carbon fiber body had advantages over the Harmony's full carbon fiber body. It's a shame I just got confirmation it has been discontinued

 

[Mike]

No cartridge is perfect, but I’ve tried more than a few. I have to say, the MySonicLabs are probably my all around favorite. They punch way above their price points. They are essentially the Air Tight carts at a much lower price since they build all the AT Carts. Neutral, musical, fast, dynamic.

My ZYX Universe Premium II is superb. I have a Transfiguration Proteus D which is a real keepsake now.

I recently had some van den hul’s to try. They were good, but not as quiet a tracker as I like.



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[mulveling]

No cartridge is perfect, but I’ve tried more than a few. I have to say, the MySonicLabs are probably my all around favorite. They punch way above their price points. They are essentially the Air Tight carts at a much lower price since they build all the AT Carts. Neutral, musical, fast, dynamic.

My ZYX Universe Premium II is superb. I have a Transfiguration Proteus D which is a real keepsake now.

I recently had some van den hul’s to try. They were good, but not as quiet a tracker as I like.

I have a good friend who got an MSL Gold, but he moved away and I don't travel. I'd definitely like to give them a try someday, they look amazing!

 

[Kuoppis]

Recommend the Benz Gullwing SLR. Still have one, brings all the desired qualities together in one package at a reasonable price.


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[mulveling]

Recommend the Benz Gullwing SLR. Still have one, brings all the desired qualities together in one package at a reasonable price.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have a Benz LPS MR and it's lovely, but I find problems matching it with my favored phono stage (Renaissance SE) that needs a SUT for MC cartridges. I find the ruby former-plate Benzes don't match optimally with a SUT unless you have an MM stage that can load much higher than 47K ohms. I have a Hagerman Trumpet MC that does very well (JFET MC stepup) with the Benz, but it's not quite at the level of my VAC so I'm left wanting for a bit more.