I have installed the Audiosilente mushrooms and while tuning the turntable I have noticed the Karousel is not straight. It is bending to the right. Please see attached picture. Is it normal to be so and then putting back the inner plate everything will be levelled?
1 Like
If the subchassis is level and the plinth is level there should be no deflection. 
You will have to level the sub just as it would be with springs.
Yes, it is perfectly normal, the tonearm side is heavier and it will naturally tilt, it’s just gravity. When utilizing springs they all require a different tension adjustment for that same reason. The inner plate is heavy enough to make the whole sub-chassis/armboard assembly rest evenly on the bushings.
3 Likes
@llatpoh76 that’s very good news thank you. I have realised another thing: the left back side of the top plate is slightly above the plinth. The front is levelled. Is it acceptable or I should fix it? Please see attached.
If there is no rattle when you tap on the plinth in that area, I would let it be. Fixing that will take disassembling the the top-plate, which is pretty much taking the whole thing apart. Bending the corners is very tricky and requires lots of practice and experience. If not done right it can reduce overall contact area causing other problems. Also, if you bend it too much it may leave a visible bend mark on top.
1 Like
No rattling. I’ll leave it as it is then. I’m pondering to upgrade to the Tangerine Stiletto hoping is worth the investment.
I have a Stiletto and it is very good and my best source.
However, given the impact of other LP12 upgrades, it probably takes a pretty high spec LP12 like yours before a Stiletto is the best upgrade - if you had Kore, Cirkus and Lingo, I’d be suggesting changing those before changing the plinth. Only my opinion of course…
I have Karousel keel Ekos se Mutech kanda Hayabusa cartridge Radikal 2 Sutherland Duo phono stage and soon will upgrade to Whest 60 se pro.
3 Likes
@Ricco275 -how do you like the Hayabusa?
I love it. Meaty big sound compared to Hana ML and Soundsmith Aida mk2. Very resolving. You have moved to Etna from Hayabusa?
No. I run my Etna on a different deck. I agree with your assessment of the Hayabusa- a bit of a bargain for the sound it generates.
1 Like
Hi,
I’m intrigued by the Hayabusa and would very like to know how similar it is compared to the Transfiguration cartridges. The Temper V was one of my favorite cartridges, but I never liked their medium level designs (Spirit, Phoenix etc.), because they lacked a certain level of assuredness. Both the Temper and the Proteus had this in spades. How would you characterize the Mutech in this regard?
@Mulberry - Unfortunately, I do not have any real experience with the Transfig cartridges. I am assuming that what you mean by “assuredness” is what I would describe as “attack” or “timing”- the opposite of “soft” or “bloated”. The Mutech has great fluidity and resolution which is characteristic of most cartridges with very low internal resistance. The challenge is matching a phono stage that has a good amount of gain/headroom or is a transimpedance type design which thrives on low voltage.
In my collection of cartridges, the Mutech sits pretty much in between a Dynavector and a Lyra in its’ presentation. I currently matched it with a Whest phono stage which brings out a bit more “attack” vs my transimpedance designed Sutherland. Both stages bring out different sonic strengths of the Mutech and I enjoy both combinations. I have not tried it yet with my Allnic phono stage ( tubes ) but plan to do so. Hope this helps but I suspect that phono stage matching will be the biggest factor in your enjoyment of this cartridge- a good dealer should be able to help you with this.
I can say that the Mutech is not as aggressive as let’s say the Linn Kandid. If you are looking for super neutrality/dryness then you should probably look elsewhere. Good luck!
1 Like
What @varyat said. Plus in my case a bigger / fuller / meatier sounds vs Hana and Soundsmith I have experienced before. I have a Sutherland Duo, different technology from little loco, and the Mutech sounds as I described being very resolving. I have selected 58db gain. Ron at Sutherland suggested 60db, he owns the Mutech, but my phono stage has 58db or over 60db.
1 Like
@Ricco275 - you in the States Ricco?
@varyat Paris France.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll try to describe to you and @Ricco275 where I’m coming from, within the boundaries of my capabilities as a nonnative speaker.
Several years ago I had a dps turntable on demo, but managed to kill the cantilever of my Koetsu while transferring it and the Graham tonearm to the dps. The turntables designer thankfully borrowed me his Transfiguration Spirit to continue with the demo. I liked both his level of support and the cartridge. As I wasn’t sure what to do with the aged Koetsu, I went for the Temper V, hoping for something even better than the Spirit. The Temper was much more than just that. While both cartridges had a similar tonality and level of detail retrieval, the Spirit had a tendency to sound like it had to work hard to handle all the information, the Temper did even more but with ease. Pretty much like a master of his trade exuding confidence to get anything done.
Right now I’m using a Sumiko Pearwood that does many things well, but nothing really special. That’s why I’m considering to go for the Hayabusa or my recently rebuilt Koetsu. Ricco: did you get your Hayabusa from Ana Mighty Sound?
Ahhh…a bit too far unfortunately. We seem to share an ear for playback 
I don’t have personal experiences with the cartridges you refer to unfortunately. I can highly recommend the Hayabusa if well matched in terms of phono stage.
I have bought mine from the Italian distributor. I have paid 25% less what ana mighty sound asks for.
Indeed! 