I have opened a new thread specifically for the SuperLine E as I suspect most SL owners will have the standard one rather than the E version.
I am looking for a new cartridge - it needs to be an all rounder music genre-wise and given that I have the SuperLine E / SuperCap, it should have an output of 0.4mV - 0.8mV. (the specs recommend output between 0.2mV and 1.0mV but feel that somewhere in between would be best)…
The Lyra Kleos is certainly on the shortlist but there are a few others that I have been looking at and would appreciate any feedback from members with any experience with them:
The entire EMT line is an obvious choice as of course the „E“ stands for EMT.
I have been running an EMT JSD S75 on a P9 - it is much more detailed and refined than the TSD 75 series and has many characteristics of the mid to high-end Lyra with a beautiful tonal balance.
The TSD (15 or now the 75) series is my favourite Rock and Jazz cartridge - very robust dynamic and explosive with a perfect neutral tonal balance. Excellent portrayal of drums in particular! Like a much more refined and neutral version of the Denon DL103…
You list an EMT in your profile, how does the E cope with that? @Richard.Dane has posted that the E version of the superline isn’t quite suited for it, unlike the stagline E but what did you find?
The MY Sonic Labs carts are mostly 0.5mV. I’ve heard a few models on a visit to Ana Mighty Sound in Paris and they impressed with all sorts of music, the MSL Ultimate on a Dohmann has left a dent in my memory but the slightly less exalted models on a CSPort outshone the other carts that day, which were several Phasemations and a Koetsu Urushi Azure. I’d only dropped in to leave my Proteus with them for a rebuild.
Yes I have been using an EMT JSD 6 for some time now and it sounds wonderful but with an output of 1.05mV it has been mentioned that it might be pushing the headroom limits and that I might see an improvement if I try a cart which sits more in the middle of the SL E recommended parameters. Seeing as it is time for a new cart sometime this year I thought I might explore options.
I will take a look at the MSL carts - not familiar with those…thanks!
It’s in the 20th but visit is by appointment. You probably won’t find them without instructions even with the address. They’re an enthusiastic bunch and very hospitable but not Naim fans, though they grudgingly agreed that NBLs were OK. There was a comment that my foot wasn’t tapping to their system, which was true but shows they have a rather stereotypical view of Naim owners or a sense of humour, I’m not sure which yet.
They put a video of the system up from my visit playing my copy of Roy Harper’s Same Old Rock and it did sound pretty good on their but on the whole I wouldn’t trade mine for it, except possibly the Dohmann and I’d want to keep my arm. They’re agents for Schröder so an important contact for me if I ever need service on it. I’m holding off trying their handywork on my cartridge until after I move house so will have to set up the arm again anyway.
I wonder how My Sonic lab cart could sound on my P10. I looked at their website, they sell very expensive gear, mostly tubes amp I think, but Dartzeel too.
I will probably contact them by curiosity.
Thanks.
My Sonic Lab has a great reputation. So it’s indeed a cartridge to consider here.
My Sonic Lab do look interesting but they are very expensive! The cheapest model is around $4000 and that is about $1000 more than I am willing to spend so even though they may be great they are not really on my list at the moment…unfortunately
I did have a MSL Signature Gold mounted on my Rega P9 for some time to gauge the cartridge before mounting it on my DPS3 - it worked beautifully (although a bit overkill). The MSL is a great cartridge for classical music - finely detailed with a nice balanced rich tonality, wonderfully easy to follow each instrument in the orchestra with great textured bottom end.
I ended up with a Lyra for the more dynamic sound and since replacement cost in case of damage is not very favourable for MSL should anything ever happen; Lyra has a much better trade in and repair program - something to consider for these überexpensive cartridges.
The lower end MSL are well worth a try on the Rega and should be a match! And they do fall in the right range for the Superline E.