3 Cartridge challenge, same song 'Mystify' by INXS. Thoughts on sound. Please read description below скачать в хорошем качестве

3 Cartridge challenge, same song 'Mystify' by INXS. Thoughts on sound. Please read description below

Let's get this out of the way first and foremost, I am a novice when it comes to the audiophile world. I am a hobbyist and by no means am I a professional or proclaim to be. I am just an enthusiast. Any comments left if answered will not be based on professional knowledge. _______________________________________________________ CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 0:17 DS Audio 003 cartridge 1:14 Hana Umami Red cartridge 2:09 Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge 3:06 Full song using all 3 cartridges _______________________________________________________ This video was just for fun. Actually, a subscriber asked if I could do an A/B comparison of the DS Audio 003 Optical Cartridge and the Hana Umami Red. After a little thought I realized that would not work unless one major factor was changed. Both of these cartridges are mounted to different tonearms and use different phono-stages (the DS Audio 003 Optical cartridge has a dedicated phono-stage) albeit both are using the VPI Prime Signature Turntable. Since the setup specification of these cartridges are complete to their respective tonearms I didn't want to swap them to the same tonearm and signal path which would give a more accurate A/B comparison. I'm just not very good with cartridge setup, alignment, azimuth, etc. I have also been asked which cartridge sounds better. They all sound good to me, so I decided I would throw a wrench in and make the A/B comparison even less achievable by introducing the Ortofon Cadenza Black into the mix, but this one is mounted on another tonearm and is on a Technics SL-1210G Turntable. So this video is not necessarily an A/B or an A/B/C comparison, it's more or less do you hear any difference and what do you prefer? The Hana Umami Red and the Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridges are Moving Coil (MC) and are widely considered high-end. The DS Audio 003 cartridge is considered 'entry' level, but if you go up the food chain of the DS Audio tree they get massively expensive. And although considered entry level, it is not inexpensive. It is in fact a superb cartridge. To get a better understanding of this, a step up in their line to the DS W3 with phono-stage is 15K and the DS Audio Grand Master system prices in at a whopping 60K. So in the end I just decided to play the same portion of the song 'Mystify' by INXS off the Kick album, 1987 original version Specialty Pressing 7 81796-1 while using all 3 different cartridges/3 different tonearms/2 different turntables/2 different phono-stages. Then play the song in it's entirety but switching between all 3 cartridges and turntables. Curious which you think sounds best. Creating the video was a bit of a pain as I had to splice the video and audio from all 3 in order to make the one whole video. Only a slight error occurred when going from the Hana cart to the Ortofon cart. _______________________________________________________ Artist: INXS Album: Kick Song: Mystify Year Released: 1987 Label: Atlantic Records {7 81796-1} Genre(s): Rock/Pop Rock _______________________________________________________ SIGNAL CHAINS: DS Audio 003 Optical Cartridge and Phono Stage/EQ https://ds-audio-w.biz/products/219/ Tru-Glider Pendulum Floating Tonearm https://integrityhifi.ca/ VPI Prime Signature https://vpiindustries.com/ ____________________________________ Hana Umami Red Cartridge https://www.hanacartridges.com/produc... VPI Prime Signature with Fatboy Gimbal Tonearm https://vpiindustries.com/ Modwright PH 9.0 XT Phono Stage https://www.modwright.com/products/ph... ____________________________________ Ortofon Cadenza Black Cartridge https://www.ortofon.com/mc-cadenza-bl... Technics SL-1200 G Grand Class https://www.technics.com/ca/products/... Bob's Devices Step Up Transformer https://www.bobsdevices.com/product-p... Modwright PH 9.0 XT Phono Stage https://www.modwright.com/products/ph... ____________________________________ LAST LINE OF SIGNAL CHAIN FOR ALL 3 CARTRIDGES: McIntosh MA8900 Integrated Amplifier https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/ ____________________________________ CABLES: Cardas Iridium Cables Phono and Interconnects: https://www.cardas.com/iridium ____________________________________ Audio recorded using: Tascam DR-100 MKII PCM Recorder at 24-bit/96 kHz Video recorded using: Samsung S23 Ultra ____________________________________ [All electronic products presented in this video are owned by the publisher of this video]