Post by Owen Y on Jan 2, 2017 14:53:52 GMT 12
My nephew scored this off Trade Me for not a lot of $$, less than 10hrs use apparently. This is a MM cartr in Sumiko's Oyster series, sitting above the Black Pearl MM & below the Blue Point MCs. Retail price NZ$249. Elliptical stylus, 3.5 - 4mV output, tracks at 1.5 - 2.0gm. However, no stylus guard  ?? I have been asked to install it on the Rega Planar 3 / RB202 tonearm. 
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Post by cooksferry on Jan 22, 2017 18:33:51 GMT 12
I had one of those on a Michell Focus/SME seriesIII arm. Can't remember much about it though, fading memories.
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 23, 2017 18:58:31 GMT 12
The Pearl is a fine cartridge - possibly the best MM I've set ears upon  And at NZ$249, petty cash by audiophile standards  It's got a beautiful looking (under the microscope) elliptical stylus & puts out ~4mV. Sounds warm, ambient, dynamically punchy & open, with a very 'present' midrange with the Rega. Overall, balanced & 'complete' (tone & timbre). Here it is running on the Rega..... 
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 23, 2017 19:25:47 GMT 12
Now this is interesting..... .  These 2 cartridges, the Sumiko Pearl & the Shelter 201 are reportedly OEM manufactured & apparently the same basic cartridge. Stylus specifs are slightly different, both elliptical however. The Shelter 201 was awarded The Absolute Sound's 'Affordable Cartridge of the Year 2015' The Shelter costs 2.6x the price of the Sumiko!
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Post by cooksferry on Jan 25, 2017 6:47:31 GMT 12
How do you find surface noise with the Pearl Owen? Something like this may be a nice alternative to my Dynavector and a change of pace without spending mega bucks. I have been looking at some of the AT cartridges out of Japan as a backup. From memory I replaced my Black Pearl with a Goldring 1042. One of the big bonuses moving to the Dynavector was the huge drop in surface noise, especially on some of the older 2nd hand lps and I'm guessing that the tip shape on the Dyna has most to do with that.
I still remember the Friday night session with Foveaux when he first put his new 10x5 through its paces, it was like breathing new life into the music.
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Post by guitardude on Jan 25, 2017 7:41:18 GMT 12
Hi cooks,
Why not have a look at the new Hana range Simon in Dunedin is bringing in. I just got an EH for not much $ and its very smooth, certainly no issue with surface noise.
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 25, 2017 12:26:11 GMT 12
Hard to give you definitive advice on this one cooksferry . 'Surface noise' is dependent on a few factors I think Aside from the vinyl itself, IME this seems to be greatly affected by stylus profile, eg. I remember thinking that vdH stylii brought out more surface noise than my own MC cartridge - some of that likely also have been to do with frequency response, as well as stylus shape. The elliptical Sumiko Pearl did not emphasise surface noise in my setup. (MMs do not have the eerie 'empty' backgrounds that MCs have, but this characteristic also allows MC HFs to reproduce with greater detail & liveliness.) The 10X5 has elliptical stylus & the 20X2 has 'micro-ridge' - so I'd expect the latter to trace HFs with with less distortion, more detail & extension. The Black Pearl is conical tipped, whereas the Goldring 1042 had a Fritz Geiger stylus (another 'line contact' narrow stylus) - do you recall that the 1042 changed things much, surface noise-wise? I would guess that the Black Pearl would sit somewhere in between these latter 2.
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Post by guitardude on Jan 25, 2017 12:48:45 GMT 12
Re surface noise.
IME is most affected by system gain, i.e is very much more noticeable in a high gain system. My own system is very low gain and generally very quiet anyhow so surface noise doesn't cause me any issues whatsoever. mind you an RCM also helps....
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Post by foveaux on Jan 25, 2017 20:47:08 GMT 12
Thanks for this info. Guitardude. I have Hana on my shortlist - specifically the SL (Shibata stylus, Alnico magnets) - who is your man 'Simon' in Dunners? (I work there) - would you kindly give me a steer/contact please? Cheers, f
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
850 posts
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Post by guitardude on Jan 26, 2017 7:28:20 GMT 12
Hey F,
It's Simon that does the Wand Tonearms !
Design Build Listen <simon@designbuildlisten.com>
nice guy too.
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Post by foveaux on Jan 26, 2017 9:10:40 GMT 12
aha...that makes sense. cheers Guitardude
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
850 posts
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