More Advice Needed, Please

Yeah that sneaky idea sounds good, it's a;lso good to know that I may get s/h cart and only $50 to retip, should have my new cart by next week, hopefully.

 

Thanks guys. Goomer, I contacted '2juki' and he's doing a Kontrapunkt B at a price under the re-build price quoted by Henley design!!!

Have you bought from him before? Do you think that there would be any problems.

The Shure cartridge is a real bargain, as is the Denon. But having heard the Ortofon and I must say i'm impressed with it.

What do I do????

Kev, do you think that I could sell the Kontrapunkt on ebay for anything? I did speak to the Expert Stylus company before, but I lost their number and forgot their name until you mentioned them thanks. Do you have a number for them?

Clint

 

clintonf, hope its not too rude to ask how much?

 

For the Kontrapunkt B? Well with the current conversion rate using www.xe.com/ucc around £325 (including 6 day delivery).

I'm seriously considering getting a new one and selling the broken one on ebay.

I'm just getting the low down on the supplier.

I hope this helps.

Clint

 

that is a good price.
I have heard others who have purchased from the seller without problem.

 

Hi Clintonf,

I have dealt with "2Juki". I picked up an spare Ortofon Jubilee from him on ebay. I won the cartridge on Sunday got the Cartridge on Thursday. (Would have been Wednesday if I was in.) If you are lucky you may escape any inport duty or tax. The price was the cheapest I have ever seen. No problems with him at all.

Bare in mind that buying anything abroad has an element of risk. But he does offer insurance.

SCIDB

 

Excellent. So it seems that I may go against the current suggestions and go for one of the Ortofons.

However, as I am getting a completely new TT (blindly) I wonder whether the Kontrapunkt would be the best suit for the Michell. I've currently got a Rohmann, so I was looking for a back up cartridge.

Am I going mad with the choice of "spare" cartridge?

Thanks all again (I'm nearly there with my choice)

Clint

 

Hi people. Just to let you know that i've gone mad and ordered a Ortonfon Kontrapunkt C from "2Juki".

I will let you know when it arrives.

Thanks all for your input and please don't think that I ignored any of the other suggestions. It just that I got a good deal on the Ortofons and I couldn't pass it up.

Next for the valves of the EAR!!!

Thanks again!!!

Clint

 

Clint, the 834P is one of the most reliable valve products on the planet.

Possibly just one of the most reliable products on the planet, scrub the 'valve' bit!

I bought mine second hand - it had sat with the last owner doing its thing for about 5 years. Its now sat doing the same thing for me for another 5! - not one iota of work has gone into it.

The valves last for many many years, and changing them might be a redundant thing to do.

Basically, I wouldnt do a thing to it. If the sound eventually starts to let you know the valves need changing you could. I wouldnt be suprised if they lasted 10years + though, its not unheard of.

However, new valves for it are really cheap, so theres no reason not to change them if you fancy it.

I would pay special care to get valves which have been tested in all major aspects including microphony. Purchasing an expensive valve is no guarantee of its performance. An expensive valve with poor measured performance is an audible downgrade.

 

Thanks Bottleneck. I will wait until I get the Michell and possibly "have a look" inside the 834P (mainly for curiosity) to see what the Valve stuff is all about.

It does sound good to me, but because I bought is 2nd hand, I can't guarantee where it's been.

Thanks again everyone

I'll be in contact when I get my new deck and cartridge!!!

Clint

 

clintof,

I am sure you will find a buyer for your old cart on e-bay, there is always some daft git to buy anything (usually me)

Details you require;

EXPERT STYLUS COMPANY

PO BOX 3
ASHTEAD
SURREY
KT21 2QD

Tel 01372 276604


Ken

 

Thanks for the information Ken, i've saved it on my computer for future reference. I may still have it done, but with the USD prices for new, it's hard to justify a rebuilt. One dealer told me that a re-build is never the same as a new cartridge, another dealer told me that they are the same. Who do I believe?

Thanks again

Clint

 

both!

price will dictate the best solution IMHO

 

The one who had the least to gain, if you followed his advice.

 

Thanks both. I was told that the re-build would make the cartridge the same as a new one by someone who was going to find out the price of the re-build, but he didn't have THAT much to gain and i've done do business with him before so I trust him.

Thanks again

Clint

 

Hi all, just to let you know that my Ortofon Kontrapunkt C cartridge was delivered to me today in, what looks to be, perfect condition. It actually arrived yesterday, but I wasn't there to sign for it.

I would like to thank everyone who offered advice regarding what to do, especially to those who recommended 2Juki!!!

Now, for the TT to arrive and then the EAR with a valve replacement.

Thanks again

Clint

 

Hi Folks, things seem a little grim at the moment. Feelings appear to running high and that's a real shame.

I will ask that members look carefully at the nature of the threads and respond "appropriately" to what is being written. What I define as "appropriately" is to question rubbish, but not to necessarily engage in pointless banter, as all it does is promote frustration and anger.

No, i'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, but I have really got some good advice from forums like this (hence, why i've used this thread as an example) and it would be pity for it to fall down because this constant need to "prove my point". Facts can be correct, but who establishes these facts to be correct. Science is constantly defining what it previously described as "facts" to be incorrect. Similiarly rubbish is rubbish. The art is to spend time establishing and subscribing to the former and to ignore the latter.

Anyway, that's my tuppence worth. Just to let anyone who's interested know that after ordering my Gyrodec SE with Technoarm, I immediately p/x for a VPI ScoutMaster, to which I have had the Kontrapunkt C fitted. I am not going to bore you with the sequence of events that led me to this decision, but it was interesting and typical of me.

So thanks everyone for the advice and I will now settle back with some music.

Goodnight.

 

Well Clint,I'd like to know,so please say why, and what happened please.

 

Hi Adam. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the Michell. It looks very pretty and i'm sure that it sounds very good.

However, the guys who fitted the cartridges for me were discussing with me about the sound quality of turntables verses the look (I always ask these questions - i'm a retailers dream). They commented that one could get a better sound from other turntables at around the same price point.

I could try and suggest that I had an intimate knowledge of the Michell (I bought it on recommendataion, sound unheard) and that the VPI was "streets" away from it, but I thought about my weakness for potential upgrades and considered some of the comments that I heard from others (on this forum as well as shops) agreeing with the sound per pound adage. These were my driving forces for the change.

My brother owns a VPI Aries so i'm a little familiar with them and they were doing the ScoutMaster at a fairly decent price (x-demo), so I had a listen and thought "what the hell". I also read a review of the previous version of the ScoutMaster in Hifi plus which gave a very favourable take on the TT.

I don't want the above to suggest that I was in any way unhappy with the Michell, as that would be inaccurate (i've never heard it). I just wanted to get the best value for money that I could.

I'm just trying not to think about the decision too long as I might start to call myself "stupid" for swapping something without even listening to it.

So there it is! Any comments?

Clint

 

Clint, I think the VPI is great looking TT,I think they are $2,400new from the states,arm inc,as I say look good,so will be intrested in what you think in the sound as merlin is getting the same table to I believe.