Shure M3D & Decca.

[southall-1998]

Does the M3D have any similarities in sound to the Decca's ?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Does the M3D have any similarities in sound to the Decca's ?

No very different. Decca is fast and light footed, masses of information. M3D is slow and melodic, all guitar riffs are played by slowhand Clapton. A Decca is an M3D on speed, but both are musically very satisfying, they just have their own character.

[southall-1998]

Agreed on the M3D. Never heard a Decca, the new Decca Gold looks good!

I don't know why?, but my father calls my Shure M3D an oddball, but he does like its sound.

S.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

He is right, it doesn't sound like other carts (even other Shure ones), but it is very musically satisfying.

[jammy395]

Cant say ive heard Shure cartridges....But have heard pal's Decca (Not sure model Purple..!! i think) it was bloody good....
But i think i heard told they are quite hard on yer precious records.....Tend to rough up the grooves......
Ill stick to my Goldring.
jammy

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Cant say ive heard Shure cartridges....But have heard pal's Decca (Not sure model Purple..!! i think) it was bloody good....
But i think i heard told they are quite hard on yer precious records.....Tend to rough up the grooves......
Ill stick to my Goldring.
jammy

It is just another hi-fi forum bullshit, some so called expert spouts it and the sheep follow on. Decca's do not damage records.

[jammy395]

Cheers Doc - i will take yer word for it....

Maybe forum bullshitter's trying to keep a good thing down..............

jammy

[Daniel Quinn]

Oh no the pedant in me is free again :D

The act of driving a dimond through vinyl at 33.3rpm at a tracking weight of between 1.6-2.4 grammes will inevitably degrade [ therefore damage] records eventually . So in the long run Decca's dont damage records to any greater extent than any other cartridge

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

The reason the rumour started was because there is no vertical compliance in a Decca. The diamond is bolted to a girder not a spring as in a normal carts cantelever. In the Decca blurb they call it a cantilever as technically it is but it has next to no compliance. So it relies on the speed of the arm bearing to react to record warp or even high transient msical level. There is good horizontal compliance.

The other odd thing is its generator is moving iron as opposed to moving magnet. The iron is magnetised by a stationary magnet so less mass to move as with a moving magnet and this and the closeness of the generator to the stylus is what make the cart so fast and informative - some of the very best carts ever made - though they had a period of poor quality control in the 80's.

This site has great inf about old designs including the Decca, well worth reading for the record enthusiast http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/ortodeccatan.html

[jammy395]

Thanks for the soundfountain site Doc,,,,
Full of intresting info,
Ace.

jammy