Unipivots

[Andrew]

Will do :D

I'm intending to take them with me right now but Mary might think otherwise. Currently my plans are on the same scale as Noah's only my "Ark" will be more like a rubber dinghy in size. I have to make sure there's room for both of us to fit inside too

[Andrew]

I tried to buy the cartridge but their payment options only let you specify Germany or Sweden for delivery. I've emailed them and will phone them if necessary. I'm really keen to try this one :D

[_D_S_J_R_]

It'll cost you more, but an ADC XLM of whatever vintage will do a good job too. Mk1 XLM's NEED a very low mass tonarm with a little damping (the Transcriptors Fluid Arm was a good match), but the MK2 onwards, improved or otherwise, were very good and I believe the more universal XLM III had Jico made styli (tapered cantilever model).

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I am interested in your V15 v M3D comparison. When I did it in the early 70's on a Decca arm on a 401 the M3D was much better musically, the M3D was also better than a 55, The V15 was tinkly and insubstancial. The best was a Decca London but I couldn't stop it humming in that combo. The only time I thought a V15 actually lived up to the hype was on a SME 3009, but even then the body of the music was diminished. The M3D is to my mind a little unique in this respect, it is not perfect, it loses inf compared with more expensive carts, but it gets hold of the body of the music, especially beat and bass lines. Which is why I say I wouldn't use it for classical but if I had a collection of rock and pop 1960's 45's it would be my cart of choice.

BTW I like the original stylus more than the N21. I feel the N21 is trying to make it into a different beast. It is a 1960's rocker with a Triumph or a BSA and greasy hair and leather jacket, it is not sophisticated, nor should it try to be.

[southall-1998]

I am interested in your V15 v M3D comparison. When I did it in the early 70's on a Decca arm on a 401 the M3D was much better musically, the M3D was also better than a 55, The V15 was tinkly and insubstancial. The best was a Decca London but I couldn't stop it humming in that combo. The only time I thought a V15 actually lived up to the hype was on a SME 3009, but even then the body of the music was diminished. The M3D is to my mind a little unique in this respect, it is not perfect, it loses inf compared with more expensive carts, but it gets hold of the body of the music, especially beat and bass lines. Which is why I say I wouldn't use it for classical but if I had a collection of rock and pop 1960's 45's it would be my cart of choice.

BTW I like the original stylus more than the N21. I feel the N21 is trying to make it into a different beast. It is a 1960's rocker with a Triumph or a BSA and greasy hair and greasy leather jacket, it is not sophisticated, nor should it try to be.

Daft question, but is it OK to play more modern songs through the M3D? I have to confess that I like listening to trance/techno LP's

S.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Play what you like, I am just giving my experience. Other experience may be different. If I can be a bit daft - music has emotional, mental and physical aspect which stimulate those parts of us. M3D is a body stimulator primarily, it is a head banger or dance beat type cart.

BTW the M3D didn't come into its own really until I changed the arm from the Decca International to a Neat G30, then it really rocked. The G30 is quite similar sonically to your R200 but better bearings. Very fine 60's arm if you see one on ebay.

EDIT - Neat G20 http://www.hembrow.eu/personal/neattonearm.html

[wiicrackpot]

BTW the M3D didn't come into its own really until I changed the arm from the Decca International to a Neat G20, then it really rocked. The G20 is quite similar sonically to your R200 but better bearings. Very fine 60's arm if you see one on ebay.

EDIT - Neat G20 http://www.hembrow.eu/personal/neattonearm.html

Ooo...errr, i think i've got one of them Neat G20 Doc linked to, came attached to my Garrard 301 but i didn't know what it was,
put a couple of pics up and tried to give it away on the AoS last year but no takers, it looks very similar to the one in the link,it's still kicking about here.

edit: on closer inspection, it's not a Neat but very similar, strange.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I will give you £10 for it

[wiicrackpot]

i'll do better than that, price of postage it's yours, :D it will need a re-wire though,
off to my work soon and home at midnight, will do some pics then and see what you think.

[_D_S_J_R_]

Interesting difference of opinions here.. The deck I did my comparisons on is my trusty old beloved Dual 701, Van Damme exit cables, additional Spacemat and a selection of identical cartridge carriers. The M3-D had ballast added to increase intertia and the N21 is supposed to offer better tracking although 'mine' didn't like the recommended 2.5g downforce. Maybe in a Jelco 750 style arm, things may have been different?





The Dual arm was designed around the V15 III which was available in a special version for the Dual carrier and at the time with original cabling, the V15 III sounded sweeter in this deck than any other combination I'd heard, although a strip of card table baize between top of body and the SME headshell did seem to help take the 'glare' away from the SME 'Improved' arms. The V15 T2 I have is a revelation, treble suckout and all, and in the Dual anyway, offers a solidity and 'musicality' that is highly addictive for me, along with flawless tracking. Interestingly, a good Supex 900E, the Koetsu Black when it worked and a mint Ortofon MC30 Super have no issues in this arm, microphony in the structure being totally absorbed in the cartridge body I found.

Apologies if the above choice of bits nullifies my feelings. I'm sure a more massy tonearm would have 'sorted' the M3-D out. It's certainly a very funky sound. By the way, I also have an M55 body with Ed Saunders stylus, which has a well polished diamond. This is another one I once thought horrible, but apart from a slight bass thickness in my motley collection of decks, I've been surprised how nice it still sounds, while not knowing how different this stylus is from the original...

My vintage 'universal' fixed coil cartridges of choice tend to be old ADC's. I'm hugely fond of the later XLM's, ZLM and Phase IV, which is currently mounted and in regular use. I've always found these sweet but never slushy and with a way of transcending the mechanics of vinyl replay. The Sonus models are descended directly from these (Pritchard designs) and I use my Blue sparingly as styli cannot be got as far as I know.