Nat
04-30-2005, 07:12 PM
I have a Satin M117Z, which I tried for a while, but then set aside because for two reasons -- first, it wasn't an improvement over the various Adcoms, Stantons and so on that I was trying after finally admitting that my Decca was worn out, and two, the cartridge weighed so much that it didn't balance out in my MA 505 Mark III or Rega RB 300.
A while ago Royboy, a fellow AKer, gave me a Satin SR 60 damping adaptor, which I think is supposed to damp out the high frequency peak that is typical of MCs, and, if memory serves, particularly of Satins. Then recently I picked up a Denon DP 51F, which has both a low mass arm and a substantial counterweight with lots of possible travel.
So it tried the combo out, and was horrified at how bad it sounded -- mistracking of historical proportions. So then I found that the servo arm wasn't applying the force it was supposed to, and despite Satin's wierdly optimistic .5 - 2 gram tracking force recommendation, it was obvious that the M 117 didn't work well at less than the highest forces. So then I had to figure out how to adjust the electronics to correct forces.
That done, it sounded pretty decent, though a bit shut in at the highest frequencies, not a surprise with a conical stylus -- in fact in this regard it was like the Decca, which also was conical (in most other regards, the Decca was much better, not a suprise to anyone who has heard one).
So then I added the adaptor.
Its not as easy to judge as you might expect, because the adaptor, which I think is basically a inductor and resistor, but can't tell since I can't read the Japanese instruction sheet, causes a significant drop in volume. But it does seem to make the sound stage more distinct and makes high frequencies clearer -- the intial transient of cymbals is more distinct from the subsequent sounds, so there is a more metalic sound, rather than a general high frequency rustling sound.
I think that with some of Satin's ellipiticals and Shibatas (if they made them) the improvement might be more compelling -- the conical stylus simply doesn't resolve as much of the highest frequencies. But with a conical, the increased volume needed probably raises the noise floor a bit, which cancels out the limited improvement.
If you have a higher end Satin, I would be willing to pass the adaptor on to you in exchange for a donation to Audio Karma and a promise that you also will report your opinions.
A while ago Royboy, a fellow AKer, gave me a Satin SR 60 damping adaptor, which I think is supposed to damp out the high frequency peak that is typical of MCs, and, if memory serves, particularly of Satins. Then recently I picked up a Denon DP 51F, which has both a low mass arm and a substantial counterweight with lots of possible travel.
So it tried the combo out, and was horrified at how bad it sounded -- mistracking of historical proportions. So then I found that the servo arm wasn't applying the force it was supposed to, and despite Satin's wierdly optimistic .5 - 2 gram tracking force recommendation, it was obvious that the M 117 didn't work well at less than the highest forces. So then I had to figure out how to adjust the electronics to correct forces.
That done, it sounded pretty decent, though a bit shut in at the highest frequencies, not a surprise with a conical stylus -- in fact in this regard it was like the Decca, which also was conical (in most other regards, the Decca was much better, not a suprise to anyone who has heard one).
So then I added the adaptor.
Its not as easy to judge as you might expect, because the adaptor, which I think is basically a inductor and resistor, but can't tell since I can't read the Japanese instruction sheet, causes a significant drop in volume. But it does seem to make the sound stage more distinct and makes high frequencies clearer -- the intial transient of cymbals is more distinct from the subsequent sounds, so there is a more metalic sound, rather than a general high frequency rustling sound.
I think that with some of Satin's ellipiticals and Shibatas (if they made them) the improvement might be more compelling -- the conical stylus simply doesn't resolve as much of the highest frequencies. But with a conical, the increased volume needed probably raises the noise floor a bit, which cancels out the limited improvement.
If you have a higher end Satin, I would be willing to pass the adaptor on to you in exchange for a donation to Audio Karma and a promise that you also will report your opinions.