UPDATE. After a few weeks with this cartridge I have to say that I have found everything I have ever wanted from my vinyl playback. I am not sure I am able to put into words exactly how I am feeling about this cart but I will try.
To put things into perspective my current cartridge selection comprises of the extremely rare and highly regarded Fidelity Research FR1 MK3F, Shinon Boron Red & Monster Cable Alpha Genesis 1000 MK1. These cartridges are considered as some of the best sub $3,000 carts ever made and for good reason.
The Fidelity Research offers a super flat frequency response with amazing soundstage and imaging. It also provides a very life like reproduction of musical instruments. Super smooth and detailed and my previous favorite.
The Shinon Boron Red shares the same qualities as the Fidelity Research but with a slightly less wider soundstage but adds a more solid slam to the music. The bass feels tighter and more pronounced. A real foot tapping cart that goes well with all music genres. My previous favorite when it was on a lighter Oracle SME 345 tonearm.
The Monster Genesis has equally great soundstage to the Fidelity, however it is a little too analytical and therefore higher frequencies are slightly more pronounced that both of the above. Whilst this would be a huge plus to a lot of members, I like my music reproduced in a very smooth fashion due to the fact that I have very neutral and revealing downstream components.
Now onto the Ortofon Classic GM MKII SPU.
This cart has every great quality as the Fidelity and Shinon but it takes those qualities to another level.
Soundstage and Imaging – The SPU widens the soundstage even further and is only restricted by the walls of my listening room. The depth of the soundstage is also improved with the layers of music stretching from next to my ear lobes to behind my turntable. All this adds up to a huge holographic soundstage with instruments popping up in all sorts of locations around my room.
Music Reproduction – Musical instruments are even more lifelike than with the Fidelity Research. The way string instruments, percussion, and brass instruments are authentically reproduced is mesmerizing. Also the first time I heard certain vocal artists with this cart was spooky yet magical. I have read with a degree of skepticism a lot of members state that they felt the artist was in the room with them and until now I didn’t really feel that way, even with the previous carts I was using. Now I can clearly state that this cart brings about a level of realism with vocals that I had never experienced before. I can now honestly state that with some vocalist I feel that I have been transported to a dark and smoky lounge and I am the only member of the audience.
Smooth and silky – This is the signature of the SPU cart and one that may be misconstrued. Yes, the SPU does roll off the top end frequencies but it is not at the expense of detail. I personally prefer to have the higher frequencies rolled off as some instruments can become annoyingly pronounced with those more analytical carts. The SPU does roll off the higher frequencies but the fine and delicate details remain.
Tight and low – This thing delivers music to your ears with so much slam and gusto it’s almost physical and It’s certainly emotional. The delivery of the low frequencies is rock solid and it goes super low. It feels like I have installed a couple of high quality subwoofers to my system.
Finally silence – One other attribute of this cartridge is how quiet it is in the groove. Not sure if the spherical diamond stylus is the reason but I can say that between tracks or during quiet passages, there is the inky blackness that I hear people speak of so often.
In summary almost every record I play now is no longer just time spent in my listening room, it is a full blown performance.
In providing this update I should not overlook the incredible turntable that supports this magnificent cartridge, the Yamaha GT 2000. The GT 2000 and the Ortofon SPU is a true match made in heaven. The heavy tonearm, the huge platter and the powerful torque of the direct drive motor just accentuate the qualities of the SPU cart.
Also the recent acoustic treatment I have installed in my listening room has allowed this cart to demonstrate its true qualities. Without the acoustic treatment I wouldn’t have been able to pick out a lot of the differences between this and my other carts.
I sincerely feel my upgrade journey for my main system is over and it feels great.
