Well, I finally decided to replace the absolutely ancient Pickering XV15 on my turntable (an equally ancient Dual 1219). I couldn't make up my mind which way to go, Grado Gold or Denon DL160, so I bought both, and figure I'll keep the other as a backup. I'm hesitant to spend more than a couple hundred bucks on a cartridge with this turntable anyway, since it has compliance requirements that make it rather unusual in today's marketplace. (Denon's 14cu is pushing it-- most carts that Dual recommended for it back in the day are in the 15-25cu range. Art Dudley's beloved DL-103s are something like 6cu, as a comparison.)
I've doggedly kept up the Dual both for financial reasons and for technological ones-- it's an idler drive, putting it into the same family as the legendary Garrard 301/401 and Art Dudley's own Thorens TD-124. I note that in the late 60's, idler drive tables held a rather disproportionate share of "A" and "B" Stereophile Recommended Components, and there's no question that they sound noticeably different from belt drives-- much more low bass, and speed stability almost on par with direct drives. Rega's P3-24, a fine turntable costing about the same in today's money as the Dual did in 1971 ($180=~$1000) sounds thin and a bit wiry by comparison-- I think that I'd probably have to spend considerably more to get sound that I like as much in something new. One of these days, I'll find a Thorens or Garrard for less than extortionate prices and rebuild it, but until then, Dual it is.
I digress. Grado Gold1. Which hasn't been reviewed all that much on the web so I thought I'd put a few words up.
I take back everything I ever said about Grados (I had a Green, previously) having mushy bass. The Gold1 does not. I could hear Ringo's kick-drums on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I could hear the bottom octaves of the cello and even of the string bass, limited only by my speakers. (Mingus Presents Mingus sounded as good as I've ever heard it on my system) The highs are clear, with gorgeous transients (listen to the Julliard Quartet play Ives' First String Quartet) and harmonics, but may be a little rolled off in the extreme (>12,000hz) high end, simply because this cartridge sounds warm, warm, warm, even on records that aren't, especially.
It's a very romantic sound. Very lush-- the midrange is absolutely fantastic for $220 worth of cartridge. For classical music, especially string music, it's more than good enough to remind you why you've stuck to vinyl. In rock, it seems to reproduce fuzzy guitars perfectly, if a bit *too* warmly in spots (I never thought of the Pixies' Doolittle as being warm or cuddly, but it was far less abrasive than usual. This may be good or bad, depending on your opinion of the music. The striped cat stayed asleep while I cranked "Debaser," which is a first.). I haven't played much jazz with it yet, but it seems to do saxophones well, if...warmly. That word again.
The tracking is ok at 1.5 grams, but the Gold1's elliptical is definitely a step back from the fineline stylus I had on the Pickering. I also have a suspicion that the actual cart is slightly lighter than the Green had been-- I had to tweak the counterweight just a bit to balance it after switching directly between the two. (MF probably winces at the memory of those little plastic removable headshells)
If you like warm cuddly midrange and very "vinyl" sounding vinyl, and don't want to spend a huge amount of money, this may be your cartridge. I'm definitely going to keep it around, if only because it may be perfect for those 60's and 70's classical records that sound way too bright and edgy and clinical. It may change a bit as it breaks in a bit more-- I'll update if anyone's interested. I'm curious to see how the Denon will compare, though...
Well, I finally decided to replace the absolutely ancient Pickering XV15 on my turntable (an equally ancient Dual 1219). I couldn't make up my mind which way to go, Grado Gold or Denon DL160, so I bought both, and figure I'll keep the other as a backup. I'm hesitant to spend more than a couple hundred bucks on a cartridge with this turntable anyway, since it has compliance requirements that make it rather unusual in today's marketplace. (Denon's 14cu is pushing it-- most carts that Dual recommended for it back in the day are in the 15-25cu range. Art Dudley's beloved DL-103s are something like 6cu, as a comparison.)
I've doggedly kept up the Dual both for financial reasons and for technological ones-- it's an idler drive, putting it into the same family as the legendary Garrard 301/401 and Art Dudley's own Thorens TD-124. I note that in the late 60's, idler drive tables held a rather disproportionate share of "A" and "B" Stereophile Recommended Components, and there's no question that they sound noticeably different from belt drives-- much more low bass, and speed stability almost on par with direct drives. Rega's P3-24, a fine turntable costing about the same in today's money as the Dual did in 1971 ($180=~$1000) sounds thin and a bit wiry by comparison-- I think that I'd probably have to spend considerably more to get sound that I like as much in something new. One of these days, I'll find a Thorens or Garrard for less than extortionate prices and rebuild it, but until then, Dual it is.
I digress. Grado Gold1. Which hasn't been reviewed all that much on the web so I thought I'd put a few words up.
I take back everything I ever said about Grados (I had a Green, previously) having mushy bass. The Gold1 does not. I could hear Ringo's kick-drums on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I could hear the bottom octaves of the cello and even of the string bass, limited only by my speakers. (Mingus Presents Mingus sounded as good as I've ever heard it on my system) The highs are clear, with gorgeous transients (listen to the Julliard Quartet play Ives' First String Quartet) and harmonics, but may be a little rolled off in the extreme (>12,000hz) high end, simply because this cartridge sounds warm, warm, warm, even on records that aren't, especially.
It's a very romantic sound. Very lush-- the midrange is absolutely fantastic for $220 worth of cartridge. For classical music, especially string music, it's more than good enough to remind you why you've stuck to vinyl. In rock, it seems to reproduce fuzzy guitars perfectly, if a bit *too* warmly in spots (I never thought of the Pixies' Doolittle as being warm or cuddly, but it was far less abrasive than usual. This may be good or bad, depending on your opinion of the music. The striped cat stayed asleep while I cranked "Debaser," which is a first.). I haven't played much jazz with it yet, but it seems to do saxophones well, if...warmly. That word again.
The tracking is ok at 1.5 grams, but the Gold1's elliptical is definitely a step back from the fineline stylus I had on the Pickering. I also have a suspicion that the actual cart is slightly lighter than the Green had been-- I had to tweak the counterweight just a bit to balance it after switching directly between the two. (MF probably winces at the memory of those little plastic removable headshells)
If you like warm cuddly midrange and very "vinyl" sounding vinyl, and don't want to spend a huge amount of money, this may be your cartridge. I'm definitely going to keep it around, if only because it may be perfect for those 60's and 70's classical records that sound way too bright and edgy and clinical. It may change a bit as it breaks in a bit more-- I'll update if anyone's interested. I'm curious to see how the Denon will compare, though...