Music Master Moving Iron cart

[AndyPandy]

So,...being curious and always keen to simply the box count, I thought I would try one of Len Gregory's (The Cartridgeman's) moving iron cart's, so it can go straight into the MM stage of my Croft integrated (which is a particularly lovely piece of kit).

I ordered the MusicMaster, which is a "yew bewdy" version of the MusicMaker Classic LE. Or as Len describes it:

"it [has] a sapphire cantilever and a very spectacular micro-diamond. The unit is being built specifically to order and has all the usual hallmarks of my units - looks pretty ordinary, but sounds remarkable"

£1300, so not a budget cart but not outrageous either. It will be replacing a Benz LP-S and a Jenzen 1:10 SUT. Both of which will be put aside for a couple of months while I play around with the MusicMaster.

Len's cart's are known to be excellent at information retrieval, but also have the reputation as being a real bear to set up correctly, so lots of playing around to get it sounding right is anticipated. I should have it in a week or so and am quite excited, as this is my first experience with a Moving Iron cart.

It's going on a Triplanar VII arm that is bolted to a GPA Monaco deck. So the deck & arm are good enough to find it's limits, and the Triplanar is wonderful to set up carts on.

To complete the picture, the Croft feeds a pair of Quad 57's, which are just on their way back to me from the Quad hospital, after recieving new bass panels (Shane - if you are reading this you were right the bass was horrible on the 57's when you heard them - the panels were buggered).

Anyone else use Moving Iron cart's, and if so what are their good points and bad?

ps - here is a photo of the standard classic with it's Grado donor body & integrated "isolator"....audio porn it is not....

[turntable]

Ha ha Andy

Very interested to hear how the music Maker sounds.

Len sent me a couple of different isolators for nix to compare to the one I bought. Makes cart set up pretty easy.

[psi310398]

Andypandy,

I have a Music Maker and a Glanz. IIRC, the MusicMaker is a modified Grado, at least mine is. The MusicMaker is the cartridge I use daily for my listening while I work. The Decca London is another MI, loved or loathed in equal measure.

One of the advantages of MI is that it is generally lighter than the magnet on a MM, allowing the use of more powerful magnets and also larger coils than on a typical MC. This allows MI cartridges to offer a decent output while accommodating a lower stylus tip than similar output MMs.

The MIs I have heard in many ways have the virtues of both the MC and MM - easy on the ear, "musical", lush midrange, better bass retrieval than most MCs, good balance from high to low and excellent speed and dynamics. But you will not get the frequency extremes up top or the real delicacy or clarity of the better MCs. That said, I have had the MusicMaker on both my 401 and ClearAudio and the top end is certainly there...

Cons are that MIs can be prone to more hum than MMs, they are highly sensitive to VTA settings and are also highly sensitive to surface noise - your LPs really must be totally clean.

The isolator has a slightly "knocked up in a shed British hi-fi" look about it, which is a shame, because if it is anything like the MC and MM versions which LG sells, it provides a heck of an upgrade for a relatively small investment.

In conclusion, you won't get many better carts of whatever variety for the money. Enjoy!

Peter

[AndyPandy]

Thanks Peter
Great comments there and I'll certainly be interested to see how it beds in. I've grown rather fond of my Benz LP-S, so the MusicMaster will have some work to do to displace it.

Hum isn't good - I hate hum. Surface noise is always a problem with old records, even cleaned old records (I have a KLA and use it for every record I play). Anyways - its on it's merry way to me so I shall have much fun experimenting and reporting back.

@Shane - once I get it up and running (and have the Quads sorted) you will have to pay another visit mate. Oh I've been banned again from SNA (think I'll stay away this time) so best SMS or ring me.

Do you use the Isolators?

ps loving the Monaco...it's a great deck.

Cheers
Andy

[psi310398]

Originally Posted by AndyPandy

Thanks Peter
Great comments there and I'll certainly be interested to see how it beds in. I've grown rather fond of my Benz LP-S, so the MusicMaster will have some work to do to displace it.


Cheers
Andy

Andy,

Yes, the Benz is nice - the MM is not better or worse, just different - they will both satisfy you in different ways. It's not binary - you just need two arms!

P

[AndyPandy]

Originally Posted by psi310398

Andy,

Yes, the Benz is nice - the MM is not better or worse, just different - they will both satisfy you in different ways. It's not binary - you just need two arms!

P

I know!! Until then it is binary - sort of..

[AndyPandy]

Gents

I mounted the MusicMaster yesterday and have maybe 8 - 9 hrs on it. It certainly is improving every hr. You are right Shane the isolator makes mounting dead easy. Actually compared to the LP-S it was a breeze to set up. Not least because it didn''t weigh 16.5 gm, and you could see the stylus easily. It is however sensitive to VTA & VTF - it helps having an on the fly VTA adjustment and some decent scales.

At the risk of "Emperor's New Clothes" I would say that at this stage I prefer the MusicMaster to the LPS + SUT combo, not least because the noise floor is lowered into my MM phono stage. Actually the synergy with the Croft MM phono is immediate and obvious - they seem almost made for each other. Mullards in the Phono stage help.

I would say that the Music Master has as much detail as the LP-S but is more involving - it has the liquidity that I associate with vinyl. Dynamics are good and the top end is slightly sweeter. It seems a very good match with my Monaco GPA, being generous in character.

I think eliminating a box (the SUT) & the extra cable is a good thing.

Overall I would say that so far, I am very happy I bought the MusicMaster cart, and anticipate it being my everyday cart. Whatever it trades in subtly and refinement to the LP-S, it gains in dynamics and "life".

It certainly doesn't look like much, but I reckon it sounds not to bad. Photo's to follow.

2 thumbs up from me so far, I'll report back when I get a few more hrs up.

Cheers

[psi310398]

Originally Posted by AndyPandy

Gents

I mounted the MusicMaster yesterday and have maybe 8 - 9 hrs on it. It certainly is improving every hr. You are right Shane the isolator makes mounting dead easy. Actually compared to the LP-S it was a breeze to set up. Not least because it didn''t weigh 16.5 gm, and you could see the stylus easily. It is however sensitive to VTA & VTF - it helps having an on the fly VTA adjustment and some decent scales.

At the risk of "Emperor's New Clothes" I would say that at this stage I prefer the MusicMaster to the LPS + SUT combo, not least because the noise floor is lowered into my MM phono stage. Actually the synergy with the Croft MM phono is immediate and obvious - they seem almost made for each other. Mullards in the Phono stage help.

I would say that the Music Master has as much detail as the LP-S but is more involving - it has the liquidity that I associate with vinyl. Dynamics are good and the top end is slightly sweeter. It seems a very good match with my Monaco GPA, being generous in character.

I think eliminating a box (the SUT) & the extra cable is a good thing.

Overall I would say that so far, I am very happy I bought the MusicMaster cart, and anticipate it being my everyday cart. Whatever it trades in subtly and refinement to the LP-S, it gains in dynamics and "life".

It certainly doesn't look like much, but I reckon it sounds not to bad. Photo's to follow.

2 thumbs up from me so far, I'll report back when I get a few more hrs up.

Cheers

Andy,

Isn't it just great when a hunch works?!

P

[AndyPandy]

Yes Peter! it certainly is. Makes up for some of the disasters I have had ha ha ha

Enjoying it very much now...

[slowGEEZR]

Congratulations! I also use a moving iron type cartridge and am very pleased with it. It retrieves immense detail and to my ears, seems very neutral, with no added warmth or emphasis on any frequency range. Mine is the "Voice" by Soundsmith.