I picked this cartridge up recently and have given it a fair shake with 100 Hrs break-in and some alternate loadings. I can say that it is a good deal and, IMO, a perfect match for the Rega arms, which is what really sealed the deal for me. I have been using the 440MLa consistently, along wih the 150MLX. Previously, I had an Ortofon HOMC, so I did not expect the change to be major. What I expected was more nuance, timbre and texture to the music, with a possible loss of mid-bass definition. This proved true from the start. In fact, it pushed me to finalize my speaker set-up by addressing the way the speakers mated with the stands and the stands with the floor. This greatly improved the low-end response (I got about 6 db back from 70-300 Hz).
I would say that if you have a Rega arm and are looking for an inexpensive LOMC cartridge, this one should be on your short list. I tend to focus on the rendering of horns and right off the bat this the F-7 handled horns superbly, giving them just the right amount of bite but with surprisingly lush rendering of the sublte tones and timbres that my old-favorite MM carts never approached.
I settled on a 475 Ohm loading, which eliminated a little grain the cartridge wash showing. The tracking, surprisingly, is actually better than the 440MLa. I passed all but the last of the torture tracks on the Hi-Fi News test LP. The final track required I activate the anti-skate in order not to skip accross the track. Once engaged, the final track did give me a mild buzz in both channels, but less so that with micro-line stylus of the 440MLa.
I have a hard time faulting this cartridge. The ups and downs of the break-in did seem to fully settle out by 70 Hrs. I did pause to take some measurements, although they are coming post phono-pre. I also note some variance in utilizing different measurement software, so, take the frequency response charts with a grain of salt. I do attribute the capability of the cartridge, in part, to the improved suspension. I have listened to cartridges five-times the price on systems several links up the food chain from my own that did not present the texture and nuance that this cart is capable of. It is not a soft sounding cartridge either. Not often have I heard it bog down on a congested, busy passage. For example, listening to a repressing of Charles Mingus’ Blues and Roots was actually revelatory as the cacauphonous presentation of honks and shouts was faultlessly sorted. The depth of the soundstage, as presented by the F-7, was admirable, keeping elements deep in the mix intact but not emphasized.
I am a bit tempted to try a 9x SUT at this point to see what more I can get out of the F-7. For those interested, a few measurement taken from the Cardas Test LP Pink Noise track.
100 Ohm
475 Ohm
475 Ohm using REW RTA
