[nlitworld]

So I recently picked up a new turntable (Schiit Sol) and want to upgrade its cartridge. I put my Ortofon 2M Blue on there from my old Thorens and it sounds really lively and punchy, but I want to upgrade to a LOMC and see how that sounds. My phono pre is a Project Tube Box S2 so it has the gain and loading options to be able to try one. My question is how far down the rabbit hole do I go on the upgrade? I was looking at the Hana ML as a suitable big upgrade, but I can't help wondering "what if" on something even higher grade like a Micro Benz Zebra or Soundsmith Zephyr Star ES. I know the rest of my setup doesn't warrant such distinguished quality, but if it's a forever upgrade (especially with the re-tip program of Soundsmith) then it could be enjoyable. Am I barking up the wrong tree wasting money or would it be a noticeable improvement to go all in on the upgrade? Any advise is welcomed. Thanks!

[mlundy57]

So I recently picked up a new turntable (Schiit Sol) and want to upgrade its cartridge. I put my Ortofon 2M Blue on there from my old Thorens and it sounds really lively and punchy, but I want to upgrade to a LOMC and see how that sounds. My phono pre is a Project Tube Box S2 so it has the gain and loading options to be able to try one. My question is how far down the rabbit hole do I go on the upgrade? I was looking at the Hana ML as a suitable big upgrade, but I can't help wondering "what if" on something even higher grade like a Micro Benz Zebra or Soundsmith Zephyr Star ES. I know the rest of my setup doesn't warrant such distinguished quality, but if it's a forever upgrade (especially with the re-tip program of Soundsmith) then it could be enjoyable. Am I barking up the wrong tree wasting money or would it be a noticeable improvement to go all in on the upgrade? Any advise is welcomed. Thanks!

I just upgraded my Ortophon 2M Black to a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star and installed it today. When thinking about the Zephyr I had this same question. Does it make sense to put a $2,000 cartridge on a turntable I paid $2,000 for with the 2M Black cart installed? I have been interested in the Zephyr Star for awhile so I called SoundSmith and asked Peter this question. His answer was that for any turntable under about $5,000, 90% of the performance is from the cartridge so it absolutely makes sense to put the best cart you can afford on the tonearm which in my case is a Rega RB303.

I decided to give it a try and boy, what a difference!!! I had a friend who has a lot more experience with setting up carts than I do check my work before listening since the better you align the Zephyr, the better it sounds. He gave me a thumbs up so we put the TT back in the system and sat down to listen. Right off the bat it sounded extremely good but after an hour the highs clicked in and it sounded outstanding. It still has some breaking in to do but the Zephyr MIMC Star is one exceptional cart. Well worth the money.

If you go with a SoundSmith cart, get their EZ mounting screws. $50 sounds like a lot of money for mounting screws but they are worth it. For one thing, no screwdriver needed for installation. Also, there are four pairs of screws in the set. One set nylon, one aluminum, one brass, and one stainless. Each set has a different weight allowing you to adjust the headshell mass to match your counterweight.

Another plus for SoundSmith is that they will rebuild the cartridge, whether you wear it out or break it, any time for no more than 20% of the current retail cost.

All the positive reviews for this cart are right on the money. My advice is to get the SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC Star and don't look back.

If you want to go Low Output the SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC Star is a superb choice. However, your Tube Box S2 only supports High Output carts. If you want to go low output, you will need a different phono preamp. The recommended loading for the Zephyr Star is 470 Ohms - 1,000 Ohms. I'm running mine at 750 Ohms.

If you don't want to get a different preamp, SoundSmith has many high output carts that will work with your preamp, including the Aida MKII which is the smae price as the Zephyr Star and a Zephyr MKIII which is $500 less than the Zephyr Star.

[nlitworld]

Hearing all the positive reviews on how smooth the Soundsmith is, definitely has me leaning that direction. Also the rebuild program is a HUGE plus for long term enjoyment. As for the phono pre, it does support lomc, just uses dip switches on the bottom. It doesn't have the huge adjustability to really fine tune impedence, but it can go in the ballpark ranges of both sides of their recommendation just not the 7-800 medium range.

I guess that really was the real point of my question though. Given the rest of my setup is more entry level,, would it make more sense to make incremental upgrades to more components or go all in on cartridge and wait longer to upgrade the next piece?

[mlundy57]

Hearing all the positive reviews on how smooth the Soundsmith is, definitely has me leaning that direction. Also the rebuild program is a HUGE plus for long term enjoyment. As for the phono pre, it does support lomc, just uses dip switches on the bottom. It doesn't have the huge adjustability to really fine tune impedence, but it can go in the ballpark ranges of both sides of their recommendation just not the 7-800 medium range.

I guess that really was the real point of my question though. Given the rest of my setup is more entry level,, would it make more sense to make incremental upgrades to more components or go all in on cartridge and wait longer to upgrade the next piece?

OK I see it in the manual so you can have either 470 Ohms or 1,000 ohms. You're covered there. In which case I'd go with Peter's recommendation  and get the best cart you can afford at this time. Then later on upgrade the phono preamp if you wish. I went the other way and upgraded the phono pre last year and the cart now. In hindsight it would have been better getting the cart first.

[nlitworld]

In discussing options, I've decided on the Soundsmith Aida is the ticket. The real clincher is it will be a better match compliance with the lower mass arm on the Schiit. It still uses a lot of the same stylus and cantilever features of the Zephyr Star, rebuildable for cheap, and most importantly will be one hell of a big upgrade in sound. I feel this will be an excellent happy medium between all the options. Thank you for all the help! Now time to go be broke and completely happy.

[mlundy57]

In discussing options, I've decided on the Soundsmith Aida is the ticket. The real clincher is it will be a better match compliance with the lower mass arm on the Schiit. It still uses a lot of the same stylus and cantilever features of the Zephyr Star, rebuildable for cheap, and most importantly will be one hell of a big upgrade in sound. I feel this will be an excellent happy medium between all the options. Thank you for all the help! Now time to go be broke and completely happy.

  I’m right there with you. Consider the EZ mount screws. They made installation and set up a breeze.

[toocool4]

would it make more sense to make incremental upgrades to more components or go all in on cartridge and wait longer to upgrade the next piece?

Personally I think incremental upgrades are a waste of time and money, you get a very tiny upgrade (if you are lucky) for a fair amount of money which you will never get back when you trade in or sell when you upgrade again.
When you upgrade you should go for the best you can afford at the time, I usually work on at least 3 X the cost of what I am upgrading to really hear a noticeable improvement.

One last thing if you can, try and get a demo pair and have a listen before you part with your money. Never go by other people’s review, that is a recipe for disappointment.

[nlitworld]

Thanks for all the advise! I pulled the trigger on the Benz Micro Zebra-L cartridge this afternoon. The dealer I was working with had a demo Benz on sale, or it was wait 8-10 weeks for the Soundsmith Aida. I may technically be a millennial by only 2 months, but instant gratification is definitely a thing. All in all I think I will be happy even if super broke.

[toocool4]

You got to listen to the demo or you bought the demo unit?

[nlitworld]

I bought the demo unit. Essentially new and comes with full warranty still but $100 cheaper than their already good sale price.

[toocool4]

Okay I see, did you get to listen before you bought it?

[nlitworld]

Unfortunately no. Benz Micro dealers are few and far between in the States. This dealer is in Missouri, and I'm in Washington. There are a few dealers in the Portland area I could have listened to comparable cartridges, but none with the same discount or same cartridge. I know buyer beware, but I'm hopeful it will work out nicely. I definitely stressed (overanalyzed) on the researching of cartridges so I'm just excited to get it on there, set up, and playing music.

[Audiosaurusrex]

Any thoughts on the Hana Umami Red?

[nlitworld]

So long story short, that Benz Zebra Is absolutely phenomenal! So much detail and dynamics but with such an even handed presentation to where nothing seems overemphasized or out of place. I'm sure I would have been happy with a cartridge half the price, but this is a whole other level. Thank you guys for being the voice of bad influence towards a great decision.

[BobM]

There is a truth about vinyl playback systems ... the more you spend the better they get, but it takes a turntable, arm, cartridge and phono stage to all perform exceedingly well, and yes, that takes $$$.

[TABARD]

The 1st thing to do when upgrading from a manufacturers fitted cartridge is find out what the Arm's Effective Mass is, so you can correctly match your new cartridge to the arm. This arm according to Sterophile has an Eff mass of 13 grams, so is quite light & needs to be matched to cartridges with a highish compliance, they recommended the Grado Opus 3 cartridge.

Cheers Derek