Pure Fidelity Stratos MC cartridge: Amazing looks...amazing sonics? (spoiler: YES!)

[@purefidelityturntables]

Thank you for the review! We are so glad that you enjoy our cartridge. Keep spinning!

[@anadialog]

You truly did an amazing job, congratulations!!

[@dimachesebastian6407]

To be sincerely speaking in my humble opinion without being sentimental and of course without offending anyone who thinks differently from my opinion but rather looking into this serious matter with perspective distinction and without condemning anyone point of view, I honestly think and believe that, I have nothing left to say

[@anadialog]

??

[@dimachesebastian6407]

@@anadialog just a funny coment. now. seriosly. keep up the channel. i love it. music was born analog. to quote you.

[@keithneal5369]

Couldn't put it better myself. Seriously enjoy this channel also.

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🙋‍♂️HERE TO SUPPORT YOUR CHANNEL GUIDO 🎉🎉🎉

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Well said

[@SmallChurch]

Many thanks for yet another fine, objective, detailed and very informative review. Love the channel & your presentation style. With very best wishes from Japan, (ex-Scotland), G.

[@robertyoung1777]

Great description! Thank you. Cartridges is the most interesting part of a system to me. They have a big effect on sound quality. With children in our house I’ve always bought under $200 US dollars cartridges. If one gets broken it’s not going to be the end of the world-so to speak. I appreciate hearing about higher priced cartridges and maybe someday I’ll get up the nerve to try one. Maybe 🤔. Right now I’ve got a Nagaoka 110 bolted to my tone arm.

[@anadialog]

Nice one and a very reasonable approach. I am actually quite shocked how good a good vintage cart can sound compared to modern audiophile carts

[@stimpy1226]

I believe that the internal design of the Keiseki Purple Heart cartridge is crafted by Dynavector. Can't wait to hear what the Stratos sounds like with a great SET tube amp.

[@anikagagnonk]

Thank you for your excellent review. You got me interested and I just received my Stratos. Curious as to what load impedance worked best from your experience. Thanks again!

[@anadialog]

Thanks! It is a very good cart. Never get tired of it. Coming to your question, It depends also from the preamp but I found that 100ohms was the best for me.

[@anikagagnonk]

@@anadialog Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will try this loading first. I currently have a HAHA SL and opted for this cart instead of staying in the Hana family. The step above would have been a Umami Blue. I was advised by the retailer who has both in stock that the Stratos is a tad less detailed but a lot warmer and more engaging. Looking forward to hear...after 50 hours minimum.

[@sidvicious3129]

That box reminded me of the box that my previous Van Den Hul Frog came in.

[@thomascollins7932]

Listening to one right now. Very nice but not broken in yet.

[@anadialog]

Keep us updated on the good and the bad!

[@photohum]

Love your channel 🎉🎉

[@starlightghometheater2365]

Gerard Stroh(*** Anadialog*** 10 Months ago I Got My First Moving Coil Cartridge and I Went the Audio Technica At33sa Moving Coil Phono Cartridge and My phono Preamp is A Pro-Ject RS XLR Phono Box and It Sounds Good and For My Headshell I Got A Hi-end Audio Technica Headshell and I Can Adjust Asmith and also Forword and Backword Cartridge and I Got 2 of them For Each Turntable!!!! My Turntable is A 1970's Vintage Pioneer PL-600 Quartz Lock Direct Drive Super Heavy Turntable and the Sound I Get out of my Earthquake Shaking Stereo System!!! My Stereo Sounds Superbig*** Bye From Gerard Stroh Good Video!!!

[@anadialog]

Sweet!

[@davidbarger3820]

This looks like an excel manufactured cartridge. Have you compared the specs to a similar model from them? Also, have you heard the Hana Umami?

[@anadialog]

This is their only cart! I haven't but the Umami is on the top of my list...very interested in listening to it...

[@montycaps8235]

I thought the same thing about excel. I asked a year ago to the company who made it for them and to see if they had any information about it and also the similarities between the goldnote carts. This cartridge is almost exactly the same as the goldnote Donatello gold cartridge. I own that one. Nice cart.

[@ralex3697]

@@anadialog Gold Note

[@timgibson3754]

Too high for me but I'm digging it

[@RaviNewfarm]

Interesting cartridge this. I have a Kiseki Purple Heart, but I get issues with sibilants with it. Almost all my records with female voices is troublesome and some male voices too. Not getting that at all with my Hana ML or with my Ortofon cadenza red. I also have an Allnic Rose, and this one also has a bit of sibilant issues. Anyone getting the same issue with Kiseki? The Kiseki also have issues with channel separation and channel balance, both is way out of spec, so I my sample is probably one that should have been rejected by quality control...

[@anadialog]

I didn't experience that with my Kiseki.

[@patthewoodboy]

its dirty or worn out

[@RaviNewfarm]

@@patthewoodboy Inspected under microscope, it's clean and no visible signs of wear at least. I have seen reported on forums that Kiseki have had qc issues.

[@LILM79847]

👍🏻💗

[@bkkersey93]

Hey man you thought about reviewing the Lyra Delos?

[@anadialog]

I don't think so also because I did a brief review of the Kleos...kzbin.info/www/bejne/apuseauDndd9sNU

[@hoobsgroove]

I didn't realise you could change the head shell on the kosmer arm. Who makes that cartridge? Looks like a henna

[@anadialog]

Yes, the Kuzma 4point 9 is a jewel. The Stratos is made by the Canadian brand "Pure Fidelity". Link is in the video description.

[@hoobsgroove]

@@anadialog ok

[@sidesup8286]

The best cantilevers were the berrylium cantilevers which were at the height of their popularity in the 1970s and 1980s before safety in the work place watchdogs start coming down on companies working with berrylium, because berrylium dust is toxic. Some vintage cartridges from that period get big collectors dollars on the used market. Especially for NOS. It's something that was superior, that is no longer allowed to be made in the U.S. and other places. Have phono cartridges really improved over the years? Or was the golden age back in the 1970s and 1980s their best years? This "newer is better" thing that is pushed on us, makes it hard to seperate sales opportunism and politics from fact. My guess is if you have an old Madrigal Carnegie One or a Talisman Virtuoso Dti cartridge from the late 1980s; you've still got a very fine cartridge if the stylus is still good. There may be better now, but I'm guessing not "breakthrough" better. I could be wrong. If you have an out of this world good preamp, it's amazing how just about any cartridge sounds great. Even cheaper ones. Stylus shapes? You can get great sound with simpler shapes like elliptical. Some of the better tracking cartridges I've know had elliptical. Lowest possible moving mass is much more important than stylus shape. Guido, you can easily tame that extra high end sheen by slightly increasing your tracking force. If you increase it too much, that cartridge will actually be a little on the dull side on the top end. The DS Audio cartridges which use a light beam to translate groove motion would be the cartridge I would most like to hear.

[@anadialog]

Thanks for your suggestion and info. I did dedicated videos on styli and cantilevers and interesting stuff came out doing research.

[@paulkelleway8032]

I’m using an ATN91 conical and I love it, cost is peanuts. I agree it’s not about price!

[@AmazonasBiotop]

Nice review but it is a shame that any stylus is a elliptical one. I will never again do the same mistake again. I am able to hear distortion in the upper frequency with elliptical styluses. Yes, you need a reviling system and a good pressing and setup. But when you have noticed it then it's hard to not hear it again.. and most don't have that unfortunately. Used a elliptical before but after upgrades of my system and other things. It were obvious even if one of the styluses were mounted on a boron cantilever. And also went back and tried one of my other elliptical same distorsion/problem.. Put my line contact and issues with the distortion were gone. Even when playing the same track and know what to listen after in the same system without changing anything else.. Yes there is a reason why all higher models has line contact and not elliptical.. it is following the grove wall much better! Doesn't matter what they call the elliptical and they can call it whatever the distortion I detected were a sign of that they don't follow the Grove wall as a stylus should in the higher frequencies and jump from one top and crash down in the next oncoming one (air born). And will wear the groves more. (Of course that is what is happening on the micro plane). (Edit the mistake out )

[@anadialog]

The stylus of the stratos is elliptical, actually micro elliptical

[@AmazonasBiotop]

@@anadialog sorry i ment of course elliptical in my first post conical was a mistake!

[@sc0or]

45Ohm and 0.45mV do not match. Either too thin wire (not a copper nor a silver one?) or too many turns. That means a high input resistance that means x2 times worse SNR (sqrt(4)). They sell rather an esoteric device than an electrical equipment.

[@Lasse3]

Maybe when making a moving coil cartridge you're tied down by so many factors that all ties into eachother, that you can't simply choose your dream specs as a manufacturer. Yes you might be absolutely right that the specs are not ideal, but as I'm suggesting, they did the best they could under their specific circumstances.

[@kenknight5983]

Still think that's a Michael Fremer price

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

@0:04 wow look at all those floaters on the record!!! you have a static issue or what?? 😂

[@anadialog]

🤣

[@xprcloud]

$2000 to solve problems that the CD and streaming solved decades ago, better donate your money to a good cause such as animal shelters and national parks. audio phools at work.

[@slippdixon228]

Thank you for adding such well informed information to the discussion.

[@pnichols6500]

So you obviously have never heard a first class record setup, sad. You should so you don't make uneducated proclamations any longer.

[@xprcloud]

@@pnichols6500 All records are cut form original Digital sources, and digitized archives from analog. same ones you either stream lossless and buy from HDTRACKS, mechanically carving them into plastic degrades fidelity, its a 3rd generation copy, you are listening to someone else's DAC, sad you don't understand basic physics, and promote silly paganic audio phool rituals.