Benz LP S vs Clearaudio Goldfinger V2

majesticgiraffe -- Thu, 06/24/2010 - 15:34

Has anyone been able to A/ B these? What were your thoughts and impressions? Thanks.

Jonathan Valin -- Thu, 06/24/2010 - 17:34

Majestic,

I currently have a Benz LP S newly equipped with a line-contact stylus (not the one Michael reviewed in 'Phile) in the Walker Black Diamond Mk II and another identical one in the Oracle Delphi Mk VI with SME V tonearm. I've also had considerable experience with the Goldfinger v2 in the Walker and the AAS Gabriel/Da Vinci record players. Since the Benzes just arrived, I'm not yet prepared to make the detailed comparison you ask for. All I can say at the moment is that the Benz is a very good cartridge, rather like a slightly warmer Da Vinci Grand. (Lloyd Walker tells me that he is high on the LP S in his Black Diamond arm, too.)

Give me a few weeks and I'll be better able to tell you how the Benz fares against the competition.

Jon

majesticgiraffe -- Sat, 06/26/2010 - 19:39

look forward to the comments

so there is an "old" LP S and a "new" LP S? if so when did it changeover?

Thanks again.

majesticgiraffe -- Wed, 07/28/2010 - 22:51

What do you think of the Benz LP S so far ?

marty817 -- Sat, 06/26/2010 - 01:50

I'm curious as to what you are loading the LPS with? Many years ago, Dave Wilson shared with me that he found most Benz cartridges load best between 180 and 300 ohms. My Ruby 2 seems true to form loading best at 300ohms. Curious as to what you are using (please don't tell me you're a 47K ohm guy!) . There's always something musically right abut the Benz sound. Hence I've had my eye on the LPs for a while and look forward to your thoughts..

Jonathan Valin -- Thu, 07/29/2010 - 00:23

Majestic and marty,

Sorry for the delay in replying to you guys, but I've had my hands full editing TAS.

First, yes, there has been a changeover with the LP S. Benz has gone to a micro-ridge stylus (thus the "MR"). Second, so far I think the Benz LP S-MR is one of the two or three best cartridges I've had in my system. It is outstanding. Third, I think the Benz sounds best loaded either at 500 or 1000 ohms (at least, via the ARC Ref Phono 2). And finally, there is something "musically right" about the LP S-MR (and about the Da Vinci Grand Reference Grandezza, which is a lower-output, reduced-coil-winding, iron-magnet version of the same basic cartridge). These two cartridges sound, to my ear, more like the real thing because they lower the sound of the mechanical thing--in other words, they get out of the way of the signal more completely. HP will also have some (very favorable) words about the Benz LP S-MR in our upcoming analog issue.

Jon