Letter from NYC (23-15): VAS Re-Tipped Ortofon MC 200
Written in Shenzhen
Long-time readers of this blog, particularly those into analog, know about VAS Cartridge Re-Tip Service. Ever since I made the acquaintance of Steve and his son Ray, I have periodically covered them and used their services (as do others in our NYC group). So let this be known. It's astonishing that over the past decade they have repaired just about every high- to highest-end MC cartridge that you can name - and custom modified many! In our wechat group, it's astonishing what our friends show, all manners of cartridges old and new! They are so inundated with work now that they don't need my article; still, I always report on what I have heard, especially when it's good...
For this article, I re-read some of my past articles (yes, I'm quite compulsive about that) and, if I may say so, I am happy that I had been thorough. My first encounters were with the Denon DL-103 based cartridges, first the VAS Ebony 103, then the VAS Ebony Mono (Cartridge of the Year 2019), both wonderful creations. Incidentally, for the record I returned them to VAS after trying them out, not because I didn't want to buy them, but because I just know VAS will have something perhaps even more interesting down the road that I can borrow to try out. I also have some cartridges that I haven't even tried out yet, among those an Audio Techinca Art 2000 and a Kondo IO-M. I hope they have not gone bad in their boxes...
Excited by what I heard from the VAS cartridges, I sent my Koetsu Black to VAS for Repair, and the result was just fabulous. It pays to read this post carefully, as it kinda compares VAS' work with another's. I also sent my Denon DL-301 to VAS, and the result was great too! I just loved to have re-read this last post, as I had completely forgotten about my interaction with Richard (C)! This is one of the beauties of this blog - it's my personal Audio Diary. Another interesting experience was at Kevin's, with the "VAS" Ortofon 2M Red, a humble MM rendered much bigger! :-)
A few things of note. VAS gets many dead cartridge bodies, and they experiment with them. The Ortofon 2M Red had long been the part of the standard package in budget or super-budget offerings (I had one before) and Steve just played with it. Nobody would re-tip a 2M Red (cost of re-tipping would exceed value of cartridge), but VAS just had fun and ran with it, and we are glad we shared in the fun. It's good to have a kid's heart - especially to make something greater out of something humble! Incidentally, there seems to be a newer trend of diversification and expansion of MM offerings that use the same upgrade formula of MC (stylus material and profile). This last point on the Spirit of Experimentation is important when it comes to the Denon DL-103. Despite its humble price, it has a Golden Heart. It has long been a staple for me, something every cartridge is judged against. VAS holds the Denon DL-103 high in esteem and they have only praise for the excellent Alnico Motor and Sturdy Built. VAS told me some popular modern alnico cartridges are greatly inferior in construction. Of course, I cannot mention names! In conversation, they also told me of quite a few name brands to avoid, but I'd not buy those at those prices anyway - I had witnessed just too many terrible "high-end" analog setups! With VAS, there's a lot more to be had from the rock-solid fundamentals of the DL-103 - that I'm very glad to report! What I appreciate about VAS is their hearts are in the right places. No Nonsense.
Ortofon MC 200, Part I (Official Info)
This came as an utter surprise! When Richard and I visited them recently, Steve handed me this. I was perplexed. It looks like a DJ cartridge! Steve said, didn't you always wanted to hear the Ortofon MC200? And then I realized that something was lost in translation. I likely had once mentioned that I regretted not having bought an MC2000 (I had bought the wonderful MC3000 Mk II and 5000 on clearance in HK years ago, and I still have them).
But, as I scrutinized this completely unfamiliar Ortofon, I became more and more excited. Man, this is a veritable relic! This is an extremely low output (0.09mV) feather-weight (6g) MC cartridge that tracks light (1.3g) and can be used on a light arm, when the conventional practice is heavy MC cartridge on a heavy arm! From decades ago, we have this tiny cartridge that houses a Samarium Cobalt motor with a Boron Cantilever and Micro Line Stylus (wow, how modern that sounds, $$$ right?). This particular VAS restoration is with Boron Cantilever but a PA stylus.
I installed it on my Technics SL-1200, a medium-mass tonearm. I used the 37 ohm setting (1:36) on a Cinemag 3440AH (made by Ned Clayton) into the MM stage of my Aurorasound Vida, and the sound pleased me from the word go! It was very smooth, yet full of microdynamic details! It sounded like an expensive MC (which it should be)! Perhaps my Midas Denon DL-103 on the MoFi Studiodeck had a little more drama (and a little grain) but the MC 200 held its own. And I likely didn't even have the best SUT. I was running out of time and could not have taken it to Kevin to match it with its perfect partner, the Ortofon T20 SUT. This would have to wait for months for Part II on my next return to NYC, but I'm confident the Ortofon MC 200 is a winner. That it can be used on a light arm is highly unusual! I'm sure I shall install it on my SME3009i to try!
Another fascinating restoration from VAS! Salute!
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