Just got my 2nd 1000e in the mail today and I was the third last buyer on ebay. Cart looks new - no signs of corrosion and both channels works as expected too! good luck to everyone else!
How would these compare to something like the AT33 series? And since these are HOMC they can be hooked up to an MM phono without issue, right?
I see that you have a Mani 2. I'm using mine with Mani 2 into Freya S in passive/buffered mode with no issues. Volume control between 1 & 2 o'clock. This cartridge sounds crazy good, if you can still get one. I could easily see getting this re tipped when the time comes.
I’m still digging mine too. I’ll be having mine retipped as they become worn. I’m really glad I bought 2. I’ve owned lots of cartridges over the years and the 1000LT is by far my favorite. Does anyone have an idea what modern/current cartridge sounds like the SAE?
That is a good question to ponder. There have been posts either here or on another forum which mentioned it having the same/similar generator as carts in the Hana line although I don't know if that is true or not. If anyone has a Hana SL they could compare it would be interesting since some have mentioned the LT stylus shape compares to a Shibata-type.
Not the Hana SL, but it is very similar to the Hana SH, both made by Excel and have very similar specs. Totally different packaging, and maybe a little different compliance, hard to know for sure, neither is an especially great tracker, so likely somewhat different in sound too.
As I understand it, the SAE was made by Coral, which was a competitor to Excel. So the generators can’t be the exact same. Of course, one could have copied the other. The LT is a Shibata. The closest in the Hana line would be that SH. No guarantee that they sound anything alike though.
I'm pretty sure that Excel was the OEM for Coral, but I haven't done much research on it so wouldn't stake much cash on it
Yes, forgot it was a high-output MC. I have seen the Excel and Coral brands mentioned elsewhere when discussing the SAE line. I agree with @HiFi Guy, it is one of my favorite carts that I've ever used regardless of price.
Hana SH is probably the closest relative still knocking around, I'm not going to buy one to find out though. The SAE 1000LT is a godsend at the price paid and without cost being considered it's a fantastic cartridge period, There's a recent debacle about the Tone Poet Picture of Heath where it's a very hot cut especially on side 2. My OC9XSL crashed and burned horribly on track 4 of side 2 on that record but the LT tracked the whole record just fine, to be fair I did have a tonearm wiring issue that caused antiskate to be ridiculously too much on the deck that the OC9 is on and the SAE is on a Technics GR with the fluid damper. So it doesn't mean that the OC9 can't handle it either, it just means that the SAE tracks well enough to save the day in a pinch.
If anyone interested, here's a couple recordings I made about a month ago when I had the SAE-1000LT mounted for a few days comparing it to my normal daily driver AT-OC9XML. The song is the opening track "Gestures" on the Carmen Villain Only Love From Now On album, one of my favorite releases this year. Not a particularly great sounding record, but I like it a lot, and it is a fun listen, has that Jon Hassel Fourth World vibe that I love ... Dropbox - Carmen_Vilain_Gestures_SAE-1000LT.flac - Simplify your life Dropbox - Carmen_Vilain_Gestures_AT-OC9XML.flac - Simplify your life
Hey Davey I'm enjoying Riderless Horse/Nina Nastasia! It does sound phenomenal, thanks. Got the splatter vinyl.
Wow, interesting comparison. The SAE 1000LT sounds very ethereal with an emphasis on the ambiance. While the AT-OC9XML has a more focused detail with the highs and some added weight to the mids. This is listening with my Shure iem. I imagine my SAE 1000e would sound more like the AT. I’ve been comparing my SAE to a Grace F9 with a Jico SAS stylus, very comparable at this point in time.
Hmm, I really hear more ambience with the AT, though maybe that word means different things to each of us, it has a more expansive sound, more depth and delicacy, airiness, the SAE just sounds a little less open, but admittedly some of that could be due to frequency response, there are significant differences in the top octave above 10kHz. Always so dependent on listening environment and gear. The SAE does sound very neutral, but just a little dry to me, so I like the AT better, it's a little more live sounding, I get a better picture in my mind. But I could see someone going the other way, and for the same reasons The differences are more pronounced in person, my recordings don't really capture the full picture, but a lot does come through.
Hey Doc, Which JICO are you using on your F9? I've seen a few different styli being tried over at vinylengine. Edit--Never mind, I found your post over at VE. The Jico SAS Kenwood N49 stylus?
Just mounted the 1000LT in my main system again tonight and am warming it up by spinning Gillian Welch’s The Harrow & the Harvest. It’s got such a lovely smooth and delicate tone on music like this.
I am 227 hours into mine in the 6 months of having it and its just superb. Wish i had bought an extra
Been avoiding using mine until I can find a second one. I did listen to it for 10 hours or so. It sounded a bit like a mellower DL-103 I thought.
Does anyone own both an SAE 1000LT and some higher end LOMC/s, and can comment on whether there are some higher end carts out there with the same basic tonality and flavour of the SAE — the smooth sweet highs, gorgeous mid range, almost total lack of groove noise — but with a little more of the LOMC theatrics like dynamics, detail, bass slam, air and cymbal decay…? I am hoping these are not mutually exclusive sets of sonic qualities.
