The Holy Grail - Neumann DST

... as elusive as a four-leaves clover and more difficult to find in nice conditions with jewel-box and original papers than a diamond on a beach...

I found it thanking my dear friend Roberto and his pard "Eagle Eye" Pierre's timely suggestion and Paolo, the previous owner, who gladly sold it to me for a nice price... with a plus of empathy a go-go.

I was looking for this cartridge since a looooong time and finding it at only 20 km from home was as surprising as the find in itself.

Here it is the old dinosaur... larger than life, weighting 40 grams and built like a algid tank with utmost care and precision, VTF is a worrying 7-8 grams, yet the 25cu diameter highly-polished conical diamond will greatly ease the vinyl grooves and their life-span... and it's still singing like a young nightingale despite its age: a staggering 53 years old pup!

Welcome home, signorina:-)

After getting the EMT/SME adapter I ordered in Japan, I'll use it with The Peak arm... or will undust my EMT 997 "Banana"... will see.


.............

Like my friend Kazumasa-san wrote to me today, after reading my Blog:

"Hi Stefano san,

What a coincidence!
Last Saturday, I visited one of my friend to compare and enjoy sounds by four Neumann DSTs!
All DSTs played very fantastic sounds, sharp and vital.
Our conclusion was: black DST-62 was quite good and white DST was EXTREMELY good!

You got really good cartridge. I would like to have it some day."


While I sincerely wished my Japanese friend to find his personal white Neumann DST,  I agree... the black  DST-62 I recently auditioned - only few weeks before purchasing the white DST - was slightly, yet audibly, less airy and zesty.

Strange enough... Saturday was, in Japan and Italy, as well... Neumann DST's Day.

Always on the matter, here are some related pixes from another Japanese friend owning a later,  higher compliance and (slightly) lighter (at 30 grams) black Neumann DST-62, here showed stand-alone and mounted on his EMT 927st and EMT 997 "Banana"arm.

A Neumann V-264 transformer, the older bro of classic BV-33, also a single Mu-metal can with two transformers... made by Haufe as per Neumann's specs: the best of the best!

Lovely phono-porn, don't you?