I admit I was quite reluctant to try the DMT25 cartridge as I had to take away the DST15 which I so greatly enjoyed and admired for about 15 very intense hours…
As you imagine DST15 uses a 15cu highly polished conical diamond tip, while the DMT25 a 25cu conical diamond tip; as per suggestion by Daniel Kim - the gifted maker of these labor of love carts - utmost care must be used when handling these behemoths, as DMT25 extremely powerful samarium-cobalt magnets could attract metal objects and debrises (screws, other cartridges, etc.) with potentially destructive results.
… but we’re not talking about a weapon or… whatever.
The mighty DMT25 is a quite strange cartridge: the “M” in suffix would suggest about a mono version on “S” - i.e. DST vs. DMT, but… the latter doesn’t look like a boutique DL102, a real modern mono cartridge with +/- terminals and a diamond also good for stereo discs.
No!
Analogtechnik’s DMT25 has 4 pins like DST15 and, after installing on The Peak arm on Garrardzilla and using some cherry picked mono discs (Luis Horacio Borraro, Joni Mitchell, Dave Van Ronk), all played with exceptional ease and aplomb, I decided to give it a try with one of my references: Collin Walcott - Grazing Dreams on ECM.
What the fuck!
Would you imagine it?
The soundstage on ECM disc was so H U G E… so B R O A D! Timbre was incredibly natural and dynamics just U N B E L I V A B L E, period.
Call it M or S or W… who cares! Everything is here and beefy and real-life.
Yes, a close friend of mine called me crazy to dare comparing
brand new cartridges without properly breaking-in… maybe it’s true, nonetheless I feel quite confident about what I listened to and experienced and I cannot be fooled: Analogtechnik DMT25 is the best sounding cartridge I ever listened to.
I repeat: THE VERY BEST SOUNDING CARTRIDGE I EVER LISTENED TO in my system and elsewhere.
The best sounding cartridge, not the best cartridge… why?
Is it such a perfect cartridge? No: it’s bulky, not easily fitted on many arms around, quite expensive, also if costing about the half of a Neumann DST, if you’ll be able to find one.
Nonetheless: it’s the most musically involving cartridge I ever listened to.
What’s perfection? Technical wizardry or getting a moving, musically involving sound?
This hand-made cartridge weights 35+ grams and a minimum 6 grams VTF is required; only these two “details” could chill and worry also the most daredevils around.
Let’s try to face it out and refute the commonplaces: vinyl formulations changed from ‘60s to ‘70s and nowadays… yes, but no “plastic” as someone believes is used on modern pressings - only more or less manufacturing skills and processes in quality controls and molding; softer or harder vinyl always existed and will exist to make audiophiles and experts endlessly chatting.
Is a 6 grams VTF potentially destructive for vinyl discs?
Yes, if you own ten discs and play any given side two, three or more times in a row.
Same happens if using an Ortofon’s SPU at 4,5 or 5 grams VTF, too!
Yes, if you try a Fine Line elliptical diamond with poor set-up you’ll destroy your discs, too.
My personal feeling is that the so powerful emotional experience of listening to such a masterpiece cartridge (DMT25) simply transcends the above practical questions and doubts and concerns.
Is someone worried about tyres consumption or fuel needed to reach a 400 mph on a Bugatti Veyron or a Pagani super cars?
Is it a concern if a periodical check-up for the a.m. cars costs like a brand-new Audi?
Could I be blamed if I’d own and enjoy driving “this”, in same attires as the gentleman here below?
Would it be worth the effort treasuring such a dinosaur?
Well… all practical aspects vanishes in my opinion when you get a glimpse of heaven: I humbly got two very intense, priceless eargasms, today.
My arms and legs hairs had a looooong, so pleasant wave-like goose-bump and (I swear) slow tears poured from my semi-closed eyes…
Pure joy.
Everything else is lesser and to be neglected: only music and emotions and sheer, timeless, pure happiness remain… and frankly I simply don’t care if I’ll have to replace a worn-out disc!
I’d be the cartridge maker, I’d provocatively call the cart DWT25 where “W” stands for “whatever”.
A bravo to Daniel Kim, the skilled, gifted artisan whose love for music brought him to highest peaks of technical and manufacturing dexterity and of music reproduction… considering the original Neumann DST and DST62 were laboratory gears for quality pressings control and have always been unobtanium, here is your ticket for this uniquely involving, uncompromising, violent 😱, natural, not compressed, free flowing music-machine.
My pristine Neumann DST (1958)
Must, better: wish to thank everyone who made this result possible… Misho Myronov’s phono stage, Franz’s WE421A amp, Ikeda-san for Fidelity Research AS1 line stage, Serge Schmidlin’s silver cryo signal and speakers cables, Seiya Goto for Goto Unit’s magnificent drivers and 4 ways crossovers and Franz Hinterlehner’s bass horns, Mario and Lo for Garrardzilla and The Peak arm and, last but not least, Daniel Kim’s Analogtechnik DMT25.
Maestro Daniel Kim, the operatic singer
My music system… thanks everyone who contributed to get… a tear of joy.
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