Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Ortofon Kontrapunkt A Phono Cartridge by Dman

Model:	Kontrapunkt A
Category:	Phono Cartridge
Suggested Retail Price:	$600 CDN
Description:	Moving coil phono cartridge
Manufacturer URL:	Ortofon
Manufacturer URL:	Ortofon

Review by Dman ( D ) on July 23, 2004 at 06:41:12
IP Address: 216.58.64.23

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for the Kontrapunkt A

I've put off this review for a long while since I've been doing so much listening and enjoying of analog recently. There is a musical synergy lurking in vinyl that I'm sure most of you vinyl-heads can relate to everytime you put on a record and internally (or externally) go "ahhhh" with every LP. That's what analog does for me (even as a recording musician, with our studio that uses Cubase recording software and 24 bit/96 khz capable AD/DA converters, it's always weirdly refreshing to listen to the analog 4 track recordings we've done of rehearsals or writing sessions!). In the same context, that's what the Ortofon Kontrapunkt A did (and still does) for me.
As most of my inmates/friends know, I had an ongoing love/hate with Linn Products of late. After my beloved K-9 stylus gave up the ghost and I tried out the AT OC-9 (it lasted just over a year, that's how much vinyl got played in my house in 2002/2003!), I waited patiently for a replacement stylus from Linn, only to hear that Linn wasn't going to be supporting the K series carts any longer (something about legalities, tooling and such with the maker of the K series- Audio Technica) and the OC-9, combined with US to CDN exchange and market value, had priced itself out of my reach (at the time).
I thought to myself, "I can be patient. I can live with my CDs for a while." Well, after a few weeks, I couldn't, and relented by buying the Linn Adikt phono cartridge (of which I've previously reviewed here). Two things happened to me that turned me off the Linn path-
1. I didn't get a chance to hear the thing before I bought it. I know that with any product, you take a chance by not auditioning it, and I was foolish enough NOT to. hell, you SHOULD and MUST audition stuff. I've since learned my lesson.
I was also foolish enough to do-
2. Listen to (read: bought into) the salesman's tesimonial that EVERYONE LOVES THIS THING!!! Yes, I fell for it, hook, line and pocket book!!! The Linn Adikt began its service on my slightly modified Linn Axis/AkitoII 'table/arm combo.
I waited and waited for the thing to break in, hearing little bits of promise behind other areas of fault. And to be honest, there is a bit of good sound there, with the typical "Linn sound" that I'm sure some MM Linnies will love. However, contrary to all the hype, I didn't find this cart to be even marginally better to my old modded K-9 (some Linnies may disagree, but in my system- no dice!!!). After some time away (aka, a Mexican vacation), I came back with a vow to find THE cartridge for my system. Enter Andy and Lloyd at Omega Audio and Flemming Audio Labs.
To cut to the chase, I fell hard and didn't audition the cartridge (I know what I just said about blind purchasing, but I REALLY do trust these two guys), picked up the K-A, and after a minor 25 hours or so, had a clear picture into the recording. I kid you not!!!
Bass. VERY full and articulated at the same time. There seems to be limitless extension into the lowest frequencies, even on my lowly Axis/Akito II combo. As a bass guitarist and sound engineer, I strive to get control and that "big bottom" sound in all my works. When present in a recording, the Ortofon lets it rip weighing in will full measure. On lighter balanced recordings, it doesn't add extra or false weight to the low end. Clean and unmuddied.
Midrange. This is where my biggest beef has always been with lesser carts, especially in the inner grooves. I have always been able to hear an elliptical stylus and its faults in these regions, prefering the micro-ridge/micro-line type of styli for their smaller footprint, and greater tracking near the end of the record. This cart doesn't dissapoint. If you set it up properly, it can provide clear and consistant midrange tracking with a controlled timbre across the whole surface of the record. If properly (once again!)set up, the cart may not even give you a clue as to it's position on the LP! This is outstanding performance in this regard. If you are a PRAT person (ala Linn), this cart has a surprise for you. It has that lightspeed ability to go from ppp to fff and back again without so much as a glitch in tracking. Its scary-good that way! On both Micro (those minor variations on brushed drumheads or lightly fingered bass-electric or acoustic) and Macro (the range from a whispered vocal to the pummel of massed percussion) dynamics, the cart seemed very well adept, the largest swings on something like the Sheffeild Drum Record causing a minor stumbling block (but to be honest, I've had this record for so long with so many different cartridges, I'm sure that most of the misracking might just have been groove damage from lesser carts.). Still, it seems like the K-A is simply doing it's job.
Treble. Another crucial area to my ears. I've heard the worst (carts that cost more than a small family car) blow when it comes to treble detail and tracking. the K-A wins here as well, reproducing that crucial element of "shimmer" and life to well recorded cymbals, breath to acoustic instruments, and detail again to massed percussion instruments (again, at both micro and macro levels). Tracking is very good here, with no spittiness (unless its already in the groove due to wear). Killer...
Overall, If you are thinking of MC and your budget isn't the greatest, you still might want to consider this cart (along with a step up like the Ortofon T-10, a great little underrated tranny, IMHO! And still relatively cheap by today's standards). Its really not that expensive for the returns you get, and it will give a lower end system someting to sing about, while giving a very musical facelift to a high resolution system.
Worth VERY PENNY (or maybe twice that, IMHO).
http://www.flemmingaudio.com/

Product Weakness: The top of the cartridge has small plastic tang to allow tilt of the cartridge in the headshell. I cut mine off and bolted it tight.
Product Strengths: VERY MUSICAL information extraction makes it (and the system) sound incredible, even if upstream gear isn't state of the art.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Crown PL-3, Bryston 4B NRB, SWR ST-800
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Ortofon T-10 MC step up, Flemming Audio Labs CCF.
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Linn Axis 'table, Akito II arm, Flemming Audio Labs spring suspension mod
Speakers:	Dahlquist DQ-10, Dayton audio/JT designs subwoofer
Cables/Interconnects:	stock arm wiring and cabling. RG-6 with gold plated RCA jacks
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	various from classical, jazz, and rock categories
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	The top of the cartridge has small plastic tang to allow tilt of the cartridge in the headshell. I cut mine off and bolted it tight.
Product Strengths:	VERY MUSICAL information extraction makes it (and the system) sound incredible, even if upstream gear isn't state of the art.