Audio-Technica F7, any users?

[JohnMichael]

UPS tried to deliver it today. My man in Brown took it to a trusted site where I can pick it up. I should be able to grab it Saturday morn and then when I am off Sunday afternoon I may install. Have I shared how much I like working 7 days a week. Long hours and low pay but the old and infirmed love me. The joys of being a caregiver.

[JohnMichael]

Well the AT F7 is installed and breaking in as I type. First some things about it's construction. Several of the moving coil cartridges I am familiar with have their coils mounted directly to the end of the cantilever. The F7 has a small hard resin plate fitted to the end of the cantilever and that plate holds the coils seperate from the cantilever. The moving magnet AT cartridges have the magnets in a v while the moving coil has their coils in an inverted v. Both the F7 and less expensive F3 use the same cantilever and nude elliptical diamond. The F7 has a harder less resonant body and a stainless steel suspension wire. The F3 uses a mold integrated suspension wire. Do not know if I could hear a difference if I had both cartridges.

Initial impression going from the Benz MC Gold to the AT is the F7 is more detailed. Can you have a lot of detail and less music? Sure with the AT F7 the bass is deeper and better defined along with highs that are very open and airy. Brushes on cymbals are very detailed along with a sense the highs could go on forever. All this information from the groove but the music is lost. Keep in mind the cartridge only has a few hours of play from last night and this morning. Oh I should add it is a very good tracker and no woofer pumping so it must be a good match for the RB250.

I will add more impressions the longer I listen but for now I am missing the Benz. The Benz was about 4 years old but spent some time in it's box while waiting for a compatible preamp. I plan on keeping it and may in the future return to it.

[JohnMichael]

I tried the Cambridge Audio 640P last night with the F7. The 640P did not have enough gain. Turning the volume up on the Krell did not help. Anyone interested in this cartridge check the sensitivity of your phono stage.