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Vintage Yamaha Cartridge Pecking Order

Blewpernt said:
Ha! Haven't used it yet or done anything with it but look at the diamond, which shows no signs of wear at all. I bought a box of old broken cartridges on ebay. There were some gems mixed in that were in good shape. Mostly AT95s and things like that of little monetary value but excellent playing capabilities nonetheless. And at the bottom almost unnoticed was this Yamaha with its stylus guard.
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One on ebay recently went for only 200 buckos but another in Japan with the original box went for 800 buckos. I will say my 2000 did not go for cheap. Both the 1000 and 2000 are sought after cartridges in their home country (even broken ones fetch a good number) and the 1000 was originally half the price of the 2000. You for sure scored a serious gem. I need to compare them side by side but I think the 2000 is actually smaller than an MC-11 (same body shape though).
 
Incidentally I think I am going to start by trying the MC-2000 on my GT-2000/YA-39 arm/HS-11 headshell. The total weight of a MC-1x is 19g and seems to be a good fit with the YA-39. While the MC-2000 does have a lower tracking force than the MC-1x or 1s (~1.1g vs ~1.8g), the weight of it (5.3g) added to the HS-11 headshell (13.0g) isn't that far off (only by a gram) from the MC-1x and seems like it should work with the YA-39's effective mass of 22g.
 
808_state said:
Incidentally I think I am going to start by trying the MC-2000 on my GT-2000/YA-39 arm/HS-11 headshell. The total weight of a MC-1x is 19g and seems to be a good fit with the YA-39. While the MC-2000 does have a lower tracking force than the MC-1x or 1s (~1.1g vs ~1.8g), the weight of it (5.3g) added to the HS-11 headshell (13.0g) isn't that far off (only by a gram) from the MC-1x and seems like it should work with the YA-39's effective mass of 22g.
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How is it going with your MC-2000? Any progress yet? I have the oppurtunity to get an MC-2000 locally but it won't come cheap and I don't know the exact status of its wear yet. Have to check all after the summer when me and the seller can meet and eventually do the deal. I'm thinking of pair it to the YSA-1 I already have for my longtime project already mentioned in Arkays GT-2000 thread. Any thoughts if this is the best combination for a pure Yamaha lover?
 
Tekniknissen said:
How is it going with your MC-2000? Any progress yet? I have the oppurtunity to get an MC-2000 locally but it won't come cheap and I don't know the exact status of its wear yet. Have to check all after the summer when me and the seller can meet and eventually do the deal. I'm thinking of pair it to the YSA-1 I already have for my longtime project already mentioned in Arkays GT-2000 thread. Any thoughts if this is the best combination for a pure Yamaha lover?
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Haven't tried it yet but definitely too light for the YSA-1. You need at least a 10g cart for that arm. Still though it's rare so I would recommend getting it. If the wear is not so good it could always be retipped.
 
Tekniknissen said:
How is it going with your MC-2000? Any progress yet? I have the oppurtunity to get an MC-2000 locally but it won't come cheap and I don't know the exact status of its wear yet. Have to check all after the summer when me and the seller can meet and eventually do the deal. I'm thinking of pair it to the YSA-1 I already have for my longtime project already mentioned in Arkays GT-2000 thread. Any thoughts if this is the best combination for a pure Yamaha lover?
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So I finally broke down and setup the MC-2000 with YA-39 and HS-11. The thing I'm really stunned by is that my C-2x has no problem handling the 0.13mV output voltage. The 0.1mV input sensitivity and I assume ~68db gain setting drive it with ease. Tracking at 1g exactly and it's tight and dynamic. The typical neutral and balanced Yamaha sound but with a firm and tight bass that you can really reach out and grab. Kick drums deliver a real punch. Superb instrument separation and never any hint of fatigue on any level. So far the 1000 ohm setting also sounds best. Compared with my MC-1x it's simply a more controlled and refined sound (definitely a little more "shimmer"). This thing has probably been in storage for years and the more I spin the bigger its sounds.

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How is it that a very criticised arm, the YA-39, is capable of excellent performance? The answer is: They aren't all bad. I think those of us who upgraded from the 39 all respect what the 39 brings to the table. A GT 2000 series with a 39 will satisfy in ways that seem to elude other turntables.

The moral of the story? Do you have a cartridge you really like or love? Try it on your GT 2000 series turntable. If it is an ideal match, you will be ecstatic. It will probably sound really good even if it were a less than ideal match. Try it out.
 
theophile said:
How is it that a very criticised arm, the YA-39, is capable of excellent performance? The answer is: They aren't all bad. I think those of us who upgraded from the 39 all respect what the 39 brings to the table. A GT 2000 series with a 39 will satisfy in ways that seem to elude other turntables.

The moral of the story? Do you have a cartridge you really like or love? Try it on your GT 2000 series turntable. If it is an ideal match, you will be ecstatic. It will probably sound really good even if it were a less than ideal match. Try it out.
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Had it not been for the MC-1x I would have given up on the YA-39. The MC-1x finally gave me the dynamic, fun and detailed sound I was looking for. The MC-2000 is simply a step beyond in the right direction. Had it not been for my M-85 I would have given up on my NS-1000x's. It showed me that they could in fact have an open and engaging sound (maybe Audyn Q4's have the longest break in period in recorded history...). Mixing and matching with patience and an open mind can really pay off. For me the real hero of this story is the C-2x in being able to sound great with a variety of amps and stepping up to meet every challenge I throw at it. One experiment worth trying might be putting the lighter counter weight from the YA-39 on a YSA-1 and trying lighter carts (less than 9 grams).
 
808_state said:
Had it not been for the MC-1x I would have given up on the YA-39. The MC-1x finally gave me the dynamic, fun and detailed sound I was looking for. The MC-2000 is simply a step beyond in the right direction. Had it not been for my M-85 I would have given up on my NS-1000x's. It showed me that they could in fact have an open and engaging sound (maybe Audyn Q4's have the longest break in period in recorded history...). Mixing and matching with patience and an open mind can really pay off. For me the real hero of this story is the C-2x in being able to sound great with a variety of amps and stepping up to meet every challenge I throw at it. One experiment worth trying might be putting the lighter counter weight from the YA-39 on a YSA-1 and trying lighter carts (less than 9 grams).
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Thank you for your thoughts and reviews. It makes me even more hopeful for my projects and I'm still thinking in the same way you do about combining the YSA-1 with the MC2000. I did purchase the MC2000 that I mentioned before even if it needed some cleanup. The tip looked very good in microscope but some small amount of "dried in dust" were present on the cantilever behind the tip that needs to be cleaned to give me peace in mind.
 
Tekniknissen said:
Thank you for your thoughts and reviews. It makes me even more hopeful for my projects and I'm still thinking in the same way you do about combining the YSA-1 with the MC2000. I did purchase the MC2000 that I mentioned before even if it needed some cleanup. The tip looked very good in microscope but some small amount of "dried in dust" were present on the cantilever behind the tip that needs to be cleaned to give me peace in mind.
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You won't regret it. The only knock I would give it (for now) is that while it has a quieter/cleaner signal than the MC-1x, its diamond tends to pick up on clicks more than the EVG on my needlesteined MC-1x. A retip to a more refined stylus cut would likely serve to make a great thing better. On a pristine record though the 2000 definitely delivers that refined/wow/take notice sound. Tomorrow I gotta try some of my more audiophile records, especially the old Supertramp.
 
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Actually I managed to tweak/calibrate out the clicks this evening and clean up the top end. A little tweak to adjust some skew and a slight tip for azimuth and now it's nice and quiet. Really nice sound overall, maybe a little on the polite side.
 
This may sound odd but this cart really passes the Seger test, ie. Bob Seger. All the soul and feeling in that golden voice is freely transmitted by this cartridge. This cart has a really strong and believable core (natural) sound and you really feel the music. One thing I truly love about the Yamaha carts is how they connect me with the music.

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Have you tried it on any other turntables than the GT? It'd be interesting to see if it favours the GT.
 
theophile said:
Have you tried it on any other turntables than the GT? It'd be interesting to see if it favours the GT.
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Not yet but it's low compliance so not sure how it might fare on my PF-800. It sort of makes sense to me that the MC-2000 was probably intended for the stock GT. I'm going to send my MC-1x back to Needlestein for another retip so whenever that comes back around I might move the 2000 to the PF-800. I'm sure it will sound good but doubt it would have the body of sound like the GT. A friend of mine is running an MC-1000 on his PX-1 and says it sounds really good but doesn't have as much detail as he would like. I think its routed through an all Accuphase setup so I trust his evaluation. I also don't know what condition his diamond is in but transplanting a microline diamond to that sweet diamond coated Be stick would likely take it to another level.
 
Was it linked with or suggested for GT 2000 fans?

Back in the era I was a Supex fan. From 79 to 85 I had a few different models. I'd heard a few different cartridges in a few other systems but one cannot assess one single component in an unfamiliar system.

If the MC-2000 was suggested for or offered with the GT 2000s they are ideal for each other by the likelihood of it.
 
theophile said:
Was it linked with or suggested for GT 2000 fans?

Back in the era I was a Supex fan. From 79 to 85 I had a few different models. I'd heard a few different cartridges in a few other systems but one cannot assess one single component in an unfamiliar system.

If the MC-2000 was suggested for or offered with the GT 2000s they are ideal for each other by the likelihood of it.
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While I can't confirm the connection, in 82 the pair sharing the 2000 moniker would represent their best cart and table. The YSA-1 came out in 83 and the 2000x did not appear til 85. I once saw an add with an MC-100 mounted to a YSA-1 which sort of gave me the idea the 100 was intended for the 2000x which both appeared in 1985.
 
Part, heck darn near all of the reason I am grateful for threads like these is an education into products previously unknown.

Do we know who made Yamaha cartridges?
 
Theophile - that is a very interesting question. I think back around 1980 or so when I bought an MC 7 (and then another), I thought I was told that Yamaha themselves made them. Don't see any reason why they should not have - it seems to be company that can make an awful lot of different products - pianos, berylium dome tweeters, outboard motors, and so on. And it seems to me that many of their MCs don't appear to have any obvious relatives in any other company's offerings. But who know the ways of business? So I'll be interested to hear if anyone actually knows.
 
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