What is best cartridge for forever turntable?
Q. I am putting together a turntable setup to last the rest of my life and have budgeted $3,000. I have already decided on the $1,199 Technics SL-1500C turntable. What cartridge would you recommend for it?
— D.P., Milwaukee A. You have the budget to get a London “Decca” cartridge, and it is my recommendation for those who want the very best. The cartridge was developed decades ago by Decca, a British electronics manufacturer and record label and uses a unique generator design that attaches the stylus to a thin piece of foil for the most direct mechanical connection possible.
It creates a sound like no other, with a reviewer once saying the London cartridges make everything else sound like it was reproduced with a tin can and string. After trying the London Super Gold I can’t say he is far off the mark. The transparency, richness and tonal qualities simply must be heard to be appreciated, and it is easily one of my favorite audio components of all time.
Though expensive, bought the review sample because I could not stand to be parted with it.
London cartridges start at $1,100 for the Maroon all the way up to $4,500 for the Reference. I recommend the one I purchased, the Super Gold, which is $1,600. It will take your breath away!
Panasonic shaver comments: I received a surprising amount of email about the Panasonic LV97 Electric Shaver, some of them from readers who were Panasonic shaver fans long before I wrote about it. Below is a roundup of some of the more notable comments.
L.K.R. of Castle Shannon, Pa., said, “I just used the Panasonic LV97 shaver for the first time. Absolutely unbelievable! It gives me such a smooth shave, and so easily. You should have seen the look on my face after the first time I used it. I wish I had bought one years ago. Thank you for reviewing this product.”
B.M. of Alamo, Calif., writes, “I have used Panasonic wet-dry electric shavers for years and currently own the LV97 model you reviewed. I have found that these shavers work best with shaving cream, and they clean up just fine with the charger/cleaner cradle. I suggest that you try the shaver with shaving gel. You will forget about using bladed shavers.”
I will definitely try it with gel sometime, but for me personally one of the biggest draws to the electric shaver is you do not have to use gel or shaving cream with it and you can use it easily anytime, without lathering up.
M.L. of Los Altos, Calif., said, “Electric shavers shave smoother if you move them over your face slowly. A whisker only gets cut if the vibrating or rotating blade pass over the screen while the whisker is poking through the screen.”
J.C. of Minnetonka, Minn.: “I have used a Panasonic wet/dry shaver similar to yours for years. After each shave I remove the screen and rinse it under warm water. With the unit running I rinse the blades. It never needs special cleaning and always sparkles with no buildup.”
J.C.’s comment is especially helpful because the LV97 shaver and cleaning/ charging cradle I reviewed, regularly $249.99 and currently on sale for $214.99, is sold without the cradle as the LV67. The LV67 is $199.99 and currently on sale for $144.99. So, if you want the great performance of the LV97 for $100 less and are willing to rinse it after you use it, the LV67 is the Panasonic shaver for you.