Black diamond pool table review11/22/2023 The E4 digs out more top end detail from every recording but it doesn’t thrust it down your throat either. Listening through the ATC SCM50A Active Loudspeakers that just arrived, horns filled my relatively small listening space (16′ x 13′ x 9′) with a rather overwhelming sense of presence and color that had me on the edge of my sofa top end detail through these behemoth loudspeakers is simply outstanding. Horns have a lot of bite through both cartridges, but the E4 is definitely more resolving and even slightly warmer sounding in the upper midrange and lower treble.ĭoes it lose some of its airiness in the process? I started to wonder that as I went through my recent stack of Blue Note Tone Poet releases including the superb “blue spirits” by Freddie Hubbard recording that just shipped. I’ve never really felt that the E3 was anything but clear sounding from top to bottom, but the E4 betters it from the perspective that micro detail is easier to discern and top end energy has less of a hardness that some might find distracting. Listening to Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder, and Stanley Turrentine’s Hustlin’ made it rather clear that the E4 has the same energy and overall crispness of the E3 but with a few key differences. Playing Weight 1.5 – 2.5 g (1.75 g recommended)īecause the E3 is a part of my daily listening routine, it was somewhat easier to compare the two cartridges and discern if the rather significant increase in price is really worth the expenditure.Stylus Radius 7.6 micron (0.3 x 0.7 mil).And because it’s constructed using the same high-quality core as the other E Series cartridges in the range, E4 is ideal both for those who wish to upgrade an obsolete cartridge in its entirety or those who want to boost the performance of their existing E Series cartridge by replacing the stylus. The Goldring E4 is designed to be compatible with all medium-to-high-mass tonearms of the type found on the majority of budget to midrange turntables. I’ve used the older E3 successfully on the NAD C 588 and Thorens TD-160 Super Turntables for the better part of 15 months and have been consistently surprised by its performance. Its range of moving magnet and moving coil cartridges including the Eroica HX and award-winning E3 are superb performers and legitimate competitors to anything offered by the aforementioned competition at their respective price points. The resurgence of vinyl has been very kind to cartridge manufacturers Goldring has done very well over the past decade because it focused on high quality solutions that were actually affordable. It also faces some stiff competition from Nagaoka, Ortofon, Grado, and Sumiko which is a good thing there are so many quality MM phono cartridges right now below $400 USD that vinyl listeners really can’t complain that better sound quality is out of reach. The E4 is also $120 more than the E3, which raised my expectations rather significantly. The Goldring E4 is the new flagship in the entry-level range and whilst not inexpensive at $300 USD, it certainly won’t break the bank if your turntable is in the $750 to $1,500 range. They are extremely affordable cartridges that track very well and don’t attempt to impart too much of their own sonic signature on the music. Goldring doesn’t get enough respect from North American audiophiles and that baffles me somewhat.
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