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starboy wrote:

Romy wrote... He will go away over it in a few years... That he may just like Fannie mac or whatever, until then I guess he will be hand making those carts in his workshop.

Actually it was my typical mistype. I met to say “It will go away over it in a few years...”, referring that this attitude of him being a bellybutton of universe shell go away if the actual sound is something that he is interested in. If he is not a fool then he might understand eventually that a cheap popularity among users and recognition among industry is not something that reflects well on the actually sound of product. From the email that he sent to me it showed that he is not a fool, at least it was the way how he wanted to appear.

starboy wrote:

Fortunately, it is a far superior cartridge than the 901/SPU …

Possible, with all my conversation about Mantis I do not remember I ever made any guess or assumption how it might sound.  In horns, I feel I am qualified to make sometimes very bold assessments with very high precession about the sound of the things without even listing the installation. I might do it because I know patterns and have an experience to hear many elements and the connections of the elements. In cartridges I am clueless about design element and the implication of design chooses to sound. For instance to me it sounds ridicules that he offers a selection of cantilevers, body and the tips. I do appreciate however that he assures the chose will not affect the sound of the cartridges. So, I would not make presumption how is sound as ‘drdna’ did. Perhaps he has his own reasons, perhaps he can share them.

I was trying to make some very bogus calculations and assumptions in my head from a few things that Andre told but I was not able to. Andre has 3012 tonearm that he does not like and prefer to Micro Seiki MA77 tonearm. I well know MA77 (I had all Micro arms), consider it a good arm but having it right along width 3012 I found that SME (with my typical incase of effective mass to 25-30g) is richer , way more superior in bass and less “shallow” of I might say so. All my foundlings were in context of my cartridges that are not Mantis but the same way all Andre’s foundlings were in context of his ported mini-monitors. So, how to reconcile all of it?  Do not forget that it is not a large company like Ortofone, Denon or AudioTechnica does a machine mass-production of cartridges where the technologic perfection is a way assures the repeatability of results. Mantis is homemade cartridge. The good part that Andre does it himself, not having a predation like with a dozen part time pregnant women like so of small manufactures in Japan. So, the result Mantis will have is very much the subordinate of Andre Hanekom’s mind… and the positioning of his loudspeakers in his room. So, try to figure out how the hell the Mantis cartridge would sound what you get it. I did read a few Andre posts at the WhinelEngine (oh, BTW the way I was banned from there, thanks God.) and I did not see him actually talks about the things that I would like to hear from him. So, go figure how it all work out…

Once again, I have no opinion on the Mantis sound.  You starboy has it and it is very nice, in fact you attention to Mantis was something that very much intrigue me, and keep intriguing. Now, between the BSO seasons, I have a very short period on my interests in cartridges, what I looking another one to replace my 901. After I get cartridges the window of my interest will be closed and for a long time (it is what I hope). There were a number of cartridges that made case for me during the window interest; the Mantis did not make the strong case. Perhaps it is not the problem of Mantis itself but the fucking idiots from VenalEngine that came along with the Mantis story. I do not know. I did not have a good feeling about it but I did not any good evidences as well. If that Andre with his desire to make custom cartridges would live next town over and would willing to go for a custom projects of “Super Mantis” then it might be interesting but in what he expressed so far I saw in him no credentials to recruit him for such a project.  I do not say that he has not I say that I did not see it. All that I saw was quite a hypocrisy between his “performance” at public site (where he develops his clientele) and his judgment/opineons expressed in his private emails. It was as far as I am willing to comment on this subject.

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