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I was spinning records with my new Jubilee. Playing with setting here and there… The Jubilee it looks like not too fuzzy. The 2.2-2.3g of VTF, the VTA is slightly back and the Jubilee it is not too picky like other cartridges.  It used with a regular 3012’s shell, I did not load the shell as I did with Shelter - it does not help Jubilee; in fact the shell’s mass loading makes the things worse: adds hollowness to bass.

The long needle tip is very cool – the dust goes not glue itself to the “corners” as the corners are too high the point of the contact surface. If dust does attach itself then it is very easy to clean it by simple dipping or blowing – the curve what the dust sticks are too far. The surface noise is not as quiet as I seen with another needles. The records of good quality surface play fine but the records with slightly worn surface do not hide noise with Jubilee – in fact Jubilee is quite distinctively says that the records have not perfect grooves.  So, I would call Jubilee as a noise highlighting cartridge. (BTW, there is one subject regarding it that I need to look further as it is possible that I made it myself.)

The difference between the first and consequential pressing is very highly discriminated. The difference between the pressing houses is much highlighted as well. I did not detect any long trim preferences or attitude in the needle – very positive sign and very few cartridges had it. (Shelter 901 for instance)

Dynamically Jubilee very good, no misfortune here. In fact the dynamics I would say just phenomenal but I bite my tang as the last month with Shelter the dynamic was the subject of my paranoia. Anyhow, I have no criticism about the Jubilee’s dynamic – it is beyond any criticism.

The absolutely greatest things about Jubilee is the way in which this cartridge lights up sounds with zillions macroscopic colorful light-bulbs of something that I call - the tonal staccatissimo. The Jubilee colors are very “creative”, saturated, with extremely wide margin of shads and grades and the colors applied very correctly.  Jubilee does not go overboard with color discrimination and grand it only what is it called upon. When it necessary Jubilee is throwing the colors, in fact the “tonal dressing up” in beginning calls attention upon itself. But it I very easy to get accustom to the good things. What is great that that the “tonal dressing” is strong but discriminating: when I play some color-wise crappy music, like Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony for instance, then Jubilee does not do any tonal dressing kinks. Only for this quality I feel the Jubilee need to be respected.

The HF on this needle is very clean – there is no SPU’s syrupy crap. Clean, contrasty and delicate. Not overly showy and not overly glitzy. I think the cartridge need to age further to draw more finalized HF concussions. I would say that the transition to upper MF is nothing short of phenomenal – absolutely indiscernible and with good orchestra the evolution of string into woodwinds is very convincing. The mid range is fine though I fell that behind the tonal beautiful there is some room for more MF articulation. It is not smog – it is positively-bubbly but with the necessary fragility and subtlety.  Perhaps it needs to play more, I do not know… The MF’s delicate come for whatever reason at high or low dynamic ranges – in dynamic extremes Jubilee behaves very nicely. Otherwise Jubilee does not have that MF super-verbalization; at least so far it does not have (15-20 hours on the needle)

Were Jubilee doe have a stunning delicate is when the tone roles from lover MF into upper bass.  Jubilee is doing it very genital and very beautiful. The mid bass and lower bass are fine, the lower bass is another subject. It is there and it is goo but I would like to have more. It is not that it is deficient but… put in this way if it has more than my playback will be able to use it. I need to look further into the lower bass. The Jubilee has something that I call “musical bass” – it is good itself but I need more technical, the bass ++ , all the way down in depth and weight. My playback knows how to make from this “technical” bass the right musical bass. The Jubilee so far does not offer this extra material to work with, the Shelter 901 did it. The Jubilee’s bass is in nearly-sufficient side, but I would like to have much more….

The imaging is totally different story and it all over the map now and I generally do not like it. It has very different then Shelter presentation but it is not to stable to talk about it with certainly. Let see what will be with imaging in 50 hours…

Anyhow, so far the Jubilee is fun. It does not look like a “dream” cartridge but it has own very pleasant moments. I hope in a few dozen hours it will render itself into a more or less stable performance – it will be interesting to see what it will be…

The cat

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