Art Dudley
The Brinkmann EMT Titanium is a fine example: It does everything I expect from a cartridge exceptionally well. There's a great deal of history and humanness behind it.
If you're interested in adding a clean, accurate phono cartridge to your collection of same, but you'd like just a little more warmth and gushiness than the average these days, consider an EMT. If you want all that and more—even more texture, humanity, flow, and noiselessness in the groove—consider a Brinkmann EMT: That's what the Titanium appears to be all about, and that's why I think it's a wonderful thing. [more]
Jeff Dorgay - ToneAudio
I found it to be very exciting and I haven’t tired of it in the least. If you’ve been craving the perfect fusion of dynamics and fine detail, the Clearaudio Da Vinci is the cartridge for you.
Switching back to some straightforward rock, MoFi’s Santana was another incredible experience. I’ve been listening to this record for about 35 years and it’s never sounded better. On the last track, “Soul Sacrifice,” when the bongos fade up over the drums, they sound somewhat blurry. But now they had their own distinct soundstage in the mix. I didn’t even hear that while I listened to the master tape at the MoFi studio last year!
The Da Vinci was so revealing, it made it easy to hear the differences between each of the four phono preamplifiers.
Unlike some so-called “audiophile” products that only shine with your best records, the Da Vinci extracts every bit of information from the grooves on whatever records you are playing. [more]
Lawrence Devoe
If one accepts the principles of audio Darwinism, then Clearaudio cartridges have survived because they have continued to adapt to the higher resolution playback systems that can brutally expose the flaws of moving coils, cantilevers and stylus tips. In the 1990’s, the Clearaudio Insider Wood changed how I listened to vinyl. It extracted information from the well-traveled grooves of my lps that had been kept waiting in the wings for the proper cues.
The GF2 was equally at home with big orchestral recordings. The opening of the legendary Solti/VPO recording of Wagner’s Das Rheingold (Decca) exposes an unearthly progression of low string chords that gradually build to a crescendo before the first Rhinemaiden’s voice is heard. This effect is nearly inaudible with lesser cartridges but is rendered beautifully by the GF2. The original 3-microphone Mercury recordings are another great way to road test the GF2; it and the original model were the first to tame the aggressive Dorati recording of Aaron Coplands’s Rodeo on Mercury.
For those of you that delight in microdyamics, Mamba Percussions (Pierre Verany) is one of my touchstone albums for many years. It features unusual South American instruments and a big soundspace. The GF2 brings these sounds at you with an immediacy that is rhythmically engaging and an in-your-room image that is the essence of “being there.”
In summary, many would not consider a US$10k (NZ$16750) cartridge a “best buy.” However, if you audition this cartridge in a properly set up playback system, be prepared to redefine your priorities. I suspect you will immediately begin working on a strategy to amass the requisite capital for its purchase. [more]
Features: 
Lawrence Devoe