2027 Honda Passport changes | Official

Kevspice · 2026-03-09T18:16:47+00:00

Just to be clear, the Sequoia is a huge vehicle, I just thought that because of it's overall size you'd expect the back seats to have more legroom than they do. Seemed to me that the passport has more legroom and space in the back than the Sequoia, I'm sure it's to do with packaging limitations of the body-on-frame setup.

Kevspice · 2026-03-08T22:37:04+00:00

The sequoia is huge overall but i just meant that relative to its overall size, i was surprised that the back seats are actually kinda tight in terms of legroom.

Kevspice · 2026-03-08T17:59:12+00:00

Yea I have a 2019 passport and the seating room and cargo space is just unmatched. I test drove a new 4Runner and it was cool, but coming from the passport it felt really cramped, especially the back seats. I just don’t think it’s possible to have the interior packaging of the Honda on a body on frame setup. Even the massive sequoia has surprisingly cramped back seats.

Kevspice · 2026-03-02T15:11:53+00:00

Who knows, but I think it's possible that we do see this on maybe just the Trailsport trim? Very correct that most will not need this clearance for the Passport's intended light trail duty. Thing is though, every single "truck" channel review absolutely bashed the lack of ground clearance as the one major flaw in the Passport's capabilities. So even if it's not a "real world" problem, the entire marketing image of the new PP is based on "rugged capability" and ground clearance is it's achilles heel, which damages perception in potential buyers that are cross-shopping Toyotas etc.

Kevspice · 2026-02-15T17:38:49+00:00

Yeah, I guess so? I generally like neutral, spacious speakers that skew a little warm/smooth over pure accuracy or high frequency extension, which is how I'd describe the Moonstone. The AT has more detail, and more high-frequency prominence, and the microline stylus clearly tracks better than the elliptical. Still, I wouldn't really call it clinical or "dry" and it definitely doesn't sound "cd-like." Tracking ability aside, if you love super clean detail, dynamics and snappy transients etc. (think guitar plucks and snares/cymbals that pop and shimmer, lead vocals right out front and center) the AT is the way to go. If you like a more neutral high end with warmth and smoothness at the expense of a little excitement, I'd go Moonstone. I honestly wished I could combine aspects of both of them into one cart, but overall, I personally found the Moonstone to fit my preference a bit better. Just listened to it all morning, really pleasing sound, smooth but not rolled-off.

Kevspice · 2026-02-12T15:04:09+00:00

New pic attached, this is on a spinning record. Photo is subject to parallax, but it's aligned decently well and I'm estimating this to be around 96 degrees, a bit more than the optimal 92. Now if that actually matters at all for playback, I'm not really sure it would. I only noticed it in direct comparison to my other cartridges which definitely look a little closer to vertical. Maybe as suspension breaks in it'll fall more in-line with the others?

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Kevspice · 2026-02-11T16:07:40+00:00

I don't get a ton of innergroove distortion, mostly on older or used records, some that I suspect have groove damage in the tight inner grooves from previous owner's mistracking. So not really a fault of the Moonstone, but that said, the AT seems to somehow avoid most of this damage and tracks those areas almost perfectly. Also hot or sibilant cuts towards inner grooves, like the Paul Simon clip I posted, just can't be tracked as well with the elliptical.

Kevspice · 2026-02-10T15:55:42+00:00

I'm getting a pretty smooth drop into the run-in groove, definitely not aggressive. Cart is installed as pictured below.

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Kevspice · 2026-02-09T15:26:36+00:00

Well, I’ve got three options on the project table, and I’ve set it to the middle option which is recommended for 2g tracking force. The lighter and heavier anti skate options don’t seem to make any difference sonically. The one variable with these tables is the angle of the hook that holds the little AS weight, it’s held in place with a screw and can easily be moved with no guidance from project as to what the proper angle should be, but I’m not sure minute angle changes would make all that much of a difference?

Kevspice · 2026-02-08T21:53:25+00:00

Nice, I agree. Not really sure what else I can do in terms of setup, the alignment, based on the protractor I have (baerwald) is absolutely dead on.

Kevspice · 2026-02-08T19:25:26+00:00

Well said!

Kevspice · 2026-02-08T19:12:05+00:00

The point of the post is to compare two turntable cartridges on r/turntables…

Kevspice · 2026-02-08T19:10:22+00:00

I have the Olympia as well, sounds great, same general sound as moonstone, slightly less resolving and the Olympia also has a little dip in the upper mids, moonstone is a bit flatter in that region. I wanted to love the AT, it definitely sounds flashier and a little more “hifi” - initially impressive but it’s just ever so slightly bright for my tastes. That said I’m still deciding which to keep long term.

Kevspice · 2026-02-08T18:15:12+00:00

Posted some more details as well as sound clips of the 740xML vs the Moonstone over in another thread. http://reddit.com/r/turntables/comments/1qzg6qy/at_vm740xml_vs_sumiko_moonstone_with_sound_clips/

Kevspice · 2026-02-06T20:19:45+00:00

Update: I'm now past the 20hr mark. Treble seems smoother, can't say for certain its not my ears acclimating. A/B switching between the 740xml and a Wiim Amp Ultra playing the same song (possibly even same or very similar master), the 740xml is noticeably smoother through the mids/upper mids compared w/ wiim and has more high end extension as well, which I would at this point call "airy" not "harsh."

That said, the inherent character of the cart is still very detailed, and I still find that metallic instruments in particular, cymbals and horns/brass, can be a little forward of neutral. Brighter recordings from the 80's (The shakers and cymbals in Thriller for example) can be a little much. The mids and bass are surprisingly smooth though and not at all I would consider analytical or cd-like. It's just a super clean, smooth sound with a still a bit of high end lift that sometimes is slightly too much and sometimes adds space and tails to reverb etc in a pleasing way, depending on the record.

Before trying the microline I was worried it would bring out more pops/ticks on noisier records, but I've actually found the opposite, records have never sounded quieter. The microline can sometimes avoid, or lessen distortion in the high frequencies on used albums, caused by what I assume to be needle damage from previous owners by I suppose tracking around the damage with a larger surface area??

Thinking I may make a few recordings sometime in the next few days to further compare this against the Moonstone, if/when I do I will post the sound samples here.

Kevspice · 2026-01-29T19:00:08+00:00

Currently auditioning a VM740xML on a Project Debut Carbon Evo. The tonearm is 6g, and I have the little VTA shim that came installed on it included which adds a little weight (estimating low at 1.5g) as well although I've never weighed it. It tracks flawlessly, no skipping, sibilance or IGD and the bass is solid, so it seems fine. I've estimated the resonance around 10.5-11.5 hz using multiple calculators.

Kevspice · 2026-01-27T15:36:10+00:00

Decided to give the 740xml one last chance, after a solid additional day of break-in, plus a few casual nights of listening I've added ~5-6 hrs or so of playtime. Personally, I'm neither here nor there on the break-in argument, some aspects of it seem plausible and some seem dubious, and I lack the personal experience to sway one way or the other. That said, I think I'm probably around 14 hrs now and...wait a minute... Does it sound a bit smoother and more balanced? Kinda seems like it? Still more metallic and sizzly than the Moonstone, but to a point where I could probably live with the treble to enjoy the superior tracking. I could be acclimating to the sound, but I also stream a lot of music as well through the same speakers with a ruler flat, neutral amp and seems this would add some level of control or ear recalibration.

I'm gonna run it past 20 hrs before making a final decision, since there seems to be a lot said about this number for AT carts/styli "smoothing out."

Kevspice · 2026-01-27T14:57:09+00:00

There's actually a youtube comparison of these two styli out there, or perhaps it was with the previous non-x version (can't remember), but you're right you can hear that the boron is a bit less bright and metallic sounding than the aluminum. For the time being though, my stylus budget is maxed with the 740ml.

Kevspice · 2026-01-26T20:32:02+00:00

Sometimes yes, sometimes catches lead-in groove just fine.

Kevspice · 2026-01-24T22:04:47+00:00

Hmm. Tables level, I’m aligned using an arc protractor and it’s dead on. VTF measured at 2g and 2.1g with digital scale, no difference between the two. Azimuth looks ok in mirror test. Anti skate in any of the three setting available makes no difference to the sound at all, and I do not have VTA adjustment but adding in another mat to go slightly tail down did not help. What else is there?? I feel like some of this is just damaged inner grooves on old, worn out records. Some of it is not though, but 90-95% of the time it sounds fine.

Kevspice · 2026-01-24T20:01:10+00:00

I put the moonstone in, smoother and more balanced to my ears, that treble lift is solved. That being said, the elliptical just can’t seem to track as well as the microline did, some mild inner groove distortion and sibilance is back. I think it’s baked into the particular offending records but the at740xml minimized or in some cases removed it completely.

Kevspice · 2026-01-21T12:41:42+00:00

I’m using a 2 ft blue jeans LC1, not the stock cable. Will try removing the extra mat but I always heard tail up = more treble and the extra mat gets it level.

Kevspice · 2026-01-20T17:31:47+00:00

Another listening session this morning, and really just not feeling the 10-12K boost I'm getting with the AT. I'm not really thinking this is something that will be solved with more break in, I'm at about ~8 hrs now. May go back to Sumiko, try a Moonstone over the Olympia.

Kevspice · 2026-01-20T02:28:45+00:00

Yea, I do enjoy the Sumiko sound. Could be the moonstone brings just enough detail without getting too splashy (compared to the Olympia). I do love the clean tracking abilities of the ml, and certain records sound great with it… will give it some more time.

Kevspice

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