Cartridge suggestions

cstmar01
cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
edited July 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
Looking to possibly upgrade my cartridge in the future, just have no idea where to start. Current one I'm using is what came with my table a music Hall 2.2LE and it is the Music Hall Tracker. I like the sound, enjoy it, just would like to have an idea of what I would be looking at for an upgrade.

Seeing I've never set one up (mine can set up from the get go) I would want something that wouldn't require hours upon hours of tweaking to get right. Also I would say nothing over 150.00 for a price.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,420
    edited July 2010
    Denon DL-160... Great cartridge for the money.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited July 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Denon DL-160... Great cartridge for the money.

    +1.

    Got this one. Great sound for the price!

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • audiobilly
    audiobilly Posts: 351
    edited July 2010
    +1
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Denon DL-160... Great cartridge for the money.

    Check this out as well,

    http://www.mofi.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=20&idcategory=11
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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,204
    edited July 2010
    cstmar01 wrote: »
    Also I would say nothing over 150.00 for a price.
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Denon DL-160... Great cartridge for the money.

    Agree with the Denon recommendation, but can one be had for $150? Currently $180 at Amazon.
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,420
    edited July 2010
    I got mine on Ebay 149.00 shipped...


    http://cgi.ebay.com/Denon-DL-160-High-Output-MC-Phono-cartridge-DL160-/190417700102?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c55c78506
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,204
    edited July 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    I got mine on Ebay 149.00 shipped...


    http://cgi.ebay.com/Denon-DL-160-High-Output-MC-Phono-cartridge-DL160-/190417700102?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c55c78506

    There you go cstmar01.
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • schwarcw
    schwarcw Posts: 7,338
    edited July 2010
    Greetings Chris!

    I own the DL-160 and it is a great cartridge. It is a low output MC. Make sure that your phono preamp has a gainof about 45 dB or more. Another good choice is the Audio Technica 440 MLa. This MM cartridge has much more gain than the Denon. Good luck!
    Carl

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  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited July 2010
    schwarcw wrote: »
    Greetings Chris!

    I own the DL-160 and it is a great cartridge. It is a low output MC. Make sure that your phono preamp has a gainof about 45 dB or more. Another good choice is the Audio Technica 440 MLa. This MM cartridge has much more gain than the Denon. Good luck!

    Thanks for the info Carl. I totally forgot about MC vs MM. Currently I have a MM so what would be the benefits of running a MC? Does one normally obtain better sound quality?

    and thanks for the link John, I'll look into it!
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  • schwarcw
    schwarcw Posts: 7,338
    edited July 2010
    Chris,

    The MC may sound quieter, less surface noise, beter IMHO.;)

    What type of phono preamp and preamp do you have?

    Carl
    Carl

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  • quadzilla
    quadzilla Posts: 1,543
    edited July 2010
    The main benefit of a MC cart over a MM is that the cantilever has less mass on the back end, and so is able to present a more accurate play back. As the name states, MC carts have the coils mounted on the back end of the cantilever where the MM carts have the magnets mounted there. There are some very fine MM carts out there, but the best MM won't compare to the best MC. You can also find high output MC carts which are built to be compatible with MM phono stages. My personal preference the Shelter line, though Van Den Hul and a couple of others have my interest should I ever get the money to play.
    Turntable: Empire 208
    Arm: Rega 300
    Cart: Shelter 501 III
    Phono Pre: Aural Thrills
    Digital: Pioneer DV-79ai
    Pre: Conrad Johnson ET3 SE
    Amp: Conrad Johnson Evolution 2000
    Cables: Cardas Neutral Reference
    Speakers: SDA 2.3TL, heavily modified
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  • audiobilly
    audiobilly Posts: 351
    edited July 2010
    FWIW,

    The Dennon DL-160 is a high output MC cart.

    http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/539.asp

    I can be used in a MM cart setup. Another plus for this cart.

    schwarcw wrote: »
    Greetings Chris!

    I own the DL-160 and it is a great cartridge. It is a low output MC. Make sure that your phono preamp has a gainof about 45 dB or more. Another good choice is the Audio Technica 440 MLa. This MM cartridge has much more gain than the Denon. Good luck!
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited July 2010
    quadzilla wrote: »
    The main benefit of a MC cart over a MM is that the cantilever has less mass on the back end, and so is able to present a more accurate play back. As the name states, MC carts have the coils mounted on the back end of the cantilever where the MM carts have the magnets mounted there. There are some very fine MM carts out there, but the best MM won't compare to the best MC. You can also find high output MC carts which are built to be compatible with MM phono stages. My personal preference the Shelter line, though Van Den Hul and a couple of others have my interest should I ever get the money to play.

    As a lover of high end MC carts I have to disagree with only the bolded section of you post above. I've heard some high end MMs that are just spectacular but I'm still sticking to very low output MC carts as they just are so transparent and really bring out the inner detail, decay & bloom etc.

    Chris based on your budget, I would day the Denon DL-160 is a good bet. If however you find yourself with more cash try the Dynavector 10 X 5.
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  • AudioGenics
    AudioGenics Posts: 2,567
    edited July 2010
    Check out Grado laboratories
    many original patents on cartridge design were first innovated by this USA company.

    http://www.gradolabs.com/frameset_main.htm
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