Cartridge Selection

Sax

Well, let me start by saying I did try to search for the forums RE: Cartidge / Cart Selection, that sort of thing and didn't have too much luck, so....

I've recently made some purchases on ebay that I'm eagerly awaiting :-P

My current setup involves a pair of polk monitor 5b's and a *coughinsigniaampfrombestbuycough*.


I have coming any day now a:

Pair of RTA-11T's ($163 for the pair, eBay)
1970's Rega planar 2 with Grace g-707 tonearm, all mint condition ($249, ebay)
Adcom GFA-545II ($249, eBay)

the preamp I currently have is from phonopreamps.com:
http://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750lcpp.html the TC-750LC (plan on eventual upgrade to tube preamp)

SO, for my analog setup then, I'm looking now for a cartridge in my price range and comparable or better in quality than the rest of my gear... room to grow is always good in a system too of course.

my current cart is an Audio-Technica AT-71ELC

I'm looking for something that will go with the rest of my gear / maybe give room to upgrade, yet still be in my price range. My goal is to build an entire system for <$500 / component. so I'm willing to spend up to $500 on a cart so somewhere in the $2-500 range. I've just gotten lucky so far getting for instance the rta 11's so cheaply, but I'll likely be doing the tweeter upgrade so that's additional cost of course.

Some possible candidates if anyone has their $0.02

Audio-Technica AT440ML
Ortofon Super OM 30
AUDIO TECHNICA - OC9ML2
GRADO - REFERENCE PLATINUM

others? Benz Micro maybe? I dunno.

a site I found that has many many cartridges for really good prices was http://www.musicdirect.com/

schwarcw

Congrats on your new toys! I'm interested in hearing some recommendations from the vinyl heads. I have a TT in my vintage rig. I have old an Empire, Staton and a $100 Audio Technica. I'd like to upgrade but not spend to much.

TroyD

I have the Dynavector 10x5....around 375 or so. I can't say enough good about it.

BDT

BlueMDPicker

I've had some excellent results with the Goldring 1000 series. Stylii in this series are interchangeable with the cartridge body. So, you can start with the lowest priced model (1006) and upgrade fairly economically:

http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/index.htm

Have fun.

schwarcw

Good info from the hardcore vinyl Polkies! Thanks Troy and Mike!

Troy, I was just listening to the "Stardust" vinyl you sent me. Good stuff!

madmax

If at all possible try to listen to the cartridge you are considering. If not the exact one then maybe another in the same series. Tough, I know, but cartridges are more varied in sound than speakers in my opinion. If you are willing to roll the dice you can pick one up on audiogon used for less than half price. Keep in mind that most people try this and that and just want to get a little money back when they move on. I'd be willing to bet that most current used cartridges are in fine condition. People just don't pick one and hold onto it until it dies then try to sell. Obviously someone could so be cautious. Since you don't really know what you want half price is good.

Sax

hmm... Moving Coil? Or Moving Magnet? I currently have a preamp that does only Moving Magnet so I would need to get both the cart and a preamp, however would it be worth it? Or can a good MM cart go a long way?

reeltrouble1

The ClearAudio cartridges work well with Rega.

RT1

madmax

I didn't find happiness until I went to a MC. BTW, the Jolida JD-9 is an excellent preamp. I had one of those for awhile. I talk about it somewhere, you could search for it if interested. BlueMDPicker has a really nice sounding pre as well, the PS Audio.

schwarcw

What are the pros and cons of MC vs MM? Will phono preamps accept either?

madmax

MC has a much lower output and must be boosted with a transformer to use with a standard MM preamp. Some preamps which support both use either a transformer and a pre or a two stage pre. The transformer is generally accepted as better but they get REALLY expensive and each type seem to have their own sound. I haven't heard a lot of carts so I'm not the best person to give the sonic traits of both but what I noticed was the MC was smoother on the high end, almost magical as compared to the MM which seemed harsh. Kinda like comparing an SL-2000 to the RDO tweeter replacement. Of course I went from a relatively cheap ($500) Goldring 1042 to a mid-range ($3K) Benz. The L2 Benz MC at half the price had the same magical qualities as well. Another thing is the MC carts do not have replaceable needles AND they are more fragile. Generally when they fail you trade them in for quite a large discount (markoff) on an equal or better cart from the same manufacturer.

schwarcw

Thanks Max. I'm doing a cautious return to vinyl. Within the last month I have come to remember many of the things that I didn't like about it. Noise, no remote, cleaning records, etc. Still, it's fun. But I'm not jumping in with both feet or let's say my savings account.

madmax

You can avoid surface noise two ways.

1. A system so cheap it doesn't reproduce exactly what is on the record.

2. A system so good it puts the noise in an unnoticeable part of the room. Maybe off to the side or back behind the speakers somewhere. Somewhere that even if you hear it you don't care.

Low end to average tables tend to throw it in your face, right between the eyes.

madmax

billbillw

Sax,
Not sure if its been mentioned yet (I just did a quick read), but your Grace arm is considered a lightweight arm and would best be suited with a high compliance cartridge. A low compliance cartridge will cause all kinds of bad resonance to come through your tonearm. So, look for compliance numbers that are 15 or higher.

Sax

billbillw wrote:

Sax,
Not sure if its been mentioned yet (I just did a quick read), but your Grace arm is considered a lightweight arm and would best be suited with a high compliance cartridge. A low compliance cartridge will cause all kinds of bad resonance to come through your tonearm. So, look for compliance numbers that are 15 or higher.

What do you mean by compliance? I've not heard that term as it relates to a cart yet before.