Amp and turntable cartridge upgrade question
EFanning
Posts: 60
What's up?
I have an early 1980s Philips GA 312 turntable with its original cartridge. It plays pretty pretty well save for a lack of strong high range sound. Sounds a little distant. I have Polk R50s and Monitor 50s connected to the A and B speakers of a late 1990s Yamaha R-V702.
Here are two simple questions:
1. Will a $60 Grado Black cartridge upgrade correct for the slight sound issue?
2. Will an amp upgrade, from a Yammie R-V702 to a Yammie AX-497 or a Marantz PM7001 also help? Well, yes. I guess the question here is, do you think these planned upgrades are prudent?
I have an early 1980s Philips GA 312 turntable with its original cartridge. It plays pretty pretty well save for a lack of strong high range sound. Sounds a little distant. I have Polk R50s and Monitor 50s connected to the A and B speakers of a late 1990s Yamaha R-V702.
Here are two simple questions:
1. Will a $60 Grado Black cartridge upgrade correct for the slight sound issue?
2. Will an amp upgrade, from a Yammie R-V702 to a Yammie AX-497 or a Marantz PM7001 also help? Well, yes. I guess the question here is, do you think these planned upgrades are prudent?
Marantz DV4001 CD and DVD
WD TV Live Hub with 1 TB (Need DacMagic)
Marantz PM7001 Integrated amplifier
Philips GA 312 Turntable
Polk Monitor 70s (Zone 1)
Polk Monitor 40s (Zone 2)
WD TV Live Hub with 1 TB (Need DacMagic)
Marantz PM7001 Integrated amplifier
Philips GA 312 Turntable
Polk Monitor 70s (Zone 1)
Polk Monitor 40s (Zone 2)
Post edited by EFanning on
Comments
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The Grados and the low-mass arm of the GA-212/GA-312 are a pretty good match. What cartridge do you have now?
You might want to consider an outboard phono preamp. Can you solder? The Hagerman Bugle is a very nice entry level SS pre; the Bottlehead Seduction an even nicer entry-level tube phono preamp. The latter is what I use on the real hifi here.
www.hagtech.com
www.bottlehead.com
