Replacement cartridge/stylus

billbillw

For you vinyl newbies, specs on a phono cartridge don't really mean squat.

The only specs that matter for a phono cartridge are:
-The output voltage and impedence (to properly match a phono stage to it),
-The compliance and cartridge weight (to properly match it to a tonearm).
-The type of stylus and cantilever material. There are obviously big steps up here as quality/price gets higher.

Other than that, its all pretty much useless info, especially stereo separation.
A good cartridge is a good cartridge. Look for experienced user reviews. There are a lot of cartridges out there, but the good ones are pretty well known and are talked about extensively at places like AudioKarma, AudioAsylum, HeadFi, and Steve Hoffman's forum.

Fongolio

The Denon DL-160 does have extremely low noise and is very forgiving of light scratched LP's. I find the soundstage very wide and deep so seperation is not really an issue. I also have a Grado Prestige Gold MM and I like the Denon more. Digs out more detail without being etchy. I also have a sony new old stock moving coil that comes very close to the Denon for detail but more surface noise is evident. I've also used a Shure M95ED that is very close in sound to the much lauded V15's and it sounds great but slightly less detailed however huge bottom end punch. My 2 cents.

rayslifecycle

I got the Denon DL-160 for christmas this year - It is amazing - it made my yammy TT sound better then many other TTs I have heard.......Couldn't recommend it enough.

it is harder to find though - I believe my fiance found it on the bay.

check out my showcase to see some pics of the cart.

inspiredsports

billbillw wrote: »

For you vinyl newbies, specs on a phono cartridge don't really mean squat.

True that.

My ears really like what I deem to be more separation from my Stanton which the stats conveniently support. My ears also don't hear much background noise using it. I have 4 turntables and 6 cartidges and the Stanton 681 EEE MK III is my favorite. It's specs are quite good too.

There's lots of love and a bit of hatred (but not much) at audiokarma. AudioAsylum is an asylum, not much shows up at hoffman, and head-fi shows the love too.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=125385
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=125385
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/stanton-681eee-505-skii-review-327957

PS.: I do spend a lot of time setting up proper geometry, fastidious cleaning, and my system is tweaked with a Herbie's mat and The Clamp so your results may vary.

bobt

Well a cartridge sound, like everything else in this world of HI-FI....is subjective and up to everybodys personal taste(and ears).

I've had many over the years, Ortofon,Grado,Pickering,Stanton,A/T. Probably a few more i don't remember. The Pickering and A/T...don't stand out in my mind, so i have to feel they were just ok. The Ortofon..I payed like $150 for and was expecting great things....did not happen. It seemed to be laid back(for lack of a better term), did not bring the soundstage out, maybe..just didn't think it was worth the bucks.

The Grado on the other hand...was up front....you heard everything that was on the record.....problem is i don't remember if it was a black,green or red....LOL

Right now i have a Stanton L720EE....just a cheap, middle of the road thing. I'm looking to change my preamp and phone stage, so i didn't buy a $$$ cartridge.
When i do, i'll probably try the Shure. It's really what your ear likes.....

ViperZ

Received my DSOTM yesterday. Also received 'Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd'. $43 USD + shipping from J&R. My favourite album (Shine on You Crazy Diamond) is on it.
Can't wait for the Shure to arrive. Put the cartridge on, re-balance/tune the TT for Shure, and I am all set!!!

ViperZ

Well, I finally (yes, really finally) got time to install the new cart / re-balance the arm, and listen to DSOTM and Echoes (Time and Shine on You Crazy Diamond).
First impression: WOW!!!!
I mean, I knew that the cartridge would make a difference, but not SUCH a difference. The imaging and depth are probably about the same as the old AT cart (which was really good anyway), but the first thing I noticed was the bass extension. I keep hearing people saying that vinyl does not provide good/enough bass. Well, with this cart, it was ALL THERE. Voices and mids in general were pretty good. Highs - I still would like a little bit more - I had to increase treble level on the preamp to get it to the way I wanted it. Overall, I think the investment into Shure M97xE and into the new tt pad was a huge success.

Test system was 2.1:
- Dual 1228 with Shure M97xE
- Cambridge Audio 640P preamp going through Marantz AV550
- Adcom GFA-6000 amp
- StudioLab open baffle 3-way speakers
- Velodyne ULD-15 subwoofer

Really a mix of the StudioLab 5.1 HT with some components out of the dedicated 2-channel rig, which is still not finished (Maggies are still waiting for me to finish their frames).