phone pre/cartridge recommendations

nooshinjohn

I am wanting to add a decent phone preamp and new cartridge to my Yamaha PX-3 turntable. I am liking the Denon DL-160, and have no clue on preamps... any advise from the vinyl guys will be very helpful.:)

thsmith

I have a Cambridge Audio 640P and have listened to a Parasound Zphono. Both are good choices.

I also use the Denon DL-160, excellent cart for the money.

Ricardo

For phone, I'd recommend AT&T.

MillerLiteScott

I would recommend Verizon.;):D

thsmith

I prefer Vontage

schwarcw

If you go with the Denon DL-160, make sure that your phono pre as a gain of at least 45 dB. The Denon is a high output MC (1.6 V) but does not have the high output of say a AT 440 MLa which is closer to 5.0 V.

mhardy6647

I like the Bottlehead Seduction very much for a phono preamp at a good price, but:
1) Ya gotta sling solder
2) Gain is a little low for a typical HOMC like the DL-160

http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php?crn=220&rn=429&action=show_detail

polkatese

schwarcw wrote: »

If you go with the Denon DL-160, make sure that your phono pre as a gain of at least 45 dB. The Denon is a high output MC (1.6 V) but does not have the high output of say a AT 440 MLa which is closer to 5.0 V.

Hey Carl,

need to pick your brain on your recommendation: I am thinking of getting DL-160 to be paired with SL1200MKII, what would you recommend for Phono Preamp on this combo?

TIA
f

schwarcw

Hi Frances!

Get yourself a phono pre with more than 44 dB gain. My Hagerman sounds fantastic and it has 44 dB gain. However, when I put in a step up transformer, it really came alive! I say get something with more than 55 dB gain with the DL-160. Your budget obviously has a lot to do with what you buy. The DL-160 sounds great! Other cartridges to consider are the Shure M97XE or the AT 440MLa are very good cartridges for not a whole lot of scratch that you can use without a high gain preamp.

PM me if you want, we can chat off line.

polkatese

Thanks Carl! I am waiting for Doug (dkg999) Pro-Ject tube box II, which according to its spec has 60 dB gain for MC, which DL-160 is. I'll ping you if all goes as plan.

Thanks again.

schwarcw

That phono pre will do the trick! Very nice phono pre, and of course Doug is a great guy!

SCompRacer

The 440 MLa is a great cartridge, and has 4.0mV output. It works well with the Coronet 2 and both Project phono stages (the II and II SE). I had all three of them here the other day. The DL-160 will be fine with 60dB of gain.

ben62670

Carl or Richie I have an Ortofon om5e in my Project TT. I don't really like anything about it except the looks. The Denon, and the AT440 are almost $200. Do you think the sure 97 performs almost as good as the Denon, or the 440? The sure is only $90.
Thanks again
Ben

polkatese

SCompRacer wrote: »

The 440 MLa is a great cartridge, and has 4.0mV output. It works well with the Coronet 2 and both Project phono stages (the II and II SE). I had all three of them here the other day. The DL-160 will be fine with 60dB of gain.

Thanks Rich!

fbm211

Try LP gear Ben.They have the best prices Ive seen on carts.(Shipping is a little high though.)

ben62670

Thanks for the link. What I really should do is try and borrow one from a local Polkie. The Ortofon that came with it has decent sound stage, but is just too sterile sounding.

SCompRacer

LP Gear is great to deal with and where I got my AT 440MLa. Tonight, Amazon is cheaper on the 440MLa by $5 ($120), and show the Shure M97XE for $62. (The high accuracy M97XE is $90).

Some folks say the 440MLa is bright but I don’t agree. Even when playing on some neutral, revealing ESL speakers. I prefer the 440MLa over the Shure M97XE, but $62 is an excellent price for a good cartridge. As always, much depends on the gear and your listening tatse.

I had an Ortofon OM5E. If it wan’t so expensive, you can upgrade the 5E with an OM20 sytlus. But if you don't like the sound now, you should try a different brand. I ended up with an OM20 cartridge buying a used table and it sounded nice. IIRC, Noel has the Denon cartridge w/OM20 now.

schwarcw

Ben, I thought the Shure sounded pretty good, especially for the money. It had a nice high ouput with a full sound. Not thin or bright. I agree with Rich I have never thought the 440 ML was bright. I got a lot of good, tight bass with the 440 ML. No problems with the Shure for SURE!:D

ben62670

HeHe. I need to see if George has a few carts I can play with. Bill is real cool too, and not to far. For $62 I could probably get at least $30 for my Ortofon on the bay. How can you tell the difference between the two sure's? They both have the same model number.

Paden501

I like my Shure M97xe. For that price, it's a no brainer. I also looked at the 440MLa, but all the reviews on the Shure swayed me, and I don't regret it.

ben62670

I think I will go with the Shure. I know the AT sound, and liked it, but if I can barrow a few cartridges then I could do a little review on the results. We are getting together again here in GA in a few weeks. Maybe I can get a few guys to bring over some cartridges. My tables is a Project (cheaper model) and I think a review of the Shure, Denon, and the AT440 would be an awesome thing to have here. This question comes up a lot. Not as bad as how many watts do I need, but I know I have asked it more than once:o

jimmydep

I bought the Shure M97xE a few months ago from Amazon for about $65, I'm still in the break-in period but it sounds as good if not better than my old Stanton 681eee cart.

Note: If you do get the Shure, look under all the foam packing, you'll find a cardboard protractor there, they make no mention of this in the instructions.

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253105482&sr=8-1


Jimmy

SolidSqual

I like the Jolida JD-9A. It's awesome. But, I am looking to buy the Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena.

thsmith

polkatese wrote: »

Thanks Carl! I am waiting for Doug (dkg999) Pro-Ject tube box II, which according to its spec has 60 dB gain for MC, which DL-160 is. I'll ping you if all goes as plan.

Thanks again.

I have a Denon 160 and it is a MC (HO) but I am using my Cambridge Audio 640P set as a MM, I was told that MM is what I should set the Phono Pre for a HOMC, Should I change the setting to MC ?

ozzy21236

thsmith wrote: »

I have a Denon 160 and it is a MC (HO) but I am using my Cambridge Audio 640P set as a MM, I was told that MM is what I should set the Phono Pre for a HOMC, Should I change the setting to MC ?

HOMC should be used with MM section of the Cambridge 640p so it is not necessary to switch.

thsmith

ozzy21236 wrote: »

HOMC should be used with MM section of the Cambridge 640p so it is not necessary to switch.

Thanks Ozzy, that is what I thought. The comment above confused me.

Dawgfish

ben62670 wrote: »

I think I will go with the Shure. I know the AT sound, and liked it, but if I can barrow a few cartridges then I could do a little review on the results. We are getting together again here in GA in a few weeks. Maybe I can get a few guys to bring over some cartridges. My tables is a Project (cheaper model) and I think a review of the Shure, Denon, and the AT440 would be an awesome thing to have here. This question comes up a lot. Not as bad as how many watts do I need, but I know I have asked it more than once:o

Keep me posted in that Ben. Of course you know how my work schedule is, so I can't make any guarantees I'll make it. I have a Denon DL-160 and Shure M97xe I could bring for us to test. I think you'll like the Shure, it really is a great cartridge for the money. It sounds a little flat and dry at first, but opens up nicely as the stylus breaks in and becomes much more musical. Give it some time before you make judgement on it. I was ready to get rid of mine the first month or so until it broke in. It sounds like a totally different cartridge now. The DL-160 is just a pleasure all together. It sounded great out of the box and just continues to sound better and better. Hopefully we can get together in a few weeks so you can see for yourself.

Steve