turntable/cartridge question

that AT cart will work fine. just make sure you balance the tonearm properly, then set VTF properly (probably 1.75 grams). the tonearm on that table has all the dials to do the adjustments you need.

as for what the best cart is, you get what you pay for. $50 for an AT or $7000 for a Koetsu. your call. if you have an inexpensive receiver, stick with moving magnet carts.

damn straight I'm a turntable NERD.

Any advice?

I think my stylus may have had it after 25+ years. I've got a Technics SL-D2. I don't want to pay much more than $30. Help.

Audio Technica at95e?

low end grado or ortofon is good but a little more

Thanks--will look into both.

The Ortofon Omega is $35ish and has some devotees who prefer it to the AT95E, plus you can upgrade to their Super OM-10 stylus if you want to down the line.

I've always been happy with my Audio-Technica stylii -- i stepped up three times within their line to see if dollars made a difference; it does. My AT95E has easily seen 1,000 hours.

just acquired a technics 1200 that i'd like use as my main at-home turntable. the question is which cartridge i ought to get for it.

i've long played out with two DJ headshells w/ shure m44-7s and, while i could sub either of these in, i don't think this is the right cartridge for mid-fi domestic listening. the shures are fine when i need to track 3.5 grams on a nigerian record, but i'd like something that (while maybe less "durable") might bring out some of the colors / textures of my cleaner, shinier records.

so, since i really scored on the 1200, i have some budget for $$$ cartridges, but what i'm really interested in is whether there are significant differences between e.g. $100 and $200 ? at what price points am i going to hear significant improvements ? is there significant difference between and entry-level audio technica cartridge vs. something in the $70-80 range ?

bump

AT entry level or Ortofon om 10, Grado black are all good under 100

Ortofon Red at 100 is a nice step up

I've had Ortofon Blue at around 200, it's good

now have Audio Technica VM540ml which is 250, Needle Doctor recommended before they closed, has microline stylus at a low price point

my fav cartridge I've ever had with the exception of the discontinued Denon DL 160 which I may be romanticizing because my needle got busted in a move and it's very hard to find now

I have an SL-1200 for home listening and use a Shure m97xe with it... tried an Ortofon Blue for a while years ago but it didn't really sound any different to me, especially for costing $200 more than the one I had. Will probably buy a Grado black soon because my needle likely needs replacing and the Shure doesn't seem to exist anymore.

there's this

https://service.shure.com/s/article/sources-for-discontinued-styli-and-phono-cartridges?language=en_US

and i also saw some new old stock on eBay for ~ $30

xp thanks ums

a friend recommended this cartridge specifically for using a 1200 for "audiophile" purposes, rather than for DJing:

https://www.lpgear.com/product/THEVESSELA3SE.html

i’ve been interested in those lpgear cartridges since they make pmount carts which fewer and fewer companies do. glad to hear even a second hand recommendation.

next time i'm at his place i'll ask to hear it and will try to remember to report back here !

hey mizzell, I'm also a p-mount user - there's a place on eBay selling NOS AT450 cartridges for a reasonable(?) price, I really liked the one I bought and got a couple more as spares - probably leaning towards accurate/clinical rather than "warm" but I thought it was an impressive cart for the same price as a Grado black (at least in Aus dollars) (I also liked the Grado black I tried!)

best p-mount I've had is the technics EPC-310MC - thinking about getting mine retipped

I'm also intrigued by LP Gears "reference" p-mounts - which I think are a stock AT body fitted with a higher spec LP gear replacement stylus? one day I'll give them a shot

thanks for the tip, I have a more or less unfounded skepticism of audio technia, though i know lots of people like their carts. i've mostly used ortofon and was bummed when they stopped making p mounts.

they still make the OM stylus range tho? should keep you going for a while if you have an OMP cart kicking around?

the only OMP cart I ever got had a bad channel so I've never really explored the Ortofon p-mount experience

xpost - mizzel I think I used to have that too, then the Needle Doctor guys talked me into the 540 I mentioned upthread

it's FAR better than the Ortofon Blue, for $50 more... striking difference, best moving magnet I've heard (the Denon one I loved was a high output moving coil) the AT is the closest to an MC sound I've heard in a MM*


*not that they don't exist I'm sure, I just top out at about $250 maybe $300 for what I'm willing to spend