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New cart reccomendations

Snufkin said:
I used a Denon 103 and a 103r in a Rega arm with no problems. I am not sure why you think these cartridges won't suit a Rega arm?
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The cartridge compliance and the arm mass do not form a favorable resonance frequency.
 
Mikeandvan said:
I'm not the most careful vinyl user, I often knock the tonearm and off it goes skidding across the record, I'm not retarded or anything, just a bit impatient. :D I think I'd cry if I broke a £400 cart.
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Simple, just get a Shure M97xE and buy a spare stylus (or more records) with the change. I happily run this on an OL Silver II on my second deck and it's not embarrassed by my Hana SH on my SL1200.
 
whats your second deck? I also have a 1210, not sure whether its my first or second deck, well at the moment its my first.
 
Yank said:
The cartridge compliance and the arm mass do not form a favorable resonance frequency.
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I'd have to disagree... I also ran a 103 (and 103r) in a Rega and got a resonance at around 9 to 10 Hz... (Measured).

Bear in mind that Denon Quote their compliance figures at 100Hz and, if you plug 5Cu and the Eff. Mass of an arm (around 12g for a Rega) into a calculator, it will give an "unfavourable" figure...

The graph in the DL103 manual (available on Vinyl Engine) suggests that the compliance rises as frequency decreases, so maybe this is the reason for the disparity between the theory and the practice...
 
oldius said:
Look around. LP gear in the States is an excellent supplier and they also have regular offers. Delivery and quality is spot on.

http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATC01.html

£325 at current exchange and a superb cartridge.
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Thanks, was considering that one. I see it on Ebay, though there seems to be quite a variation in price, cheapest is £350 - some shop 'Dave Cawley', anyone experience this? Just wondering how one shop can offer at almost £50 cheaper than others?
 
Mikeandvan said:
Is the 103R a step up from the 103? I've seen these carts in after market metal housings, seem to be popular.
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There are reasons why the 103 has been around so long and favoured by so many. And it's not because it sounds like a rusty nail, nor because it only sounds best with certain types of music.

If you're after quick and speedy results, however, I'd avoid it. If you hear one properly set up, you may find yourself beginning a long relationship with it.

I prefer the 103 to the 103R (or Pro). The Zu103 I have is a completely differently beast. I have all of them, as well as a 102. This recent comparative analysis (including the 103 and Zu103) might be useful, even if you decide to choose something else entirely. An audiophile should keep a number of cartridges!
 
Ive tried the 2M Bronze,Black and a 103. A Stanton 881s really sounded better to my ears than all three of them. NOS stock sometimes come up at a very reasonably price in the U.S. The only downside of this wonderful cart is it tracks very, very low so records have to be perfectly flat. Other than that i found the Nagoaka MP200 a great all rounder and i have moved up to the MP500 which is lovely.
 
Oh. I'm confused now. I thought you wanted a cheap and knockable job between 150 and 300?
Assumed you meant a MM.
New ballpark.
 
Rockmeister said:
Oh. I'm confused now. I thought you wanted a cheap and knockable job between 150 and 300?
Assumed you meant a MM.
New ballpark.
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Well, just mentioned my clumsiness/impatience at times when changing records, so best to stay budget, I might stretch to £350 for the AT-OC9ML/II.
If it suits my arm - OL silver mk3a.
 
Mikeandvan said:
Yes, been looking at the cheaper Audio Technica mc carts, AT2 and AT7 at less than £200. But then I get to thinking, well that At33 seems to get rave reviews, but its £400 +, and I'm not the most careful vinyl user, I often knock the tonearm and off it goes skidding across the record, I'm not retarded or anything, just a bit impatient. :D I think I'd cry if I broke a £400 cart.
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which is one reason I suggested a MM - only have to replace the stylus assembly and atleast not have to re fit the body . I dont know how the Ortofon 2M Bronze compares to the Red or Blue, it goes well with my Rega RB300 arm on Xerxes deck and Audiolab/Tag amps. I suppose At the sort of prices you are prepared to pay some thing wont be perfect?
 
Mikeandvan said:
Well, just mentioned my clumsiness/impatience at times when changing records, so best to stay budget, I might stretch to £350 for the AT-OC9ML/II.
If it suits my arm - OL silver mk3a.
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There are 3 AT33's officially imported into the UK.
The 33EV is an eliptical stylus, with an output of 0.,3mv and like 100ohm resistance in your phono stage. £400 direct from AT UK
The 33PTG MK 11 has a boron cantilever and a microline stylus for an extra £50. Well worth it I'd suspect. It's other specs are as above. Forget number 3, it's twice your budget.
As to matching the OS silver, the compliance figure works out at 12Hz...should be fine. I'd guess that the OS would prefer a cart weighing about 8 or 9 gms, with a compliance figure in the low teens...11-14 would be perfect, but ?
12HZ is fine.
 
Rockmeister said:
There are 3 AT33's officially imported into the UK.
The 33EV is an eliptical stylus, with an output of 0.,3mv and like 100ohm resistance in your phono stage. £400 direct from AT UK
The 33PTG MK 11 has a boron cantilever and a microline stylus for an extra £50. Well worth it I'd suspect. It's other specs are as above. Forget number 3, it's twice your budget.
As to matching the OS silver, the compliance figure works out at 12Hz...should be fine. I'd guess that the OS would prefer a cart weighing about 8 or 9 gms, with a compliance figure in the low teens...11-14 would be perfect, but ?
12HZ is fine.
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Thanks a lot, I also have the 323 K Naim cards, which were made for Linn carts with 0.3mv output, so a perfect match. What do you mean by 'officially imported' ? I see many AT carts for sale in the UK, not just the 3 you mention (well 2!). The Audio-Technica AT-OC9ML/II is 0.4mv output, so a close enough match as well, was going to get an off board phono stage in the near future as well.
 
Any guarantee that when you buy a cart it hasn't been used/returned? Just that there's quite a bit of variation in price from different retailers.
 
Mikeandvan said:
Thanks, was considering that one. I see it on Ebay, though there seems to be quite a variation in price, cheapest is £350 - some shop 'Dave Cawley', anyone experience this? Just wondering how one shop can offer at almost £50 cheaper than others?
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Dave is well known and IME perfectly reliable. In fact he's quite a reputation as a Techie tweaker and runs 'Sound Hifi'. Try googling him for more info.
 
Mikeandvan said:
Thanks a lot, I also have the 323 K Naim cards, which were made for Linn carts with 0.3mv output, so a perfect match. What do you mean by 'officially imported' ? I see many AT carts for sale in the UK, not just the 3 you mention (well 2!). The Audio-Technica AT-OC9ML/II is 0.4mv output, so a close enough match as well, was going to get an off board phono stage in the near future as well.
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AT make different cartridges for different markets. I've not looked into why this is, and I can't see why it should matter. Maybe they are just keen to see through 'official' sites? Certainly any 33 with the same cantilever and microline stylus should sound amazing, even if it was destined for the USA or Italy or whatever.
I think?
AT have a UK website here, so you can compare figures.
https://eu.audio-technica.com/hifi-phono/cartridges
 
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