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New cartridge advice please

Not sure show much they cost these days, but a Dynavector 10x5 works really well on an LP12/Ittok.

Lefty
 
Hylobates said:
I need a new cartridge for my old LP12/Ittok. Any strong contenders around £250?
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Depends also on what presentation you prefer. Some cartridges within this price range are
AT440mla - superb tracking ability with its fine line stylus, analytical and brighter side of neutral sound.
Denon DL110 - still used by many at this price point, excellent soundstage and separation, high output moving coil cartridge. Nicely balanced across the frequency range. Entry level moving coil cartridge that can compete with cartridges a lot more expensive.
Nagaoka MP110 pr MP150 - beautiful rich sounding midrange, the best for jazz that I have used and also the best at reducing surface noise.

There are others Ortofon 2M blue or a little more expensive is the 2M bronze. The 2M bronze benefits from an excellent fine line stylus profile. There are other offerings from Goldring.

Plenty to choose from, read some reviews, think about what you hope to achieve from the investing in a new cartridge. The Ittok/LP12 is a well regarded combination and deserves a decent cartridge which should be achieved within the budget you have specified, good luck.
 
The cartridge being replaced is an 20 year old AT OC5. When I mentioned my plan to my local dealer the immediate response was 'oh you need an OC9 then' Two things put me off, 1 too expensive, 2 has a reputation for being well lit, finely etched, or what used to be called bright. Curiously as I get older I am finding these properties harder to tolerate. Thanks for all the replies so far, very helpful, gives me somewhere to start looking.
 
Hylobates said:
The cartridge being replaced is an 20 year old AT OC5. When I mentioned my plan to my local dealer the immediate response was 'oh you need an OC9 then' Two things put me off, 1 too expensive, 2 has a reputation for being well lit, finely etched, or what used to be called bright. Curiously as I get older I am finding these properties harder to tolerate. Thanks for all the replies so far, very helpful, gives me somewhere to start looking.
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Have you had your Deck looked at in the last 20 years?
 
Bought a new belt and some oil for the bearing recently in preparation for its return from its box under the bed!
 
A new belt is always a good idea if it's old, but you'll be amazed at the difference that a little trick my dealer friend showed me.....cleaning an old belt with Non Silicone Wood Silk furniture polish. Sounds odd, sounds counter intuitive, but it works!
 
I'm going to give my usual advice and suggest you try a Denon DL103 - what it does well, it does very well, and you can upgrade it if you like what it does... Its cheap.
 
An AT33EV or a Nagaoka MP500 would be great in your set up; the former if you want greater clarity and dynamics, the latter if you want greater richness in the mid-range. If you check mellstock on the Wam he has some new ones for sale at amazing prices.
 
stevec67 said:
Nagaoka will work very well on a RP3/RB300 (or later version) arm.
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Are you suggesting it wouldn't work well on a standard RB250?

Personally I've found the MP500 works very well on an Audio Note Arm One. Less so on my 12" Notts Ace Space, which in most other cases I prefer (although I may have not taken enough care with set up for that brief experiment).
 
I have to admit, I'm kind of with your dealer; the OC9 has always complemented the older LP12 with Ittok rather well, and the most recent versions do improve on the earlier ones in many ways. It's certainly a much nicer cartridge than the old OC5. In some respects it's still very much SOTA, particularly in it's ability to get everything there is from those inner grooves. It can time really well too, indeed, it's rather better here than most MCs. But it can have a bit of a sting up top if you aren't careful to match it right. But it is tameable, and doing so is highly worthwhile to better enjoy its many strengths. Get it right and it's a finely detailed and involving cartridge at a crazy price.

Actually sitting here typing this and looking at what the actual price is these days, it's amazing really to think that it can still be bought in certain places for £300. It's worth remembering that when introduced it neatly straddled the Karma and Troika in price and for a while was considered by some to be the "next best thing" to a Troika on the LP12/Ittok of the day.

Still, if a cart with a lusher more forgiving sound is on the cards then you may not wish to chance the OC9. Just don't be put off by experience with the inferior OC5.
 
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