Cartridge Suggestions

Thank you to everyone for all of the suggestions and opinions. Your inputs are very valuable to me when trying to get up to speed on a new category. Even though back in the day I was well versed in cartridges, times have changed over the many years I was out of vinyl :).

I have some considering to do now with all of the excellent input. At this point I think I am leaning towards the AT. It sounds like there are a few choices in affordable ranges that should give me what I am looking for.

Even though my phono stage is not expensive it does have a wide range of capabilities and settings; it should be able to handle any of these choices. As Mike stated, it is "crazy good", especially for its price range. It certainly has the adjustments for both MM and MC cartridges. I am not fooling myself in thinking it can play with the big boys, I know it can't but for my level it is ok for now. I am actually quite surprised at how good the SimAudio is and certainly would consider one of their step up models if I were to look at upgrading the phono pre-amp down the road.

We will see how it all comes together with the new Hattor AMRG version which is slated to arrive today. I am still amazed on how he sent it from Poland on Tuesday and it is slated to arrive on Thursday here in California. After this settles in I will decide if a new cartridge is in order or stick where I am at for now.
 
Randy - Since you had a fondness for Signet and are shooting around the $1K mark, you should give some serious consideration to the AT-ART9. It sells for $990 so you'd be under-budget. ;)
This cartridge has received numerous raves from both reviewers and users, many of whom say it holds its own when placed up against the competition even at twice the price. One thing you need to keep in mind with many of the carts you're looking at is that they may require a spacer under your tonearm to achieve proper VTA. The Rega carts are all relatively short, so taller carts would need the arm to be mounted higher to keep the stylus properly aligned which is of even greater significance with more advanced stylus profiles. Without proper setup a better cartridge is likely to sound worse than what you have now properly aligned, since they're more demanding and revealing of proper setup. Adding a spacer to a Rega tonearm isn't really that difficult and doesn't require any special tools, just some time and patience along with purchasing the proper spacer from your Rega dealer.
 
I noticed that one when looking at various options. The one thing that is very hard to determine is the height of a cartridge.... which ones are taller, which are shorter, etc. So it is almost a shot in the dark on which cartridges are similar in height to the Rega's. Audio Technica appear to be one of the only ones that list the size spec. Their height is 0.68". Obviously I don't know how this compares, but it seems on the shorter side??? Anything else is simply guessing by the photo :(.

This is one of the draws to the Rega's. Perfect VTA alignment and perfect overhang alignment because of their three screw mounts. :)
 
Randy Myers said:
I noticed that one when looking at various options. The one thing that is very hard to determine is the height of a cartridge.... which ones are taller, which are shorter, etc. So it is almost a shot in the dark on which cartridges are similar in height to the Rega's. Audio Technica appear to be one of the only ones that list the size spec. Their height is 0.68". Obviously I don't know how this compares, but it seems on the shorter side??? Anything else is simply guessing by the photo :(.

This is one of the draws to the Rega's. Perfect VTA alignment and perfect overhang alignment because of their three screw mounts. :)
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That AT-ART9 Dimensions 17.3 (H) x 17.0 (W) x 25.6 (L) mm
 
Hehe... the AT's are one of the few that actually list their size in the specs... 17.3 mm = 0.68" :)... but what is the height of a Rega? Or others.... they don't normally list it... so how do you know how tall of a spacer is actually needed?

I believe the Rega's are 14 mm tall from one listing that I just found.
 
I got to hear various Hana cartridges at RMAF and they were all smooth and musical. One of the Hana's will be my next cartridge once I upgrade to a PP that can do MC.

I would also consider a Nagaoka MP-500. Nagaoka's tend to have a smoother slightly warm sound with excellent bass and good detail. I own an MP-200 and MP-150. Vocals really shine with them and they have a gorgeous midrange. The 500 would be my next cartridge but I am curious about MC cartridges.
 
If you can’t/don’t want to move up to the Ortofon Cadenza line, I also endorse anything by Dynavector in your budget.
 
Thank you so much for all the input.

It is so very hard to even understand different cartridges, let alone actually pick one out without having the ability of seeing/hearing them in action. At least back in the day there were a few stores to visit in this process :).
 
Randy Myers said:
Thank you so much for all the input.

It is so very hard to even understand different cartridges, let alone actually pick one out without having the ability of seeing/hearing them in action. At least back in the day there were a few stores to visit in this process :).
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Randy, the best you can do is read as many reviews on the cartridges that you are interested in so you can get a feel for what they my sound like. Of course your gear will be different and will have different synergy but if the reviews are consistent then at least you have something to go on. Vinyl Engine is a good source.

I picked the Nagaoka's because I like a romantic, rich midrange with punchy bass and smooth and forgiving top end. They give me that. Just about every review I read was consistent with my tastes.

Happy Hunting!
 
Well after a lot of reading and considering pros and cons I made a choice. I am going to try the Rega Ania Pro, their newest cartridge. Now questions about settings on the SimAudio.

The Rega suggested settings are as such:

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The SimAudio has:
Input Impedance 10/100/475/47k ohms
Input Capacitance 0/100pF/330pF/430pF
Gain Level 40dB/50dB/54dB/60dB/66dB

So I know to set the Impedance at 100 ohm and the gain either 60dB or 66dB. But what about the Capacitance?

Thank you again for all the input!
 
Capacitance not really important on an MC cartridge so just set it at 100. Also start with 60 db as that should be enough.
 
Thank you Jack. Very much appreciate the input!

It was a toss up between the value of the Denon's, the link to Signet for the AT's, and the made for the table of the Rega's. Rega finally won out because of the way they set the tables up for their cartridges and the deal I got from the service manager where I bought the table! He gave me a huge break on their newest cartridge! I could not resist.
 
Sounds good Randy, hope you like it and as you said really easy to set up. The last one I owned years ago had a reasonably good stylus guard too.
 
Hehe... it looks much better than the Ortofon guard. I will probably never live it down, but would rather be honest then blame it on the maid or cats :).
 
Congrats Randy, and I can confirm Jack's recommendations on your settings. Do be careful using that stylus guard, you have to be sure you properly align its top slot on the upper V guide to safely slide it into place. Enjoy it in the best of health!
 
audio.bill said:
Congrats Randy, and I can confirm Jack's recommendations on your settings. Do be careful using that stylus guard, you have to be sure you properly align its top slot on the upper V guide to safely slide it into place. Enjoy it in the best of health!
Click to expand...

I don't normally put the stylus guard on. I lock the tonearm in place and cover the entire thing with a large cover for normal use. I only put the guard on when the cartridge/stylus was removed and stored. Changing from one stylus to the other is when the mishap occurred :)....

And I appreciate the input on settings. Back in the day, when I was last into vinyl there really were not many settings other than MM or MC... mostly phono stages were built in the pre-amps. Times have changed and I am continuing to get up to sped on each new area I move in to :)...
 
The Rega cartridge arrived. I hate the stupid little wires :)....

Anyway, got it up and running... so far sounds pretty amazing, but definitely needs some run in. I love the Rega on Rega thing...

I was a bit timid mounting the cartridge without being able to remove the stylus... but I got through it. That has to be about the worse thing in this crazy hobby.

So far, great bottom end, very smooth.... great sound stage which will only get better. I still don't like the idea of not being able to replace the stylus. The SimAudio seems to handle the cartridge just fine, but I did need to go to 66 dB gain.
 
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