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Advice on MM Cartridge Decision
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IntempestaNocte View Drop Down
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    Posted: 04 Apr 2016 at 10:05pm
I am not sure if this is the right place for this post, but I think it is.  I am currently waiting for my shiny new Audiomods Series V Tonearm to be built and I need to get a better cartridge for when it arrives.  At the moment I have a Rega RB303 (stock with my RP6) and a Rega Elys II (bought as a compromise so that I could afford an RP6 Big smile).  The sound at the moment is alright though I feel it is a bit unforgiving on older records.  My main concern, however, is tracking: The Elys II is all over the place.  I am very new to turntable set up but after nearly an hour with the Hifi News record I have got it to just about pass the first tracking test.  A tour of the forums told me that this is a common complaint about these cartridges so it is not all my fault.  This is simply not good enough, I get nervous enough about damaging my records as it is without this.  I had always intended to upgrade the cart as my first upgrade anyway but I have had to bring it forward a bit so that I can go on enjoying my vinyl with less worry involved.   I have no decent Hifi shops near me and I don't know anybody who is into vinyl so I have no hope of auditioning anything and I have reached a bit of an impasse.  I have narrowed it down to a choice of 3:

Audio Technica AT-150MLX
Ortofon 2M Bronze
Goldring 1042

All these choices meet my requirements.  They are around the price point that I am willing to pay, they have fine line styli, reportedly excellent tracking and are all widely considered to be good quality cartridges.  They are all also MM, I think going MC will just give me a headache with all the extra things to think about.  Also, I won't be able to afford a step-up transformer any time soon.  The new arm and cart is pretty much the annual hifi budget gone in one go and my next upgrade is going to be one of Grahams excellent phono stages.  

I can get the AT quite a bit cheaper than the others.  Reviews I have read suggest that it compares favourably with the 2M Black (which is outside my price range).  My only concern is that it is said to be sensitive to system matching and can sound excessively bright.  I have been told that my system is pretty bright sounding anyway, one guy even pulled a face when I told him what I had got LOL, so this may be a step too far.  I am pretty new to critical listening but I think that I prefer a 'brighter' sound anyway, obviously though there are limits.  The Ortofon I am told is a 'safe' choice and represents a good all rounder.  The Goldring is by some margin the most expensive and (on paper, at least) by far the inferior of the other two so I am leaning away from that one.  On the other hand it is a very well respected cart and has been around for a long time.

I think they are all on a similar level with regards to quality but what I am interested in are the characteristics of the 'sound'.  I listen to a pretty eclectic mix of music, basically I will listen to anything I enjoy, which makes choosing more difficult.  Most of the things I listen to tend to fall under folk or metal (not exactly similar).  What unites most of my listening, however, is a love of the female vocal.  So a good compromise would be the best cartridge for reproducing the female voice.  Obviously I don't listen exclusively to female vocalists but that is the element that I would like to sound best.

I would greatly appreciate any advice that anyone could give me in this matter as I don't have the experience or knowledge to get any further by myself.  Unless I just pick one and jump and that is not my style.
Scott

AT150MLX > Audiomods Series V Standard > Rega RP6 > Accession MM > Marantz PM6005 > KEF Q100 / Solo UL > HD540II.
Voyager, Bitzie, AgSat90.
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RichW View Drop Down
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Points: 1471 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RichW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2016 at 7:59am
Hi Scott,
A lot of the development work for the Audiomods arms was done with the Goldring 1042 so this is
a good bet.
I would also ask you to consider the Audio Note IQ1 which is based on the 1042 & one I use in
an Audiomods Classic arm. I'm not suggesting it is the best but it does work well with very good
tracking ability. It has a clean, open & dynamic sound into a Reflex M.

AN don't advertise prices for some odd reason but the IQ1 costs around £300 - about the same
as the Goldring 1042.

Cartridge choice doc from Audiomods:
http://www.audiomods.co.uk/cartridgechoice.pdf



Edited by RichW - 05 Apr 2016 at 8:16am
Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC.
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morris_minor View Drop Down
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Welcome to the forum, Scott!

Your dilemma is not an unusual one.The closest I can come to answering is that I ran a Goldring G1042 for  number of years in a Tecnoarm on a GyroSE - and I liked it a lot. It performed very well with female vocal, classical, rock, jazz - in fact anything I played . . . If I had to characterise the sound I'd put it at slightly on the warmer side of neutral, with a nicely defined treble, lucid mids and a very satisfying bass. I was using it with Graham's Era Gold V phono stage.

I know there are members here who use Audiomods arms, and IIRC AT150MLX too, so hopefully they'll chip in.

Something you probably haven't considered is a NOS SAE1000E (or LT) from Thakker in Germany. It's a high output MC. I bought an E and liked it so much went back for an LT (line trace, not Linear Tracker!) as a spare. It's everything the G1042 was, but a little more punchier. I haven't used it on a Rega or Rega-derivative arm (not that an Audiomods is a "derivative" arm since I believe only the arm tube is related to Regas), but on my Sony Biotracer it's the cart I always go back to.
Bob

Majestic DAC/pre-amp
Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links
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Sturgus View Drop Down
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You can't go wrong with MM's advice. I ran a SAE 1000e in my Audiomods classic arm for over a year. It's a great sounding cartridge that won't break the bank. It's sound is a little laid back and very musical. I have 2 buddies that also use the SAE in their Audiomods arm also. I highly recommend this cartridge. You may like the SAE 1000lt a little more than the 1000e. I like the 1000e a tad bit more, with my system. Another cartridge I am really loving is the Nagaoka mp-500. It's a match made in audio heaven. I was going to put the Ortofon Black on the Audiomods but after reading alot I decided to give the Nagaoka a try. Getting a great deal helped seal the deal. When l first mounted it I thought maybe I should have gone with the Ortofon. Now that I have about 50 hours on it I am glad I hung in there. The Nagaoka sounds like my Grado Sig/8mz on steroids. Great bass,Grado midrange,silky highs with no harshness. Everyday it gets better. If you can afford the Nagaoka mp-500 by all means get it. If your funds won't let you then go for the SAE1000lt. Right now you can get the Nagaoka for around $560 US. direct from Japan. The sight I am referring to also has good prices on the Audio Technical line. If you are interested let me know I will give you the website. Happy hunting. No matter what you do let us know what you did.
Sturgus
Musical Design pre/Dac/Phono Amps Aronov
VPI HW-19 Lustre 801 /Koetsu-Rosewood /GS Elevator/Accension / LP12 Audiomods-Nagoka500 Merlin VSM speakers Dalhquist subs
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morris_minor View Drop Down
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Points: 6197 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2016 at 11:47am
Sturgus - am I right in believing the LT may be a bit more "analytical" than the E, courtesy of its line trace stylus? I know I could mount mine and run it in Wink, but it may help Scott . . . 

Advising on cartridges is fraught with pitfalls because there's so many other variables to consider, and not least one person's preferences over another. Ermm
Bob

Majestic DAC/pre-amp
Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links
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Sturgus View Drop Down
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Bob, you are correct. The LT is a bit more analytic. May be exactly what he is looking for. The SAE's punch way above their weght. For what they cost it's a great buy.
Musical Design pre/Dac/Phono Amps Aronov
VPI HW-19 Lustre 801 /Koetsu-Rosewood /GS Elevator/Accension / LP12 Audiomods-Nagoka500 Merlin VSM speakers Dalhquist subs
Pioneer pd-75/ squeezebox
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morris_minor View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Sturgus Sturgus wrote:

The SAE's punch way above their weght. For what they cost it's a great buy.
Agreed! Thumbs Up
Bob

Majestic DAC/pre-amp
Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links
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