2. analog
  3. 146927-125622

a dilemma for cartridge/phono stage combination

the cantilever of my Benz-Micro MC-20E2 "High Output" cartridge was broke.
fixing it will cost more than a new one.
benz offered me what they call  repair/exchange with a nice 40 % discounted price.
i'm thinking to go on it.
my dilemma is between a high output cartridge like mc silver, which is kind of equivalent to the one i had, or to the low/mid output.
i'm working now without external phono stage and with my 2.0 mv that i had i used to raise the volume of my intagreted amp not more than 11-12 clock.
i read that generally low output mc are better quality that the high one's.
another cartridge that i have with 0.4 mv ( monster cable alpha 2) gives me very thin and dull sound, so i guess i will need an phono stage for the low output cartridge.
if it'll give me a real sound improvement i am ready to spend on a phono stage.
i know that benz micro also sell those. 
the models i consider for my budget limit are :
Benz Micro MC Silver
https://artsexcellence.com/benz-micro-mc-silver.html

Benz Micro MC Gold
https://artsexcellence.com/benz-micro-mc-gold.html

Benz Micro ACE-S low
https://artsexcellence.com/benz-micro-ace-s-low.html

Benz Micro ACE-S medium
https://artsexcellence.com/benz-micro-ace-s-medium.html

Benz Micro ACE-S high
https://artsexcellence.com/benz-micro-ace-s-high.html?___store=ae_en&___from_store=ae_nl

my turntable and arm are well tempered.

i'll appreciate very much some guidance .

stone1

Showing 2 responses by raphaelmabo

raphaelmabo
5 posts
 
I have and love the Benz MC Silver. It has a clean, clear, rythmic and detailed sound with a great sense of presence. The MC Gold is essentially the same cartridge but with lower output and because of this a slightly lower mass. In theory this would mean faster response, but I’ve never felt the MC lacking here. 

The Benz Ace has a finer MicroRidge stylus so should be able to bring out more detail. 

If you liked your Benz MC20E, then you may be interested in LP Gear BIN 215 or 323. The LP Gear is a high output MC based upon the Excel MC100, a cartridge-platform that Benz used for the MC20E built by Excel. The MC Silver/Gold are designed and assembled by Benz in Switzerland, so it’s a different series. 

Excel also makes the excellent Hana MC cartridges like the Hana EH/EL. 

raphaelmabo
5 posts
 
The Pro-Ject DS2 is not a "true" tube phono pre. It only uses the tubes in the output stage, as a buffer, sort of a "sound processor". The input and amplification stage is transistor based. Tubes is only used to colour the sound. This is the same with many other "tube" phono pre's, like Vincent, Dynavox and others. If you want a "true" tube phono pre, look at the Quad 24P but this one cost more than twice than what the DS2 sells for. I wouldn't pay extra for just a tube buffer in the output stage. 
More to discover