A good cartridge match for Thorens 150 mkII?


I just came into a Thorens 150 mkII in good shape and am wondering what modern cartridge would be a good match for this turntable with the stock TP 13 A arm? Price range I am looking at initially is $100 to $300, but would consider more if the gain in sound quality with this table would be justified. Current SS phono preamp has both MM and MC capability. I prefer warmth over analysis.
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Showing 1 response by dean_man

I've used a number of cartridges on my TD150 with the TP13A arm, and I've had the most success with low- to medium-high compliance cartridges (20x10-6cm/Dyne or less, roughly). It's a light arm so counterintuitive to use a DL103 with it, but the combo was wonderful for me and outperformed the Denon (stock and Soundsmith rebuilt) on my AT 1005 MkII arm (on another table). I'm currently using vintage MMs with the table and enjoying them immensely.

Other than the DL103/103R to consider, other current production cartridges you might look at could include the Sumiko Pearl, Ortofon 2M Blue, and others you can find at the cartridge database using compliance numbers in the search function. I haven't tried a Grado on mine so I don't know if it will hum, but a nice used Platium would be be well within budget and you could sell if it didn't work well.