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advice for mono cartridge

Hi,

I have a Garrard 401 with a Magnepan Unitrac and an SME 3009 Mk II Improved.

I’m thinking about turning one of the tonearms into a dedicated mono setup, probably on the SME 3009 Mk II Improved, as the Magnepan is my main arm and I really like the sound of it for stereo. The SME has a detachable headshell, making it easy to switch back and forth if necessary and I’m used to the sound of the Magnepan, so I don’t really want to change anything there.

I run MM only right now (although I guess I could pick up a step up transformer) and the SME has an effective mass of 9.5g. It also tracks only to 1.5g (although I bought the additional counterweight, which might help with that). It seems like my choice of mono cartridges is thus pretty limited. It seems the Ortofon 2M Mono Special Edition could be a good choice.

At the same time, I’m reading all sorts of contradictory info about whether vertical compliance, which the Ortofon seems to have (as opposed to Miyajima), is a good thing or not and whether a 1 mil or 0.7 mil stylus is best. Some also say a more modern line contact profile (the Ortofon has that) is actually preferable, even for older records, etc. Ortofon seems to say just that in their literature and Michael Fremer seems to agree. Also the Ortofon seems to have internally strapped output, which is somewhat controversial.

I actually heard recently a couple of very high end systems that used Miyajima mono cartridges and they sounded fantastic, huge soundstage, very realistic … but they were also clearly out of my price range, and only fit much heavier tone arms.

I have a mix of older mono pressings and reissues, presumably cut with a stereo cutter head.

I'm looking for advice from people with direct experience.

Considering the above,would the Ortofon 2M mono SE be a good choice? Does anyone see anything else more or less in that price range that might better it? Or should perhaps just wait and switch to a tone arm that would give me better options for mono down the line, perhaps a Fidelity Research FR-24, FR-54 or FR-14, which contrary to the FR-64 and FR-66, can be had for cheap. Budget is a concern overall.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Jerome Sabbagh
saxman73

Showing 6 responses by saxman73

saxman73's avatar
saxman73 OP
56 posts
 
Sorry, just seeing this Brian! I encountered a snag setting up the Miyajima. Probably just a simple as headshell wire or interconnect, but the friend who was helping me and myself couldn't do it. Meanwhile, I heard a friend's Fairchild 225A, which so blew me away that I bought one. I was able to get that one set up later and it's been on there since. Once the pandemic recedes and I can get the Zero set up again, I will decide which one I like best and likely sell the other. I will keep you posted. Sorry, this isn't terribly helpful. Did you pull the trigger? If yes, how do you like it?

Best,

Jerome
saxman73's avatar
saxman73 OP
56 posts
 
Thank you all for the feedback. This is all very useful. I think Robin was actually a backer of the Kickstarter to press "No Filter" on AAA vinyl. I might reach out, although I suspect my current tonearm isn't really good for the Miyajima cartridges he sells. 
saxman73's avatar
saxman73 OP
56 posts
 
@folkfreak I'll keep that in mind, thank you!
saxman73's avatar
saxman73 OP
56 posts
 
@noromance @folkfreak Thanks for your advice. 

I got in touch with Robin. He suggests the Miyajima Spirit and said it can work with added weight at the headshell on the SME. Granted I'm sure other arms would be better matches. I am looking at Fidelity Research, perhaps FR24 MK II (I don't think I can afford FR64 right now, especially if I already go for a Miyajima) and also Audio Technica ATP-12T, which seems to be a good match for these cartridges and can be had for pretty cheap. 
saxman73's avatar
saxman73 OP
56 posts
 
Thank you all for your input. I’m figuring out what to do.

My preamp does not have a mono switch, so that’s not an option.

@folkfreak : FYI, I found some literature by Miyajima that actually explicitly says not to use "old model SME tonearms", which undoubtedly must include the SME 3009. As you stated, it does look like I should probably switch tonearms if I want to use a Miyajima.

http://www.miyajima-lab.com/e-document.html


saxman73's avatar
saxman73 OP
56 posts
 
Thanks so much for the help! I got a Miyajima Zero 0.7 mil (and the matching Miyajima mono step up) that I am eagerly awaiting a new armboard to mount. I will report back. Thanks a lot to everyone who chimed in.

Jerome Sabbagh
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