Some mighty long discussions on this already here but I need a refresher! Having decided to upgrage my phono amp to a Dynavector p75 mk3 I am now wondering about my cartridge. At present I have a Clearaudio Emotion 4 table with a Clearaudio Artist v2 cartridge. What are main difference between mm and mc that I could expect to actually hear? And lomc and homc? What is all that about? Sorry if this has been thrashed to death already but just trying to get a laymans understanding if possible.
I have both MM and MC cartridge. Not all records sounds good with MC. That's the reason I have both to eliminate any weakness in my system. MM does sound better with rock. But not all jazz sounds good with MC either. I don't like classical music so I couldn't comment on that.
Just like single ended tube amp isn't the answer to all type of music. Vocals SET wins and for rock, push pull for the slam.
Don't know about these particular arm and phono but Grado can be an excellent rock cartridge, or Goldring 1042 or one step down. I use the 1042 with Nottingham, speed and resolution are good for MM and it rocks. I listen to jazzrock among other things.
@maxson I did have that thought in the back of my mind, after all if dynavector can't build a cart to match their phono stage its a poor show. However lots have had good success with other mm and mc carts with the p75.
The Dyna preamp that you bought or are going to buy is what should make your decision for you. It has a current-gain mode for MC carts only. Reportedly works especially well with Dynavector carts. I tried one with the DL-103R and was not that impressed, but others in reviews and on forums have found the current gain mode the way to go.
@inna This is the rabbit hole getting wider and deeper.....lol For the smaller percentage of vinyl listening I do compared to digital I probably would not want to spend much more on another table right now, heck maybe the set up I have right now is more than good enough, but you know exactly how that goes. Great amps? Hopefully my BAT VK600SE has that covered.....
Simple. For rock you don't need MC cartridge. What you need is a great turntable. Upgrade it if you can. You also need great amps. You might want to upgrade your cartridge to another MM later. Well, you could try $1600 Lyra Delos if you must but why ?
Paper specs are not always the be all and end all of system synergy as your experience shows. Part of the reason I am trying to glean as much info as possible before diving headfirst down the rabbit hole again
I have a ZU Denon DL103 mc cartridge and liked it very much however I wanted to try MM once again. When I inadvertantly broke the cantelever on the Denon, I went back to a MM cartridge. I asked some questions here regarding the type of music I played which is 90% Rock. One of the more senior audiophiles sent me a PM regarding my dilemma. He suggested I try a Gold Note Vasari MM cartridge as he had one mounted on his VPI and he said his records never sounded better.
I took a leap of faith and contacted the Canadian Distributor as they aren't very well known or represented in the US. I purchased the cartridge direct from them for 430.00 shipped to my door. The cartridge was very easy to mount and set up and I have been spinning vinyl almost every day since and that was 3 months ago. I found the cartridge reproduced my records just the way I like and I am extremely satisfied. Another member here stated the cartridge specs aren't that great and that it used old school tech. All I know my records never sounded better and I am playing records again, and almost every day. Needless to say I won't be going back to a MC cartridge but will get the ZU fixed and keep for a spare only.
The mc type of cartridge is inherently faster and able to trace more accurately the vinyl grooves. Lower moving mass, lower inductance and lower noise compared to mm types. Read Mitchell Cotter's explanation in The Audio Critic circa 1977! And he made excellent SUT's and IC's (Verion Triaxial's) - both of which I've owned! For the money the venerable ,(1962!) Denon 103 mc cartridge can't be beat! I first heard it in '77 mounted in a Denon 307 arm on a TOTL Denon DD table. Step up device was a Levinson JC-1 clone. Sound quality was to-die-for! To this day I still prefer and use Denon 103's, 103R's, 103 Gold Anniversary, 301's and 304's.
And these are exactly the real world thoughts I am looking for. Yes it has my interest mainly because we all feel the need to upgrade and change to try and find that improvement in sq that gives us a feeling of great satisfaction and a job well done....lol. But also I have "upgraded" many times only to feel I took 3 steps backwards! Are my table,arm and phono amp up to the task of revealing and sq improvement from a mc cart to begin with. And what sort of price range and type should I be looking at? Mostly rock music,modern and classic rock. Definitely no jazz or classical here
I agree with addy - no matter what anyone tells you, you won't know if changing to an MC will be an improvement for you until you try it. It may mean something to you, it may not. My guess is - it will not.
Raul who started this thread never stated that MM kind is/was better then MC kinds. His primary thesis was that MM carts are an good alternative which was forgotten because of the MC domination. But the most of us have seen this as ''MM contra-revolution''. Not to stay behind I bought each ''cart of the month'' that I could get. But I prefered all this time MC kinds.There is nothing rational in our hobby you know (grin).
Maybe I should rephrase and clarify. I am quite happy with the sound of my vinyl but the grass is always greener on the other side so I am curious as to what I am missing if anything. Baring in mind my components , are mc carts something I should even care about?
Exactly what I meant, I am not about to even attempt to wade through nearly 13k posts! Was looking for a simple layman's answer type of deal from real life experience with not so much technical wiz as some just goes right over my head. Hear to enjoy the music only. But thank you for the link.
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