Another Cart opinion thread....

^ yep, phono pre first

+1 big_greg

All,  Thank you for your input.

I have somethings to consider.  I'm off to my local Stereo store next week (yup, I still have one, VERRRY High end).  I was in last week,  he also thought the weak link was my preamp and offered to lend me a new phono stage to take home for evaluation.  At least that's one piece of equipment that can be tested in my home environment before purchasing.

I'm still hoping for description of how the above Carts are similar / different sonically and in performance.

-W

Schitt Mani phono and Nagaoka MP150.

So many variables in the production of analog sound from vinyl....table, cart, preamp, amp, speakers, and a lot of other things. If you have a local dealer willing to lend equipment for a home trial you are very lucky. Take him up on his offer and audition as many variables as you can.

Cartridges.....that's a hard one. I went back to a vintage Pioneer PL-530 table I bought long ago after selling a much more expensive table. The Pioneer was last fitted with an AT cart. After putting the Pioneer back into service I decided to install a new cart. Went with a Grado Gold just on a whim and advice from a local dealer suggesting that the cart probably wouldn't perform best until at least 50 hours of break in. He was right.

Whatever recommendations anyone gives, it all comes down to what sounds better for you. Someone with the exact setup as you may have completely different tastes in sound. It's, for the most part, a gamble a lot of the time.