Of all the cartridges I have tried so far, and I've only had a few so far, the Clearaudio Maestro is clearly the winner on headphones so far. I have not used my big rig since summer started, only been enjoying through headphones this summer.
But the Maestro MM comes with the same cantilever/needle as their high end MC lines, and this cartridge is just in another league compared to an Ortofon 2M Black, or a Denon 103sa in a UWE ebony body.
I am still using the factory needle cantilever from Denon, so I cannot comment on an aftermarket upgrade. How ever, I do believe that the cantilever/needle on the Denon is a very weak link after the stock body.
I think the more effort you invest into your table, the more rewarding it will be for you. Enjoying various cartridges/arms/preamps and the like will probably be more enjoyable once you get the 12xx setup to your liking. The potential of this table exceeds it's price expectations, so you reach a point of asking yourself is it worth it. The monetary threshold is really a question you ask yourself.
But the Maestro MM comes with the same cantilever/needle as their high end MC lines, and this cartridge is just in another league compared to an Ortofon 2M Black, or a Denon 103sa in a UWE ebony body.
I am still using the factory needle cantilever from Denon, so I cannot comment on an aftermarket upgrade. How ever, I do believe that the cantilever/needle on the Denon is a very weak link after the stock body.
I think the more effort you invest into your table, the more rewarding it will be for you. Enjoying various cartridges/arms/preamps and the like will probably be more enjoyable once you get the 12xx setup to your liking. The potential of this table exceeds it's price expectations, so you reach a point of asking yourself is it worth it. The monetary threshold is really a question you ask yourself.