best cartridge under $500

Ortofon Black 2M great cart with a lot of favorable reviews. around 650 new

Have you considered any of the Soundsmith cartridges?

i tried a denon 103 because it had high rating but it sounds dull and cheap.
and it was cheap 120.00
jon

can i use a MM or a MC with a jolida jd-9?
do i even need to use a jolida jd-9 with a mcintoch c-30?

Jhorsh, if you want to have very good quality MC sound with INEXPENSIVE Denon DL103, you MUST build your SYSTEM around it, not vise versa. There is a possibility that accidentaly Denon will sound good, but thats a lottery.

The hard work you do setting Denon DL103 gives you almost FREE vinyl replay - the price difference between NEW cart and worn/broken is so small its almost irrelavant. Therefore, this Denon is top destination four budget-minded audiophiles (SUTS and Phonostages you have to invest to, do not wears out like carts needles).



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i tried a denon 103 because it had high rating but it sounds dull and cheap.
and it was cheap 120.00
jon
Jhorsh