You cannot go wrong with the Zephyr. I have a few Sound-Smith products (not the Zephyr) and IMO they have the most natural sound and are a terrific value. I have an Ortophon 2M Black and I don’t use it (probably will sell it), it sounds too "hard". I had the Shure and replaced that long ago. I also have a classic Signet TK-7SU and an MA 2002e by Micro-Acoustics that are in their boxes.
I use the Sound-Smiths all the time. They sound the best to me. I’m sure all the carts mentioned are good, but like I said, you can’t go wrong with the Zephyr. Rollin
I've been an IQ3 user for several years - really fabulous MM cartridge. Tracks impeccably, full range balanced frequency range, dynamic & lively but also smooth and non-fatiguing. Deep soundstage with pin-sharp imaging. I got this as a 'damaged stylus' IQ2 for $60 & added the IQ3 stylus (& easily repaired the 2).
Goldring 1000 series styli also fit IQs & I use the 1042 a lot - the Gyger2 sounds pretty similar to the full IQ3.
Also use a Roksan Corus Black, again sometimes with a 1042 stylus. Definite family resemblance to the IQs & another excellent MM.
I find the Ortofon 2M Black to be much more demanding of hyper-accurate alignment to get the best out of it. It's superb on my SL1200G, fast, dynamic and silky smooth but edgy on all the other TTs I have tried for some reason (Linn, Clearaudio, Rega). I am very careful with setup, alignment & especially azimuth.
Finally, another excellent MM is the AT150ANV which I purchased new when launched but either rare or pricey now. Similar to the 2M Black but slightly 'leaner' sounding.
Maestro 2 is really good, I traded up to the Charisma V2, even better, outstanding actually. Very happy with it, will definitely keep it for as long as it lasts.
Since I can't just go out and buy a 2M Black, I had to satisfy my curiosity the best way I could, and here is a comparison between the cartridge I'm using and also my favorite.
Presently, no matter how many people claimed the 2M Black was better, it wouldn't matter; that's because way back when, I chose the favored cartridge on this forum, and discovered it was definitely not for me.
I've been saying it. Goldring 1042 is the best value, in addition to some vintage perhaps, it is under $400 from the UK. Save your funds for a real good phono and tonearm cable.
My experience with the Audio-Technica VM540ML is great. So good that I own 2. The VM740ML is basically the same stylus and coils with a different body.
For the price of Goldring i would buy another Pickering XSV-3000 or Stanton 881s mkII with Stereohedron styli, those are killer carts if the budged is under $400.
I’m surprised the "highish" compliance 2M Black is working so well in your "heavyish" tonearm. If my math is correct the RF is in the danger zone at 7Hz.
I’m also surprised at all the recs here touting high compliant carts that are much better suited to lighter arms than your SME.
If I were to disregard compliance matching and make such a rec, I’d say consider the Cartridge Man Music Maker. Best high output cartridge I’ve ever heard. Haven’t dabbled in the vintage cart world, but I have owned and heard many of the recs made here. The CMMM slays all of them in terms of saturated tonal colors, image density and plain ol’ musicality and "you are there" involvement.
Although a bit on the springy side, it is fantastic on my medium mass OL Encounter Mk3c and Rega RB300 (BritAudio re-wire) arms.
I have no idea what "the best" is, but I installed a 2M Black on my brother in law's VPI Prime, and it sounds awesome for the price. Which is half your budget.
I would have to go thru possibly dozens of vintage cartridges to determine which one I like most with Nottingham table/arm. It is such a pain to change cartridges in that arm because the wires are so thin. Besides, I would have to have them all at the same time. Stating that any particular vintage cartridge would sound better in any set-up for any taste is not quite right. Chakster, which vintage cartridge would you recommend for me if you are familiar with Nottingham ? $400 or $1000 no difference if it's worth it.
The purpose of this forum is to enable each person to get the best bang for their buck.
It has taken me many years to discover the cartridge for me "that I could afford". This is a long story that I won't try to shorten. Way back when Corey Greenberg at Stereophile was my go to reviewer, I bought everything he recommended that I needed. I still have 3 preamps he recommended that are working. Naturally I bought the cartridge he recommended, and he recommended it wholeheartedly.
I found this cartridge to be hard and lifeless. It seemed everyone on this forum liked that particular cartridge except me; that's when I began the long discovery process.
First and foremost, some objective search for "the best" of anything is a foolish search; if such a thing existed, you couldn't afford it, and if you could, you would have one of your "underlings" find it for you.
Yes! There is a best cartridge in your price range; it is the best cartridge for you, and you will have to make the expensive process of elimination and discovery.
I have my complete record collection on an "external hard drive"; consequently I can review records all day long without leaving my listening chair. After upgrading to my present cartridge, I noticed a remarkable change in the music; each record seemed to reveal the essence of the musicians intentions. That caused me to decide to re-record my entire collection, and since then, I have a perpetual smile on my face.
It's not easy being a "musiophile/ audiophile" with complete emphasis on the music.
Been running a Grado Statement v2 as of late and I just love it. Traded in an older Grado Ref. v1( started out way back with a Sonata) and it was only 1k for new one. I’m glad to see new v2 Grados get a mention here. I’ve often wondered if I was just fooling myself about Grados in general and why the generally dismissive tone about them except for the more ubiquitous thumbs up for vintage Grado sig or whatever. Anyway a grand is a lot of money still and I’m not saying it’s the best, but I really like mine and one day I’ll try something else I’m sure. More and more though I’m less interested in scratching that curiosity itch, maybe I’n gettin closer to finding my sound, or tired of blowing money, I don’t know.
Hmmmm...interesting thing about that 6 Moons review. The author says this:
"Cartridge man Leonard Gregory doesn’t consider the Rega arms to be suitable for the Music Maker. In general, I suspect it’s happiest with a really good unipivot ....."
Hadcock is a unipivot. Both the latter version of the arm and MM cart are developed Len Gregory (the CartridgeMan) and they are commonly paired together and considered a very synergistic match.
The 6 Moons reviewer used the Hadcock in his almost over-the-top praise of the MM cart.
I own the Hadcock 242 arm and listened extensively with the MM cart. Quite contrary to the above and popular wisdom (that the springy MM cart does best with light unipivots) I MUCH prefer it on my Rega and OL arms. Maybe I’m just a fan of fixed bearing over unipivot? Or maybe I just didn’t nail the setup with the Hadcock?
I doubt it’s the latter since I futzed with it quite a bit , encouraged by all the positive reports on the pairing. But I could never achieve the sublime synergy I so often read about.
Fourwnds, sometime you have to go against the wind; such is the case with Grado and this forum.
"More and more though I’m less interested in scratching that curiosity itch, maybe I’n gettin closer to finding my sound, or tired of blowing money, I don’t know."
Fourwnds, I would say all of the above. Although I would try a lot of things if it began raining money in my listening room, I don't expect that to happen.
On the serious side, I'm just enjoying my record collection immensely without thinking about anything other than how good the music sounds, and that's what I say to you;
My question was exploratory, I have no intention to replace the Goldring for as long as I hear improvements in sound whenever I make changes somewhere else in the chain. Until the time comes to replace the stylus. Then I might try different cartridge and I might not. The entire system must be in balance and tuned to one's liking. Besides, higher resolution cartridge will require better phono stage which in turn must blend in well with the rest. Before choosing the Goldring I was thinking about Grado reference but decided to go with the former mostly because Nottingham cartridges, no longer made I understand, were customized Goldring, but also because Goldring 1042 seemed popular in the UK. I also read that Grado can be foggy. I like Grado headphone sound, but yes it is somewhat foggy. My turntable is on a warmer side, so are the speakers. I think, the Goldring fits right in, it is too on the warm side of neutral but not much and is quite dynamic and engaging, like Nottingham Spacedeck turntable.
Clearaudio maestro better than 2m black. Clearaudio also has new mm called Charisma at arouns$2000. Suppose to be very good, offers best attributes of mm and mc. I think this is now the top mm on the market.
Modern MM cartridges for $2000 indicates how much modern manufacturers (ClearAudio) would like to earn on the sales by using cartridge generator made by Audio-Technica.
In fact, for a brand new MM, $2k is ridiculous price as the MM cartridges always were much cheaper than MC. And it should be cheaper, it’s different technology. Only in this crazy world where LOMC cost up to $15k the $2k MM looks cheaper, lol .
It would be nice to explain in details which vintage MM/MI were beaten by that modern MM $2k cartridges ? I want to know the reference in MM category for the users of modern MM stuff.
My reference is Audio-Technica AT-ML180, Stanton SC-100 WOS, Glanz MFG-61, Victor X-1II, Grace LEVEL II BR/MR and Pioneer PC-1000 mkII. In my opinion these cartridges are unbeatable by any modern MM and much more reasonable priced on the used market. All these are highly competitive with $5k modern LOMC. in my opinion.
Again, in my opinion the real gems are on the vintage market.
Chakster, I recall seeing Stanton and Pickering on Jukeboxes in the days of old. Yes they were very good, but I don't recall seeing anybody sitting in front of a Jukebox trying to dial in a sound stage.
I get a 3D holographic sound stage with my Grado Master 2 cartridge. I don't recall anyone even mentioning "sound stage" in the "Golden Age" as you refer to it.
I have discovered cartridges to be highly competitive in regard to price; meaning that if the Clearaudio doesn't offer $2000 worth of sound, it won't last.
While different brands have different "house sounds", people who buy them feel they have something worth the price they paid for them.
The "Chrisma" costs more than this highly regarded MC, and whoever buys it figures it's worth the price; what I'm saying, is that the market place determines the price, and how much a cartridge is worth.
lyra Argo stereo MC phono cartridge. Medium output (0.5 mV), aluminum alloy body with boron cantilever.
Stanton made so many cartridges for mass market, but i am talking about high-end models like Walter O. Stanton Signature CS-100 WOS (Sapphire coated cantilever and Stereohedron tip) or 980/981 series only. Walter Stanton believed to his dying day that NO moving coil cartridge could ever be any good. He even made super low output MM like MC! Stanton’s 980 LZS cartridge to be used in stereo systems which have high gain, low impedance MC inputs or use external head amps with inputs impedance of 100 Ohms or higher. Since the output of the 980 LZS cartridhe is .06 mv /cm/sec, 20 dB minimum of additional gain is required to step up the voltage to the level of the conventional MM cartridge. The 980 LZS features extremely low dynamic tip mass (resulting in rise time of 100 micro sec.), high compliance (30cu), replaceable stylus assembly designed with samarium cobalt magnet ans Stereohedron stylus tip.
Price for the brand new modern cartridges means nothing, just marketing. You can put $400 Pickering XSV-3000 or Stanton 881s mkII against any super expensive modern MC and then we will see what you like the most, despite the price difference in 10 times. Many of us has stuff to compare (vintage mm cartridges vs. modern mm or mc).
P.S. Grado also made many cheap cartridges for mass market (nothing special), except some amazing top of the line models like Joseph Grado Signature XTZ, which i have and like a lot. I have not tried new wooned body Grados, but i have the one which was top of the line in the 80s (XTZ) handmade by the founder of the Grado himself (Joseph Grado, not John Grado who's his son). Joseph was proud about XTZ series.
The "Chrisma" costs more than this highly regarded MC, and whoever buys it figures it's worth the price; what I'm saying, is that the market place determines the price, and how much a cartridge is worth.
Chakster's point is that 'the market' has simply not HEARD the performance of the really great MM cartridges from 'The Golden Age of Analogue' and is only able to compare the 'current' MM cartridges to the 'current' MC cartridges.
I have compared directly, on the same turntables with the same tonearms, cables, phonostages etc......many of the recent LOMC cartridges (VdH Grasshopper, Helikon, Titan i, Koetsu Urishi, ZYX UNIverse, XV-1s, Atlas) against not only the great MM cartridges from the 'Golden Age'.....but also the great LOMCs from the 'Golden Age' (Ortofon SPU-Ae Gold, Fidelity Research FR-7f, Sony XL-55 and XL-88, JMAS MIT-1) and I agree with Chakster. Not only are the great vintage MM cartridges better than the current ones, they are better than any of the recent $4000-$15000 LOMC cartridges I have heard.....and so are the great vintage LOMCs.
To Chakster's list of great vintage MMs....I would add:-
Garrott P77/SAS
Victor Z1/SAS
Signet TK-7LCa
Signet TK-7SU
Shure ML-140HE
Signet MR5.0Lc
Empire 4000D/III Gold
Shure V15/Type III/SAS
Acutex LPM420-STR
Victor 4MD-1X
Victor 4MD-20X
These great cartridges are all still available either 'used' or 'NOS' from EBay or Japan Yahoo for less than $1000 and often less than $500 and it just requires patience and persistence for anyone to acquire them.
Chakster's mission (and I admire him for it) is to point audiophiles to even better analogue sound than is available with the current 'overpriced' MC cartridges on the market.
If I was going to acquire one vintage MM to compare with the Audio Note IQ3, which would it be? It must be compatible with a Kuzma 4Point (13g) and be somewhat easy to find, preferably NOS.
I am sure that MC people will profoundly disagree. I am also sure that some of them tried many both MM and MC cartridges from all time periods. I am very neutral in this debate and couldn't care less about which ones are better or just different. But let's cut BS, anyone I have heard of who has truly high-end set up uses MCs. Certainly there might be many others I haven't heard of who prefer MMs, vintage or not. It is also hard just by reading posts to figure out who has'got good hearing and who has not. Hard but not always impossible. And no sales pitches, please.
Chakster, +1 Joe should have been proud of the XTC. It is a great cartridge.
Halcro, +1 for the empire 4000 d/iii gold. In my system it has a little more precision than the XTC. That said, the XTC is probably closer to live music in that I don't hear instrument in precise locations at concerts.
FWIW, I picked up a NOS ebony virtuoso for cheap money & although it's not completely broken in yet is showing true potential. It's closer to the empire in regard to presentation. I mounted it on a new headshell with silver wire, so I've still got about 40 hours before making a true comparison.
I am sure that MC people will profoundly disagree. I am also sure that some of them tried many both MM and MC cartridges from all time periods.
Yes they will disagree.......but no....almost none of them has compared vintage MMs with MCs using their current SOTA systems. For the last 20-30 years we have all been 'brainwashed' by the MC Lobby and all the 'serious' audiophiles have blindly moved onto the next 'great' and 'even more expensive' LOMC as they are introduced. Almost none of them (until recently) has even had turntables with multiple arms and very few of them (until recently) have had tonearms with interchangeable headshells to allow them to instantly compare cartridges side by side. This is now changing (if you read WTBF) where the uber-system owners have now accepted turntables with up to four arms....and most are changing to arms with interchangeable headshells.
In any case.......Chakster's mission (if you dare to accept it)....is to tempt YOU yourself to obtain and listen to these vintage MM cartridges and make up your OWN mind! Why blindly follow Reviewers or rich audiophiles who can afford to spend $15,000 on a cartridge?
If I was going to acquire one vintage MM to compare with the Audio Note IQ3, which would it be? It must be compatible with a Kuzma 4Point (13g) and be somewhat easy to find, preferably NOS.
My standard recommendation for this question is:-
Shure V15/III
Victor Z1
Both of these are plentiful in the marketplace and economical (less than $300). You can then mount a new Jico SAS stylus assembly in each of these and see if you agree with Chakster and me?
They will both sound wonderful in your Kuzma 4Point.....ignore the ridiculous Arm/Cartridge Resonance formulas. What have you got to lose.....?
Some have a limited experience and that, as unfortunately so often has been seen, doesn´t prevent them posting in forum like this : ) Who do you think you are, some kind of an angel ?
Ha-ha ! That explains your attitude. But doesn´t help OP at all.
Back to square one: an original GLANZ MFG-610LX outperforms certain Audio-Technica´s top dog in my system. Its little brother MFG-310LX is very good too and worth to try, both inexpensive.
There’s a nice NOS Stanton 981 HZ MkII on ebay at the moment. At $1K it’s a bit high-- but perhaps reasonable inflation above the $650 that I paid for an ebayed NOS 981 LZS about five years ago. The 981 LZS is quite close to my Lyra Etna, as compared side to side on two SME 3012Rs. That comparison is not entirely fair, as the Lyra has the advantage of an Arche headshell with upgraded silver wires...
I also have a 4PT, but have not gotten around to mounting the Stanton on it. As mentioned above, for on-the-fly cartridge comparisons(and is there any other kind of comparison that is definitive?) it helps to have multiple arms and removable headshells.
If I was going to acquire one vintage MM to compare with the Audio Note IQ3, which would it be? It must be compatible with a Kuzma 4Point (13g) and be somewhat easy to find, preferably NOS.
It can be a Victor X-1II, simply because it’s a mid compliance cartridge which is fine for Kuzma. Stanton, for example, is High Compliance and works best on lightmass tonearms in theory.
I'd love to try a MM cart myself but I always get stuck between my distrust for used cartridges, on the one hand, and the fact that NOS carts that have been sitting on a shelf for decades sound like a bad idea to me (dried up suspension rubber).
Any thoughts out there about how to cut the Gordian Knot on this? I'm open to the idea that MC cartridges made some advances but also brought some trade-offs with them, as most new technologies do.
I always get stuck between my distrust for used cartridges, on the one hand, and the fact that NOS carts that have been sitting on a shelf for decades sound like a bad idea to me (dried up suspension rubber).
There is something in between which is the best for you, it's a NOS cartridge checked by the seller whom you can trust.
But personally i prefer NOS, they are highly collectible.
I've had only 3 cartridges in 7 years with bad suspension and all of them weren't NOS. My personal experience with NOS is the best experience!
I have owned the Empire 4000 D, and the Shure V 15 IV; the Shure had a brush in front of it that collected dust and it also helped in tracking warped records. I also heard Stanton and Pickering cartridges; they were all very good cartridges, but that was a long time ago.
Currently, Grado is my favorite cartridge; this is after owning a number of other cartridges that were recommended by members here. Apparently we cherish different qualities in the music, or prefer different genres of music, (some cartridges are more conducive to one genre over another) those cartridges didn't float my boat, and Grado seems to float very few boats here. What I'm saying is, this is no one size fits all.
I began with the Platinum wood body, moved up to the Sonata, and now I have the Master 2. According to the "Golden Age of Cartridges", me and Joe Grado both went backwards; me more so than him, because I paid my hard earned cash for his backward cartridges, and continue to do so.
I'm sure that nearly 100% of the people who own current MM cartridges have owned or heard those "Golden Age" cartridges; after all there were no CD's, nothing but records, and we didn't use cactus needles; therefore we had to have cartridges.
In regard to records, cartridges and TT's; we either advanced into the "high end", or sold our records and turntables. That's because back in this "Golden Age", those Golden Age cartridges and turntables didn't hold a candle to a good CD player; that's a fact that was supported by the actions of millions of people all over this Globe.
I have no idea what happened to my old Gerard GT 55, and don't care. If I had sold my records, I wouldn't be having this conversation, but after so much noise was made about records, I investigated and discovered that if one was willing to pay the price for the trip to paradise, it could be had; therefore, that ton of vinyl I already owned had to be tested.
Presently, I'm enjoying my new record collection (the newly discovered music on my old record collection). While I have purchased some new (old) records, whether or not I'll go "hog wild" remains to be seen; the records I seek are quite pricey.
Dear friends: I always talk only with cartridges that I listened/lisent in my own system and some of them in other system too and all my cartridges mounted in different tonearms.
I bougth over 150+ vintage cartridges ( with some of them 2-3 samples because the sellers said the cartridge was in good condition ( NOS or not. ) and just performed really bad. )
That Stanton 981 is very good performer and different than the 881 model. Question is : performs at specs? I own it and the 981 performs better with the same stylus but coming from its brother Pickering . 1K is not a very high price.
The really best MM/MI cartridge ever is no one of the cartridges named here that are good but far away from it. I’m talking of the vintage ADC 26/27 that was tested/compared with everything the same systems against Etna SL, Goldfinger, XV-1s, Colibri, A-95, My SonicLab/Air Tight ( and this week end vs the Anna. ) and no one of these LOMC carrtridges outperformed it Was listened not only for me but for the cartridge owners in my system and their great systems. That is the one to own.
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