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budget cart help

hey all, i'm new to the analog world and need a little help. i recently acquired a JVC QL-A75 turntable. the stylus on the cartridge that came with it is broken so i am in the market for a new cartridge. The local shop where i plan on having the cart installed has these in stock:

AT3600
Grado black, green, blue and gold
Shure M97XE

I am not looking to spend more than about $200, so my question is, which of these would be best? the cost to performance ratio is what i'm looking at. as in, i'm sure the Grado Gold is the best of the bunch but is it $100 better than the Shure? Or is there even a big difference among lower end carts?

I am not opposed to ordering something online and i was intrigued by the Ortofon's and have heard good things. so my last question is, what other carts are out there for less than $200 that would fit well with what i have? i was specifically looking at the Ortofon 2M Red or the OM10 or OM5E.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks
maidenhel

Showing 2 responses by dekay

dekay's avatar
dekay
5,705 posts
 
What cartridge is mounted on the TT?

It may be worth pursuing a replacement stylus, depending upon what it is.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,705 posts
 
Back again:

Is the tonearm straight or curved/S-shaped?

The deck originally came with one arm, but with the option of a straight or curved tone arm wand (think the S-wand added mass, but not certain).

There was also a factory supplied moving coil cartridge that was unusual in that the stylus was modular and could be replaced by the owner/user.

If it comes with an undesirable after market cartridge you still need to ID and research the tonearm as the new cartridge should to be a synergystic match between the two.

The difference between inexpensive Grado and Sure cartridges (two mentioned so far), as far matching them up with a tonearm, is not a small one.

In other words I don't want to see you to purchase a "good" cartridge that will end up performing poorly with your tonearm.
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