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Budget Cartridge Questions

Funny thing -- a few months back I got back into vinyl, buying a Thorens TD-320, and purchasing a new Ortofon Super OM20. I've been enjoying the experience a lot, but.... I recently got curious and switched from the OM20 back to the Shure Premier that came with the table. I found that that old cartridge produces better details in the mids and highs and seems to produce a bit less sibilance. The OM20, by contrast sounds more veiled. So I checked with Shure and they tell me that the Premier was a low-grade model years ago, the equivalent today of their entry level M92E ($40). Now I'm thinking that maybe I should try a different cartridge new? MY budget is about $100. I've read good (and some bad) about each of these: Shure M97xE and Audio Technica AT440ML. They're both available new online for about $90. Has anyone compared these with the OM20 and/or with each other? What would you recommend? Obviously, I'm a low-budget guy so I'm not expecting the world, but clarity and detail across the spectrum, with some warmth, would be nice. Thanks for any help....
winegasman

Showing 1 response by c123666

c123666
871 posts
 
The Denon DL103D is no longer available. I tried for a couple of weeks to source one with no luck and was advised by Denon it is no longer in production. Three of them went very, very quickly at around 200/ea on Audiogon a couple of weeks back.

A DL301 or DL103R, both good cartridges (the 301 is more compliant and the cartridge weighs less; both require step up) is available on the net. I bought one of each from Audio Cubes for just over 200/ea.
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