Cartridge forgiving of "non-audiophile" recordings and pressings
I’m a record collector first, and I have stacks of vinyl of many genres that would never qualify as audiophile quality, either in terms of recording, pressing, or both. Note that this isn’t a problem of vinyl condition. We’re talking VG+ at worst.
I find that the various fine line styli are too fussy and revealing with these records. Nude elliptical have proven to be a better match here, a good compromise.
Anyway, I’m looking to explore some new carts in a second system and wanted some recommendations. I know it all comes down to subjective listening, but I like to hear about what others have experienced as a guide to exploring.
I want a forgiving cartridge but with good dynamics and a fast transient response. Quick, full, tuneful bass and rich mids are the priority over treble extension and detail.
For now, ignore tonearm effective mass, turntable, etc. Budget up to $1,000. MM or MC.
I think that it is probably a good idea to dumb down the system when listening to most of the LP's that you are talking about. Not sure if this is a worthy cause, but it seems to be a requirement with these recordings, IME. I would consider a MM of some kind, probably one from AT or similar. These can be had for not too much money, and better still have user replaceable styli should something go wrong.
I've yet to find the rig that made great records sound better that didn't also make crap records sound better. No idea what you're listening to or for that's giving you problems, just letting you know if that's your goal there's a better way than dumbing down, rolling off, or messing with stylus shapes. Could not for the life of me tell you the profile of a single one I've owned. That's how much importance I attach to that one. Yet all my records sound better as my system has gotten better. All. Every. Single. One.
A Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood is in your budget and IMO has the attributes you're seeking. I put mine on my Technics SL-1200 Mark 2 often to listen to my less-than-perfect records.
Have to agree with millercarbon. The better your rig, the better poor records sound. I use the cheaper cartridge now and again because my Decca SuperGold/Paratrace/Decapod doesn't really like damaged disks.
Wow, a 2nd post of millercarbon that I agree with this week. Systems that purportedly make audiophile recordings sound "amazing" while making mediocre recordings sound worse -- these are actually very unbalanced systems that can only handle very simplistic slow snooze-fest audiophile demo tracks. A great system will make everything sound its best.
Ortofon SPU seems cope fairly well with scratches. I use the Royal N which does have a fine line stylus but some say its not a real SPU. The spherical or eliptical might suit your needs better. I decided to try one after reading this blog https://medialux.blog/2018/04/ along with some of Art Dudley’s writings.
If you have an appropriate tonearm, I second the SPU recommendation. I consider myself more a music fan and record collector than an audiophile, and I find the SPU really suits my needs. I do have "more advanced" designs, but I keep going back to the SPU. If you of many mono recordings, it will handle those well too--especially if you have a mono switch on your preamp.
I agree that the better the rig the better the sound. In that light, MMs with excellent tracking will do the job well within your budget, such as the Dynavector above, a Shure V15, an AT, an Ortofon 2M black or Cadenza bronze / black, or the recommended Clearaudio.
I have to disagree with @gregm's suggestion of the Ortofon 2M Black. With its Shibata stylus profile it is ruthless in terms of showing off any and all warts on vinyl that is in less than pristine condition. It is a good cart though.
I’m a record collector first, and I have stacks of vinyl of many genres that would never qualify as audiophile quality, either in terms of recording, pressing, or both. Note that this isn’t a problem of vinyl condition. We’re talking VG+ at worst.
I find that the various fine line styli are too fussy and revealing with these records. Nude elliptical have proven to be a better match here, a good compromise.
This opinion is false. If you’re a collector then I assume your records are original pressings. Those records are second hand and nearly all of them have been played with average styli (conical or elliptical at the best) if they are not from another audiophile. Since vinyl was main format of music back them do not expect second hand records are from audiophile’s collection. So most likely deep groove walls are still virgin, because conical or even elliptical stylus simply can’t go there.
All you need is to clean your old original (secondhand) VG+ records for use with ADVANCED PROFILES like Shibata, LineContact, MicroRidge, FineLine, Stereohedron, Parabolic, Replicant-100 etc ...
... but never use them with the same conical or elliptical stylus that other people have been using them for 40 years!
Learn a bit about vinyl groove walls and about stylus radius (different profiles).
Only advanced profile (not a conical or elliptical crap) can make your used OLD records sound better! It’s because only advanced profile can ride in untouched part of the groove wall!
I'm not buying "audiophile" pressings, but I have some? I will never buy them again. Any original Japanese press is better that new audiophile reissue. However, most of my records are US originals from the 70’s, many of them are strong VG+ or better. Playing them with conical tip is only degradation in sound. Advanced profile is an upgrade for all vintage vinyl, even for mono.
For under $1k you van buy some amazing MM or MI cartridges from the golden era, with advanced profile and often with exotic cantilever. You'd better buy a spare styli for MM than just an MC cartridge (imo).
With a Conical tip on vintage vinyl you’re continuing to wear off same part of the groove walls that already worn out by previous user of your vintage records (an average listener with average equipment aka a conical bonded stylus on those cheap carts).
What you can do is to reach previously untouched part of the groove walls using advanced profile, very simple, isn’t it? That’s the basics and I’m wondering people still have no clue about it.
Never use conical stylus for vintage vinyl if you want them to sound the best.
I disagree that the better the rig, the better the sound on poorly recorded/pressed albums. IME, the better the rig, the worse the sound, simply because all of the warts and poor quality is now brought to the fore! This is unfortunately easy to hear when you place the typical Rock LP under the lens. Personally, it is not so easy to enjoy the music when it is clearly too bright, has vague imaging, poor resolution or any number of other issues that were common to the type of LP's the OP is talking about. OTOH, if one has a less resolving system, IME, these problems tend to be glossed over and the basic music is actually easier to listen to. IMHO, YMMV etc.
You can only get worse sound from "better" gear if you're listening to a recording that's literally more signal than noise, or if your system is imbalanced/mismatched in some way to e.g. cause excessive brightness/fatigue with less than stellar recordings. You pair a slightly bright, highly detailed setup with a bright pop/rock/metal recording and you are gonna have PAIN.
I've experienced the Ortofon shibata (boron/sapphire) implementation to not be my favorite (Jubilee MC in my case); it could certainly be interpreted as somewhat "ruthless", and I think requires matching to a warm downstream chain. Really all the boron Ortofons I've heard are something like that. So I upgraded to Koetsu and got both more detail AND a cartridge that works a lot better with mediocre recordings in combination with my downstream gear.
Cartridges in my experience that are good with most recordings, including rock/metal, and not too bright: Benz LPS, Benz Wood Koetsu (all models) Ortofon Cadenza Bronze (not the higher models) Shelter
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