Cartridge - sweet spot on the cost/sound curve?

Time to play Sherlock Holmes, make notes

Imbalance: Assuming you are right, I would prove it is the cartridge, i.e. rule out other potential problems before I bought a new cartridge: Your phono: you have two sets of interconnects, and a variety of tubes in 2 devices and a specific preamp input that are all different than your digital source.

1. move the digital to the input you are using for your phono pre: still imbalanced, then it’s that input, not .... good, it’s somewhere in the phono chain, where exactly?

2. switch phono l and r, weak moves to the other side, tells you ......

3.

4.

Cartridge re-builders say the MAJORITY of cartridges they receive have had inaccurate anti-skate for years, uneven wear leads to uneven sound: the replacement needs to be right. Who will install/calibrate your new cartridge?

I also like AT MM cartridges with excellent sound and imaging specs (wide channel separation/tight channel balance) replaceable MicroLine stylus which have the largest contact surface, thus longest life and minimize wear on your grooves.

They track at 2.0g, I prefer lighter, and I prefer stiffer cantilever, I risk used vintage cartridges to get beryllium which is no longer used, recently bought two used AT, AT150e and AT160 bodies with ATN160ML stylus which track at 1.25g, each in your budget, but buying used cartridges is not for most people I know.

I meant to say, when buying new, I prefer lighter/stiffer boron for cantilever material over aluminum

Happily, my 1st pick for a Moving Coil was/is a winner, and your Phono stage has MM and MC options

AT33PTG/II MC Microline on Tapered Boron: eBay $460.

I wore it out, bought a new one without hesitation (for 1/2 price from AT's trade-in program). 

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one method to get boron, is to buy a Shure V15 body, and a NEW Jico SAS on Boron

Shure V15V body, eBay $200.

Jico SAS on Boron $282.

It comes with the brush you can use up or down like the Shure originals, however, Shure's brushes were/are damped, Jico's is non-damped.

And, you can have VAS rebuild you a frankencartridge, I've got an advanced stylus Steve calls 'P', on boron, with Shure's OEM damped brush that I can use in either my 97x body or V15Vx body

richardbrand

"Just a word of caution - there were several series of Shure V15 made, and they do not necessarily share compatible stylii."

correct, Jico makes that clear in writing:

"There is NO interchangeability between VN5MR and VN5xMR. Please confirm your cartridge / stylus number and select suitable stylus."

they list which body the new Jico VN5MR stylus I posted (for the used V15V body I linked) fits:

"

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btw, another advantage made possible by SAS on lighter/stiffer cantilevers is LIGHTER TRACKING, these track avg. 1.25g,

the AT33PTG/II Microline tapered boron rod tracks avg. 2.0g. Larger contact area combined with lighter tracking: This is the major reason these advanced stylus have longer life, and of course less wear on the grooves.

V15Vx used body, $158 usd;

Jico new VN5xMR, $282 usd

$440. total

exactly what I did to mine. shure orig tracked at 1,0g, I use 1.25g with this combo

Recent splurge, like a Cicada, I’ve got to go dormant for a long while now.

I made an offer, seller agreed to $338 for NOS unopened V15V-P which is P Mount version of V15Vmr (can be used as P or via 1/2" adapter) (same as V15Vmr except no brush)

New Unused Beryllium MicroWall Tube Cantilever with MicroRidge Stylus

If I live long enough to wear it out, or whoever inherits it can put a Jico Boron SAS in it.

used UA-7082 arm in transit; two used AT160ml Berylliums with two azimuth adjustable headshells;1 set of 4 AT616 TT Feet (arrived last evening, very nice, bigger than I realized); lastly this new V15V-P OEM Beryllium Tube.

found this:

"Post by dlaloum » 18 Jun 2012 00:36

If you have an intact V15Vp stylus there is nothing available today to match it...

Look after that stylus - the beryllium tube cantilever achieves an effective tip mass of around 0.17mg.

The nearest available current stylus is the Jico SAS which works out at around 0.3mg effective tip mass. - Still very good but not nearly as good as the original

The V15VP and V15VMR are electrically completely identical (I have both) - also the Jico SAS VN5MR stylus fits both, and works well on both."