Decisions, decisions....


I'm one of the Naim fold, getting back into vinyl in a more serious way. I currently have a Moth (i.e., Rega P2) with a rewired, re-weighted RB-300 , currently using a Shure V15vxmr that to my ears sounds pretty darn good. Recently I have acquired three other things, all needing to be set up and give a listen. 1-an older Sota Sapphire with the Sumiko arm, 2-a Rega P7, and 3-a Linn LP12. I'm a bit ocd-hence the case of GAS. A musician to boot. So what cartridges would you folks out there recommend? I'm set up to go either MM or MC, and I have a couple of the Shures-one NIB. Like I said, the Sota has the Sumiko arm; the Linn is pre-Cirkus, Akito, Valhalla, Trampolin; the Rega, of course has the 700. I am eager to try the MC route-trying to keep cartridge costs under $2k each (or about that)-which brings up another obvious question, does a Lyra Delos, or a Koetsu Black, etc, outclass the tables I own? And the cartridge doesn't have to be that expensive if there are options that would get me "there" for less. Would I be better off selling the lot and getting a single, more expensive deck? I like the idea of checking different things out, but I suppose I could do without that. One caveat-I haven't heard the VPI Classic, but I must say that the other VPI's, though they sound good, seem a bit overly analytical for my taste. That said, please share your thoughts.
goforth

Showing 1 response by mechans

You should try to listen to all of the tables you have, so that you don't have regrets later on. Once you have done that, sell the tables that aren't your top choice. After all how many turntables can you listen to at the same time? It sounds like you prefer "musical" presentations, and may want to save some money by using an MM cart.
With all the money you have from this process get a killer phono stage.