Send it to SoundSmith. For $250-level 2 you'll get ruby cantilever. That will be MAJOR upgrade to your current cartridge.
Grado Stylus Upgrade
I have an old Thorens turn table that I play through a Rega Elicit. I replaced the old cartridge years ago. Went with the cheapest I could find at the time(Grado Black). I don't remember what I had before, but it sounded much better than the Grado.
My question: Will upgrading to a nicer Grado stylus (Red or Silver) be a big jump up in sound? Or should I look into something else? Not wanting to spend more than $250 or so right now.
My question: Will upgrading to a nicer Grado stylus (Red or Silver) be a big jump up in sound? Or should I look into something else? Not wanting to spend more than $250 or so right now.
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For a noticeable upgrade in SQ, you need to move up to the Grado Gold. I'm assuming you haven't experienced any hum with your Thorens, so the Gold would be the way to go. The Grado Black and Gold carts are not insulated so they can pick up motor noise from certain brands of TTs. As long as your current TT setup does not hum when the tonearm moves toward the center of the record, then you can move up the Grado line. http://www.needledoctor.com/Grado-Gold1-Prestige-Series-Phono-Cartridge?sc=7&category=926 The Ortofon 2M Blue is in the same league as the Grado Gold, and is very widely respected. It has a different sonic signature, not as warm as the Grados. Either cart would take your analogue setup to a higher level considering your budget. One more...a Denon high output MC cart may be the best bang for the buck. It's output gain will match a MM phono stage. If you change to a different brand, you'll need to take into consideration the compliance of the cart. IOW, you need match the mass of the tonearm with a cart of the proper size. |
There are also many MM cartridges that will better the performance of a Grado Black. Many also have more advanced stylus profiles. The Black's stylus has the subtlety of a brick, I've seen knitting needles with finer points. ;-) Check out Raul's endless (11K posts and counting) thread on MM vs. MC for recommendations. |
When you say the old cartridge sounded better, in what sense? I owned the Grado and Thorens combo played through a Rega Elex and it sounded a bit overly warm and lethargic with my vintage B&W speakers. all good components bult too much of a good thing. I think my old Thorens came OE with an At95e which was cleaner and more precise sounding. I love the Grado sound but it works better on my Technics 1200 than my Thorens. I would get a cleaner tighter cartridge like the Ortofon 2M series or even an MC as others have suggested. |