Help with Cartridge choice

Nice choice. I'd include the Audio Technica lineup, and NOT spend as much since you're limited by the table. Use the dough for speakers/amp. 

Maybe something in the OC9 series UNDER $1K

You should be fine with your choice of the Hana. This especially since you have done your research I assume this includes end user reviews The Phono stage has 67db gain which is good for the cart output. Sure there are other good choices available. But do you really need other choices since you have based your choice on your research?

EDIT - I didn't see look up the TT but itmay be the weak link itself. If so, then I would agree with others who say to back off the price. Its not a wise choice to put a $ 15oo Cart on a 1500 TT.

Thanks, in fact was looking at the at-art9 and willkep that in mind. Really appreciate. I am all sorted with amps (Mola Mola Kalugas), and speaker is a different ball game...will take couple of years to get there. 

@artemus_5 - thank you, you already answered part of my question, which was about compatibility. One part of that is th ephonostage, which seems good here, the other is the tonearm mass, which i am not sure how to go about....

Taking a wild punt at your present situation, It seems to me,  there is a desire to experience a Cartridge, and it is quite important to you as there is a wish to get the best from your Phonostage for the foreseeable future.

I would not spend big on a Cartridge at present, if a Cartridge requires replacing by all means seek out a new Cartridge out. A prudent choice at this stage will allow you to experience a MC Cartridge for the next few years, that can offer to you the impression a valuable upgrade has been made. If it is a very much enjoyed Cartridge and used regularly, it might be well on its way to needing to be replaced when your next phase of acquisitions materialize.

When making the provision for the funds to replace the TT > Tonearm,  pencil in a allowance for a Cartridge of choice and there is time on your side to make that investigation and decision about the Cartridges on your shortlist. 

I don't usually recommend a Brand, but recently, I have been seeing Vinyl Enthusiasts move onto the SKY ANALOGUE (SA) range of MC's, and more recently, I have seen their entry level model, Supersede the use of a Hana MC's in another  systems.  

The ( SA ) entry level will not break the bank and leave change to go into the kitty for future plans if the Hana is not chosen. 

I'm not sure what the effective mass is for that tonearm, so I'm not sure if these are a good match, but two MC carts I've been really loving lately are the AT33Sa and the VAS Ebony 103.

If I understand you correctly you are planning on upgrading the cartridge first, then the turntable. I would reverse that. Turntable first.

I have been lucky with cartridges after my first budget ones. But it has required an enormous amount of research. For me, the starting point has been the sound of my existing cartridge… was it natural enough, detailed enough, tonal balance? If my existing one is bordering on too much detail (so it is bringing in too much surface noice)… or too warm with not enough detail… then this points to a direction… or if it is perfect, then higher level cartridge with the same characteristic. It also must be appropriate for your tone arm.

So, as a starting point, read every professional review on your existing cartridge, and then on cartridges in your price range. You have to carefully evaluate the nuances of the sound description and of the equipment being used by the reviewer… it’s not easy. But, the right cartridge is not an absolute, it can be different for every user and associated collection of equipment.

One Stop Shopping

Terrific 7 layer Plinth

quartz locked direct drive TT81 spinner,

JVC-Victor Long 7082 Tonearm, VTA on the Fly (counterweight rubber gasket is in great shape, Eugene sent me separate photos),

includes headshell/cartridge/new stylus;

includes 120/100v transformer

includes DIN cable

Includes AT auto-lift accessory, I love mine.

...........................................

get a spare headshell for your existing cartridge if not worn out. 

potential to add a second tonearm in the future

note: price is CAD, and I bet he would accept a lower offer.

I wrote Eugene because a friend almost bought this,

Total weight approx. 65lbs .

Box size 27" x 24" x 14" . (double boxed)

Shipping via Express UPS 2 days delivery - approx. $120 .

I would echo your instinct on the Audio Technica ART 9.  I had one. Superb cartridge for the money. And, even if it was 2x the price it would be worth it.  I cannot tell for sure but I think it is a decent match for that arm, but I've never been the best at the compliance math game and sometimes things sound good or bad regardless of the matchup. 

Thank you all for your suggestions. Unfortunately for the older tonearm i cannot find the effective mass. I will ask Sumiko who might have this information. I will say that this tonearm design is bad - very easily gets off VTA.

Perhaps I am trying to buy a good cartridge hoping that it can switch over to the new TT, but advice here seems to be to solve for now - in which case maybe i will do nothing at all until i am able to purchase the TT (looking at Origin Live Resolution with Illustrious Arm or Sparta 0.5).

Then again i could buy an AT cartridge for some immediate sonic benefits and trade up when new TT comes along.

Any additional perspectives welcome, and thanks to all who have contributed thus far.

@musicmatters1206 

I'm not familiar with the Sparta. But I am familiar with the Origin live, especially the Illustrious arm. I put the Illustrious arm on my Teres as a "temporary" arm. That was 12-14 yrs ago. I just upgraded to a TriPlanar Vll.. Yes, the TP is an upgrade. But the OL Illustrious  showed me  why I had kept it so long. It is a fine tonearm.. Best to you

Anyone comparing to DS optical carts ?

need feedback

Buy a Denon and have get wood body for it.  As close to the Gold Bug for $300 as you will get.

Happy Listening.

+1 for the Art.

I have the ART9xa as well as the Hana Umami Red. While their price points are significant the AT is a beautiful sounding cart.

Since uncleang chimed in elsewhere that His 1958 Ford F100 can't live without them (jumper cables), I'll just ask what gauge shot gun do you have?

Musical surroundings, the distributor for Hana, has an upgrade program. Inagree that requires ML is likely too much cartridge for your table. I'd suggest you try the Hana SL for $750. When its time to upgrade the table, you can also upgrade the cartridge through their upgrade program. You can experience the Hana MC sound for now to see if you really like it and then go up to the ML or Umami later.

If your stylus is in good shape, the Ortofon Bronze is quite good. 
I retired an old Signet TK10ML and installed an Audio Technica ART9XI - very nice. 
Consider an updated turntable - the New Pro-Ject Debut Pro looks quite good for $1,000. 

All these AT carts should better the 2M Bronze:

AT VM740ML(outstanding MM cart)

AT VM750SH(great but liked the detail of the ML better)

AT33PTGII (I’m currently using this cart...loving it)

AT33SA (my next cart)

AT ART9 (my next next cart)

The OP is happy to make it known they are looking for direction to be offered, through their claim to not be analog 'analog savvy'.  As the OP is also informing that their experiences to date, does not include using a MC Cartridge in their set up, it is safe I hope to limit 'analogue savvy' to the use of a vinyl replay set up/vinyl source only.

There is a wish to spend monies now on a Cartridge only and a further spend in the not too distant future on a New Source, such as a TT > Tonearm and possibly another Cartridge.

The want to experience new things can easily be redirected for a period of time by visiting a few places where a demonstration can be had of a Vinyl Source.  This will at the minimum broaden an experience and maybe help the OP discover some sonic traits that are attractors to them and help with narrowing the field of products to consider.  To do this will cost a few $$'s but the off set of gathered knowledge is money well spent.

I have a been given good descriptions over the years of Vinyl Source differences about TT's>Tonearms and Cartridges.

Keeping the subject restricted to a TT only, one description that sticks quite strongly and might be good for a person wishing to further their understanding is the differences between the assembly of a TT.

There is what was described as soft system where the TT is functioning as a result of multiple part and linkages connecting these parts. This type of assembly has parts that are dependent on the optimization of the parts at the time of set up, over a period of time parts can change their properties or move. Additionally these assemblies are further mounted onto Plinths that are produced with complexities, as a result of having multiple parts in use.  The environmental soundness of these materials is critical, as any property changes throughout the year will create a new condition for the mounting of the TT.  This as a system when all critical parts are optimized can perform in a manner that is offering a very positive impression, but it will most likely deteriorate over time and it will take an experienced individual to keep on top of the optimization requirements to maintain the performance.

A Hard System has lesser interfaces and the critical parts of the assembly are assembled with tight tolerances where the optimized condition is not necessarily needed to be treated in any method by the TT user. These assemblies are able in usual practice, to be mounted in a Solid Plinth that has not been produced from a selection of materials and components that are a design to allow for a flotation.

A Tonearm when mounted onto the Plinth will be secured in a method that keeps the geometry between the Platter Spindle and Tone Arm Pivot distance maintained with little concerns. The more environmentally sound the plinth material is, where it does not change properties throughout the year, is the usual consideration for the Plinth material.  This type of of set up is rigidly coupled and for the individual without too much experience, will be the one that will be requiring the least time spent with periodical maintenance requirements.

For the OP, the Vinyl LP is the Source of the Vinyl Set Up, It is not known how large your LP Collection is and over how long it has been in your possession. To take the additional time to learn how to carry out Vinyl Cleaning and After Care will be a great benefit to your upcoming plans. A correctly cleaned Album, when having it first replay, can make a Cartridge sound like a New Item added to the System, the information retrieval is quite something.

@elliottbnewcombjr has shown a link to a complete Vinyl Source and it is worth studying to learn a little. It is what I have referred to as a Hard System.          Additionally look at the Speed Control on offer, many TT's will require a separate purchase off board power supply to deliver these accuracies, which as a separate purchase item, can quite easily surpass the price of the TT in the link 

Might sound like a backward step, but the Ortofon SPU Royal N is pure musical magic, I know people that have replaced Kondo IOM's with it and have not looked back. It does need quite a massy arm with VTA adjustment and a phono stage with a decent amount of gain plus a minimum of 100ohms impedance. People may wonder why not the full SPU version, 2 reasons it sounds better and costs less.

I don't know if you guys have heard if Living Voice speakers from the UK, if not check out the website. Anyway the guy who is the mastermind behind Living Voice, the SPU Royal N is his favourite cartridge, above all other cartridges whether they be Kondo's, Fuuga, the top Ortofons, Van Den Huls, Lyra's et all.

Anyone reading this with whose interest has been pricked, give it a punt. 

Sideway move from the 2m bronze, it's a great cartridge...but if you must, the Hana is also a very nice cartridge...I'd go with the EL, jmo...as its price is in line with the bronze. It will sound "different" not necessarily better than the bronze. 

You got good advice here. I’ll just second TableJockey and suggest Audio Technica. I just put the 0C9xsl on my VPI table and am very pleased. Around $800 and all that I wanted. Best of luck choosing. 

Many great suggestions, thank you all.

If my description of "not analog savvy" misled anyone, i should clarify that i have 100s of records collected over years, I do use a Nitty Gritty record cleaner and zero dust to clean, and i have used TTs for at least 15 years. Its just that I have not invested big money on the analog chain until now, while focusing on improving my digital/roon playback chain. Now i am trying to focus on the analog domain.

Based on all the feedback I am aiming to do the following:

- buy a HANA SL to gain some sonic benefits as well as to spend some money that i feel like spending :)

- next year I will try to expedite an end game TT purchase and then upgrade to Hana ML thru the upgrade program.

@rmdmoore  thanks for the advice on Hana program

@artemus_5 thanks for your perspective on Origin Live. Fremer seems to be a huge fan and i will be auditioning it next year along with Kronos Sparta, Merill Williams etc. I saw/heard the latter two at Cap Audio Fest a few weeks ago. 

- and when I upgrade i can keep the Pro-Ject Perspective TT for my basement system, as it is a visually stunning table and is a decent performer.

Again many thanks to all for the help here, really appreciated.

I have both an ART9XI and a Hana ML that I use with my VPI Prime and, much to my surprise, I slightly prefer the Hana.  They’re very, very close however, so you really can’t go wrong with either.  I do notice that the AT certainly needs less gain from my phono stage than the Hana for whatever that’s worth.

OP. You are likely in for a real treat. I remember moving from budget stuff to a quality analog rig. It was truly jaw dropping… all the surface noice disappeared… it just wasn’t diminished… completely gone. The bass when up to slap me in my face… the soundstage expanded beyond my speakers. The step up from real budget or mid-fi gear is simply transformative. The VPI 21 and a well chosen cartridge with the Zesto should be a completely overwhelming change. Likely to shame your digital end.

Your extended description of your experience with a vinyl source is appreciated.

I have to agree that your encounter with a Upgrade is going to be quite a surprise.

Prepare to be propelled into having to listen the the entirety of the Album Collection, it will become infectious.  

Audio technica ART9 XI

~1300 but it beats and competes with $2000 cartridges.  look it up.  

musicmatters1206-

If you can stretch your budget, there is a Rega P10, 2nd owner listed. That means bargaining power for you. Put a LOMC from the OC9/AT33 series on it, and you will have a significant upgrade without taking  on a second mortgage. 

I

@analoghaven I have been using the DS Audio 003 package for a couple months, I also own a Lyra Delos, Air Tight PC-7, AT ART9XA, Ortofon LVB250, Grace F9E, used to have Ortofon A95 and the 003 beats them all as it should at 6K with the equalizer that comes with it. If you want true to the source without any coloration this is the cartridge to get. Look up my FB group

Save up and get a turntable first. Some of your description leads me to believe its not great. I would rather have a few hundred dollar cartridge on a good turntable.

You may want to consider a gently used cartridge as your money will go twice as far.

Don't overlook Soundsmith cartridge's they provide everything you want and have a great retipping program. I picked up a Carmen and that ended my search.

Good luck.

I can’t believe no one has mentioned the highly esteemed Dynavector 20XII. You can use the L version like the Hana ML with your Zesto. It is slightly less expensive than the Hana and neck and neck in sound quality, construction, etc. 3 of my friends use it in VPI, Goldmund and Denon turntables (older tables with excellent arms). I am replacing my worn Benz Ruby 3 with it on an SME IV arm/VPI TNT VI. The reason is I own 28,500 LPs and want to get the best sound from a very, very wide range of recordings, from mono to stereo, jazz, opera, rock and classical. The Dynavector XX2 and Karat dig deeper into the details of the music but at the expense of being more particular concerning the recorded sound. The 20XII L will give all your records, new and used, superior sound to your Ortofon.  Very dynamic and very quiet tracker.  Retail is $1150. My next cartridge up could be the Hana Umami Red. I considered the Kiseki cartridges but they are very finicky in setup and compliance match is not good. 

Audio Technica AT540ML is a big winner with reviewers.  Tough MM to beat for $250 while you're fretting and contemplating high risk upgrades.  Gotta get the SRA right though.  The MicroLine diamond shape presents knife edges.  It is the quietest cart I've owned.  It's a no brainer,