High Output MC Cartridge recommendations?
I read about Hana cartridges in a recent thread @ AudioAsylum and did a little research (for my SME 3009 Non-Improved) and they seemed to be well liked and a good match. Not familiar with your 309 though. Never heard of Hana before, but the HOMC’s I looked @ were $475 & $750, which I assume is in your price range. Anyway, might be worth a Google. DeKay |
Why not send your existing cartridge into Soundsmith and have them replace the cantilever? I had a Denon DL103 which I liked a lot and heard about the Soundsmith option. I actually bought a new DL103 from them that had the ruby cantilever treatment just for expediancy (faster than sending the Cartridge in). The improvement in details conveyed was amazing, but it kept the same Denon qualities that I liked. You also get to choose from several stylus profile options, so you can get as fancy as you like. I would warn that the more advanced the stylus profile is the more critical setup becomes to get the best out of the cartridge. You would probably need a Mint Best Tractor (protractor) to get the alignment spot on (or something like that). A paper protractor will no suffice with advanced profiles such as the Optimized Contour Contact Line stylus type For the different Stylus Type offered see the drop down on this page https://www.sound-smith.com/cartridges Having said that - the rewards are many :-) Regards - Steve |
