2. analog
  3. 126195-1644

is the Grace F9L cartridge. equal to the newest MM, like Ortofon, Clearaudio, Rega, etc?

I was offered a Grace F-9L  cartridge for about $300. I was informed by the seller that Grace cartridges work well with Thorens TT....However,  Grace has been out of business for years   So I am a little wary of its viability.

Therefore, need some info as to what its last retail price may have been??  And whether its reputation and performance is worth the investment     BTW, there is no possibility of retipping it with Grace out of business   I have  a Thorens TD-145 which is crowned with a AT 440MLB moving magnet. Good, but not great

Note:  I have been considering 3 used tables. Rega RP6 with an ELYS 2 cartridge; A Project 2Xpression with a low output Blue Point Speical Evo III cartridge, and a VPI Scout Jr. with a Quintet Red low output MC ( which is the most expensive of the three.   

There is also another table under consideration I would purchase  new: The: Project RPM3 prepacked  with a Sumiko Blue Point 2 high output MC .

My gut tells me that any one of  the 4 tables mentioned above would be a better investment than Grace F-9L and  the Thorens.  Therefore,  any info and comments will be greatly appreciated.   Thank you 


sunnyjim

Showing 1 response by kingshead

kingshead
44 posts
 
Depends on the arm, the f8 is a better choice for ultralight arms like the Grace G707, Infinity Black Widow, etc. The f9 is actually based on the older f8, but improved to work on a wider variety of arms, but it's really not compliant enough for those light arms I mentioned earlier.

Currently running a NOS Grace f8 L'10 on my Grace G707. I can tell you it's something special to hear a cartridge installed on the arm it was designed for by the same designer and manufacturer of the arm. I was blown away by just how much I seemed to have been missing, had many a late listening night since lol.

Martin 


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