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Just Snagged a Micro Seiki DD-35 - Need Help With Affordable Cartridge Options for SM-505

Hi All! Just picked up a decent MS DD-35 for a steal at Goodwill. I know very little about tonearms and cartridges, having only purchased a few for DJing with Technics and Numarks over the years. Was hoping one of my old DJ cartridges would work for testing this bad boy out, but alas, they don't seem to fit. Any advice on an affordable cartridge for this bad boy. Poor millennial, so my budget is tight. Honestly, if I can't afford a cartridge, I'll probably just sell this bad boy. Hopefully it won't come to that.

This model was recommended by others, but dang... $400 is way too much for me.
https://www.ebay.com/p/SIGNET-TK7LCA-Cartridge-and-7lca-Stylus/673171598

Am I S.O.L. (surely out of luck)?

Here's the DD-35:
https://imgur.com/k090Pxu
mycoscott
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chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
A great match with that particular arm! This is the best sub-$500 cartridge available!
This is funny statement.

In my opinion even Grado Signature XTZ ($750 in the 80s and probably twice as much today) is not the best cartridge compared to some others in sub $500 category, but the cheapest Grado MI can't compete even with vintage $350 Pickering XSV3000 or $450 AT-ML150 OCC. 

What is good about Grado Prestige series is a range of different styli avaibale today from Grado, including top of the line 8MZ, TLZ, XTZ, so the upgrade of the stylus (and oversall sound) is always possible. 

Grado DJ100 and DJ200 has the same MI generator as the Grado Black.
Those Grado DJ carts belong to the Prestige 2 series and they are the best sounding DJ carts designed today (with extended frequency response up to 50k Hz and does not require high tracking force as most of the other inferior dj carts).     

@mycoscot Maybe you just have to replace your dj carts with a pair of Grado DJ100 or DJ200 ? Technics headshell will work fine on your Micro Seiki tonearm. 
mycoscott OP
5 posts
 
Thanks for all of these suggestions. Very helpful and I've got somethings to look over now.

For some reason, I couldn't get a Numark cartridge to fit on the SM-505. It fit in well, but not fully set into the tone arm and there was no locking mechanism.

I'll try again tomorrow, but do these tone arms require some sort of twisting or turning to get the cartridge to lock on? Thanks again!
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,703 posts
 
Do you have a Bayonet style headshell to put on that arm? If the arm is missing the locking wheel that holds the headshell on the arm then you are SOOL!

https://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGPROHEADSHELLB.html
This is what the arm should look like with the locking wheel!
https://www.lpgear.com/product/JELCOSA250.html
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