Looking at upgrading to a new MC cartridge any thoughts?

Jakecanada - I’ve owned a lower pried Rega cart and it was very disappointing.

Rega should stick to what they are good at.

For just under $2k you could get a Van den Hul MC 10 Special

And for $3k there is the Van den Hul Frog

I’ve heard the Frog and it is very good, but the MC 10 should be right up there

Also take a look at the Soundsmith carts - they have quite a versatile line-up
http://www.needledoctor.com/Brand-Stores/Soundsmith

I have a Soundsmith modified Denon DL 103 and it is extremely good for around $650 - then you can get a wood headshell - just one of many mods for this cartridge.

FYI - the advanced stylus profiles that soundsmith employ, like their Optimized Countour Contact Line requires extremely precise setup.

I used a friends Mint Best tractor.
http://mintlp.com/best.htm

Finicky, YES - but so worth going the extra mile

Question - what part of Canada - I’m in Collingwood, Ontario

Regards - Steve

I've found my 17D3 very enjoyable and easy to maintain.   Dynavector provides a brush, for cleaning the stylus and cantilever.  You probably got one with your 20X too.    That and a little STYLAST(same bottle since 1981) have kept everything deposit free, for a few years now.

Go for the Dyna XX2 MKII.  Maintenance is not a problem, and it sounds great.  You'll want a good phono stage in order to get the most from the Dyna.

Another vote for the XX2 MkII.  I found it a distinct improvement from the 17D3.  It especially likes tube preamps, FWIW.

Have fun!

Save your money. Get an Audio Technica ART-9 ... and then forget about cartridges. 

http://www.lptunes.com/Audio-technica-AT-ART9-MC-phono-cartridge-p/atart09.htm

Frank

The Art 9 could be a too high compliant cartridge for a mid-mass Rega arm.Less than 8Hz resonance whereas the preferred Dynavector looks a good match at almost 11Hz tonearm/cartridge resonance.

effischer The phono preamp Is a all tube triode class A preamp and have a SUT with it that bounces the gain up to 73db. I think I should be good for xx2. My only question is how is the bass on the 17d3 compared to the 20x2L? I just like the price point of the 17D3 over the XX2.

@jakecanada 

my first moving coil cartridge to see what all the hype is on MC.

So what's the hype, Jake? 
Which MM did you tried before? 

I have tried the ortofon  2m bronze and 2m black.

@jakecanada i think the whole universe of beautiful vintage MM cartridges is missing if you only tried those two modern ortofons. I'm going to the oppisite direction from very expensive modern MCs to less expensive vintage MMs. Those cartridges like Audio-Technca AT-ML170 OCC and AT-ML180 OCC or OFC might be rare and hard to find, but they are much better than the most expensive MCs up to $4500 i have tried in my system. In my opinion it's better to try 10 rare vintage MM cartridges, than one super expensive MC you may not like afterall. Even extremely rare vintage MMs from the 80s are cheaper than new MC in this crazy world. So i don't understand the hype about MCs.    

I started out with older MM and had the worst luck with them either the cantilever becomes to brittle which has broke on me. I had one NOS that the one magnet depolarized, and oxidized wireing. I am Never buying old ones again. Also I have listened to Audio Technica and not a huge fan of theres to be honest.