2. analog
  3. 1297992670

MM Cartridge or MC Cartridge

I'm embarrassed to say that after owning a ClearAudio Maestro cart for only a month, I had a mishap and damaged the stylus. It's gonna cost $600 to get it replaced. Does anyone have any better suggestions as far as a better cart for the $$, or is this the best for this price range? Also, what are the advantages to a MC cart? I'm just getting back into LP's and have not done the research. Besides, I trust your opinions more than reviews. I will have the opportunity to buy up, so now would be the time to go to a MC cart. Will I have to have a step-up transformer? My phono stage is an Audio Research PH-3 SE.
handymann

Showing 1 response by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
02-18-11: Thorman
Find a good used Shure V15 and throw A Jico SAS replacement cartridge on it and forget about it........or Pickup a new Shure 97XE and and put on a Jico SAS Stylus ( around $200 total investment ) ...
+1! Other contenders:

- Audio Technica AT150MLX
- Ortofon 2M Bronze or Black
- Wood-bodied Grado
- Goldring 10x2 or G 2x00 series
- Nagaoka MP-300 or MP-500
- Clearaudio Maestro/Virtuoso/Aurum MM carts

With the proliferation of all things vinyl these days, there is a great selection of very high quality MM cartridges in the $300-600 range. And some of them (Audio Technica, Ortofon, Goldring) have user-replaceable stylii. Pay attention to your arm's effective mass vs. the weight and compliance of each cartridge to come up with the best combination for your tonearm.

My #1 is an AT150MLX, but I'm thinking about getting a Jico stylus for my M97xE as a backup.
More to discover