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MM Cartridge recommendation

I am in the process of upgrading from my current project debut carbon(with acrylic platter and ortofon blue) to a vintage Micro Seiki DD-5.  It will come with the stock tone arm and Micro H-303 headshell but no cart. I am looking for any recommendations for a MM cartridge sub $500?  This turntable will be used with a Cronos Magnum III powering a pair of Triangle Acoustics Comete 40th anniversary speakers.

I was thinking of a Nagaoka MP150 or 200 but have no experience with cartridges other then the Ortofon 2m line  so all suggestions are welcomed. 
Thanks in advance. 

tritube

Showing 2 responses by mwh777

mwh777
111 posts
 

If you do go with a Nagaoka cartridge, do choose the MP-200. It's the sweet spot in the lineup. The Nagaokas are for the listener who wants a warm, smooth, rich musically engaging, natural sound. It is mid level on resolution, detail and instrument separation. It won't be bright or forward. Compared to the more expensive Hana SH MKII (high output) and the ClearAudio Maestro V2, the MP-200 can't match the clarity, resolution and detail of those two. The Hana will be more analytical and the Maestro will be brighter and more forward. I have no experience with Ortofon but, have never been attracted to them on the basis of reviews and testimonials.

mwh777
111 posts
 

@lewm 

Just as with anything else, a phrase's meaning is possibly different for each person. What I mean by "sweet spot" is the component under discussion has a very good mix of performance and cost. The MP-200 is not an analytical, high resolution, high detail product. It provides a very pleasent sound that lets you listen more to the music and focus a little less on the sound. While I have not "auditioned" any other Nagaoka carts, I have just purchased an MP-500 that is arriving soon. I skipped over the MP-300. My research suggests that the MP-300 may suffer from the "middle child" syndrome. For the cost difference between the MP-300 and the MP-500, I prefer to get the bigger jump in performance that the MP-500 has according to reviews and other research.

 

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