MM Cartridge Recommendation


Hello Everyone, 
Over the past year I've been slowly building up my first system and have just recently upgraded my turntable to a Clearaudio Concept w/ Satisfy Carbon arm.  

My current total system is as follows:
- Belles Aria [Integrated w/ MM phono] 
- B&W 705 [original series from 2004 stand mounts w/ matching stands]
- Clearaudio Concept w/ Satisfy Carbon tonearm 
- Ortofon 2M Black MM cartridge 

Overall I've been very happy with my system especially working within a reasonable budget.  
The Clearaudio has also been a great upgrade from my original entry level [U-Turn Orbit] turntable. 
I bought it used with the 2M Black already mounted, and it is very smooth/neutral sounding with a lot of detail. 
However, at times I find it almost too neutral.

Would anyone have recommendations on another MM cartridge to pair with my existing system?
I'm still trying to determine if I may like another sound better [perhaps more warmth or even just comparison for a different sound] as I explore and still learn what sounds I like. 

I know many people prefer MC, however at this time I do not want to add a MC phono preamp to my system.   
I'd consider HOMC [ie Hana cartridge] but I'm not sure if they would work within my exiting Belles Aria MM system?

My budget is ~$800. 
My preference is to buy new however would consider an easily accessible used [I just don't want to have to search for some obscure hard to find cartridge].  

Also please keep in mind that I am still new to this hobby so am by no means an expert in cartridge setup & alignment. 

Any advice or feedback is really appreciated! 

Thanks! 

 

dsjs4

Showing 3 responses by mofimadness

The wooden Grados are a great recommendation. They are warm and fuzzy for sure, if that’s what you’re looking for.  The Opus3 is less than $300 and it will give a very good taste of what the higher priced models will sound like.  Great place to start.

Huge David Belles fan here! I’ve owned quite a few of his pieces and they are indeed excellent.
Looking at the specs of the Aria, it has 9.54db of gain through the line stage and 33db for the phono stage. That means a total of around 42db.

The Ortofon Black is 5mv. The Hana high-outputs are 2mv. IMHO, a little too low to work well. Maybe around 3.5mv or higher, but it all depends on how loud you listen.

I have a Black in my stable of carts and really enjoy it. Audio Technica makes some killer carts also.
+1 on the Grace cartridge recommendation.  I was a dealer for most of the time they were around.  I still have quite a few, (sorry, none for sale).