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New cart for under 1K

I am looking to buy a new cartrdige for my setup. My current system consists of a VPI Scout II with a Black Knight platter and 10.5SE tonearm (the TT Michael Fremer demonstrated a cartridge setup at last years show in NYC), JM Focal 936's, Mac solid state power & pre, and a Dynavector P-75 phono pre-amp. The Focal's are very accurate and tend to be bright in the highs. Brightness is what I am trying to avoid. I've found the highs to be too harsh for my liking, especially with vocals. Sibilance is also an issue and something I have attempted to control with speaker placement, VTA, damping fluid, and the tone controls on my old Mac preamp. My current cart is a Grado Gold. I am hopeful that upgrading to a new cartridge helps eliminate some of the treble harshness and provides a sweeter overall sound. I'm interested in the Dynavector 20x2 so far. Any other suggestions for 1K or under, Benz, Ortofon, Sumiko (Blackbird, a little over 1K, but what the hell)?

Thanks for you assistance!
davidlillis

Showing 8 responses by jperry

jperry
2,468 posts
 
I think you should hear the Dynavector 17d3.
jperry
2,468 posts
 
Davidlillis - "When I do purchase another pair of speakers, I will never buy anything that has titanium tweeters. I've heard a bunch of different brands of speakers and love the Harbeth's"

I think you answered your own question here. I would sell the Focal speakers and buy Harbeth Compact 7 or Monitor 30. You should be able to get one of those used for $1,000 plus the proceeds from your Focal speakers.

Alternatively, there is also a pair of Proac Response 2.5 being auctioned on Ebay right now (no relationship with seller). I own Proac 2.5 speakers, think they sound great, and they also have soft dome tweeters.
jperry
2,468 posts
 
If you feel you must change cartridges, the Dynavector cartridge will be a great match with your Dynavector phono preamp. Save the money for your speaker upgrade. 1300-700=500 towards speaker upgrade.

I am sticking by my earlier post, which is move to a speaker you really like, then align the rest of your system around the speaker.
jperry
2,468 posts
 
I do not know which Harbeth speaker you are considering, but if you sell your Focals for $2,000 and spend another $1,000 you can buy a used pair of Harbeth compact 7 es3, or Proac 2.5 for even less.
jperry
2,468 posts
 
+1 for Arizona Hi Fi. They are my local dealer of choice. Glen and Bill are great.

Audio Connection in Verona, NJ, John Rutan is a great dealer.

Not sure where you are located.

The US distributor is Modern Audio 410.486.5975

Fjn04 - Are you in Phoenix? How do you like the Devore speakers?
jperry
2,468 posts
 
Listen to some Proac speakers. I think you might like them based on your comments.
jperry
2,468 posts
 
If you have a car Verona, NJ is only 25 miles. You could also call Modern Audio to see if they have a NYC dealer.
jperry
2,468 posts
 
Sorry to hear of your bad experience. John has always been great to deal with as far as my own experiences.
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