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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 2 responses by roscoeiii

roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
Or you could jump on the $700 XX-2 for sale used here right now. A killer cart.

No affiliation with seller.
roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
I have no experience with the Transfiguration, but I really liked the XX-2 (Soundsmith rebuild) with the P75. A low impedance cart like the XX-2 is ideal for the PE mode of the P75.

And I'd be sure that you have an idea of the seller's listening preferences as well. Does the seller listen to similar genres? Does the seller prioritize the same sonic characteristics as you do? This of course also applies to anyone giving a recommendation.

Anyway, I am not meaning to suggest that the seller's advice isn't good advice (again, no experience with that cart), but be sure to calibrate a purchase to your preferences not anyone else's. Including mine.
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