phono cartridge help


Hope everyone is doing good. It was a cold one here in NH Saturday, So I had some indoor time and was looking to replace my cartridge. My head started spinning with everything that came into play with compliance, Capacitance, stylus type, output voltage and my limited options.

What affect would I get going from an output of 5.5 to a 4.0 or to a 6.5mV?

Turntable is a fixed 20 vta am I stuck with a 20 vta cartridge?

Opinions on these:  

Prestige 3 Series  

Audio-Technica VM740ML  (0.5 g over limit)

Nagaoka MP- 200

Goldring 1006 vta 24

With what I have now it is very limited to upgrades but I'm not ready to spend the money on a proper phono system, in 2 or 3 years.

I listen to Yes, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Eddie money, steely dan, David Bowie, the Cars, Rickie Lee Jones, Traffic, the Who, Savoy Brown, Van Halen.

What I have:

I clean my records with an ultrasonic cleaner and anti-static brush, I would grade my records at vg/vg+

Fluance RT85 Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge (VTA not adjustable)
SUPPORTED CARTRIDGE WEIGHT0.18 – 0.25 oz (5.0 – 7.5 g)
 COUNTERWEIGHT Yes – 3.60 oz (102 g)
EFFECTIVE TONEARM MASS 0.97 oz (27.5 g)
OVERHANG 0.76 inches (19.2 mm)
HEADSHELL MOUNTH-4 Bayonet Mount
Cartridge weight must be between 5.0 to 7.5 grams with a height of 18mm and 20° Vertical Tracking Angle.

YAQIN MS-23B
Tubes: 12AX7B × 2 (Voltage preamplifier)
Output Voltages: 0.5V (400Hz input/500mv)
Input Sensitivity: ≤4.0mV (400Hz, 0.5V output)
Cartridge Suitability: MM (Moving Magnet) cartridge.

Legacy Audio Signature SE speakers

Primaluna EVO400 (KT150)

 

 

 

 

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Showing 3 responses by jasonbourne52

@dogberry +1 for pointing that out about the Nagaoka cartridges being moving iron type. Certainly better than MM types that are affected by cable capacitance! I do have one Nagaoka in my collection. That was attached to a Rabco linear track arm I purchased awhile back. 

Grado Prestige Series's is an easy recommendation. A positive thing about the Grado cartridges is that they are moving- iron and consequently not affected by cable capacitance. 

Back in The Days of Yore TAS rated the Grado FTE ($15) as the best buy in phono cartridges. My friend Les had one and raved about it! Grado as a business goes back to around 1960. They have always made excellent cartridges for the money at various price points. I have a Grado G1 mounted in an extra headshell to switch out with a Denon 103R on the Pioneer PLX1000 TT.