Putting together turntable rig

If you have no idea about cartridge yet, but already mentioned some tonearms, I want to say that tonearm and cartridge must be matched to each other (moving mass vs. compliance).

You already have MC cartridge (Hana) and this particular cartridge can be upgraded with much better performers withing $1k budget, but if you considering NOS vintage then you can get something special (it must be MM or MI).

1) I have Reed 3p in my vaults, this is very expensive tonearm, I remember it was fantastic with two expensive cartridges (AT-ML180 and AT-ML170). I currently have two NOS samples. Those are mid compliance cartridges, they are perfect for all modern tonearms.

Let me post a quote from one very interesting article in the back issue of TAS (The Analog Sound, Issue 40) magazine called "Assessing the State-of-the-Art in Storage Media". In this, J. Tammblyn Henderson reports on a listening session comparing digital master tape, analogue master tape, direct-to-disc lacquer and the "live" mike feed; the report consists of a long conversation among J.Boyk, Keith Johnson, Doug Sax, and J. Tammblyn Henderson himself (read below):

What cartridge could have the "lowest distortion of all," "uncanny" resolution, better than master tapes?

Kavi Alexander, auteur of the remarkable Water Lily Acoustics series of analogue vinyl discs, is monitoring disc production by comparing test pressings to the master tape. What cartridge is he using?Another moving magnet, this time the TECHNICS EPC 100 mk4. But he describes the AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-ML170 as very similar, and very close to the actual sound of the tape. In this comparison, he says, virtually no moving coil does so well; most have seriously apparent coloration.

The contrast between these views of moving magnet cartridges and usual audiophile opinion is striking. On the one hand, we have assurances from these leaders of the High-End recording industry that the best MOVING MAGNETS are very close to the master tape (or live mic feed, for direct to disc) and that they are capable of "uncanny" resolution. On the other hand, we have the prevailing perception, amounting almost to a shibboleth, of the High-End listening community, that only MOVIN COILS are realistic in some sense of that word and that moving magnets are incapable of sonic truth.

As ASP pointed out in TAS (Issue 70), the audiophile consumer and dealer community is massively arrayed against MOVING MAGNETS cartridges. But experimentation is interesting, and in this case inexpensive. If your audiophile friends give you a hard time, you’ll certainly have a pat answer: you can say if it’s good enough for Kavi Alexander, Jim Boyk, and Doug Sax, it’s good enough for me. The AT-ML170 has tip resonance at 40 kHz, and hence response that extends to that frequency at least. Flanders again: "The ear can’t hear as high as that. Still, it ought to please any passing bat." Seriously, though, such ultra-extension does seem to be associated with exceptional top end clarity.

Everyone is entitled to personal tastes, but truth is truth. If you want to hear something like the truth, I still say-no matter what everyone else is using-that you should buy a flat-top cartridge like the AT-ML170 and avoid all MC cartridges with a rising top-end. If the sound of live music is your goal, why would you want to hear a sound which is not only untrue to its source but also is something you are "seldom conscious of live".

2) On a light mass tonearm I use SONY XL-50 with Boron Pipe cantilever, I just mounted one of my Sony today and I’m shocked, it’s so much better on a light mass tonearm (previously I tried XL-50 on mid mass arm only). I am happy that XL-50 is underrated, so I bought many samples, including NOS. This is my cartridge of the month. Where else you can get a cartridge with Boron Pipe cantilever for reasonable cost today? Sony is amazing. The XL-50 is one of two finest Moving Magnet cartridges from SONY. Very special features are as follows: The Joint-less delta-type core; Boron Pipe cantilever and nude Super Elliptical Diamond; A screw holds the stylus holder firmly in place; Distortion caused by flex is virtually eliminated; Cup-shaped damper and tension wire! This lightweight and high compliance cartridge is designed for low mass tonearms like my Denon DL-401. Loading recommended by the manufacturer is from 47k Ohm to 100k Ohm (I use 100k). Cartridge output is 2.0 mV. Frequency response is pretty wide: 10Hz - 50000Hz!


Your cartridge is the most important component in analog chain, if you want the most noticeable upgrade in sound quality just change your cartridge. And don't believe the hype (MC is not better than proper MM).  

Of course you would say that because you peddle cartridges on eBay etc after recommendng them on this forum. You have a vested interest in that false argument.

Please post links to my sales on ebay or elsewere before you make such a blank statement, ok?

All “my cartridges” were recommended on this forum 10 years before I made my first post, so what? They were recommended by some other users years ago. 

I’m happy to share my new discoveries and I am happy to help people like you who can’t find NOS cartridges in perfect working condition. Because otherwise people like you will say they are impossible to find. If you or someone else can’t find them I can help, try to understand it. I only buy what I really like and when I like something I buy 2-3 samples!

All those modern MM and MI are inferior compared to the top vintage MM cartridges I have mentioned. I tried them all (Grado, Nagaoka, AT).

I think it’s a waste of time to recommend mainstream cartridges that any dealer will push to the buyer in every country. Leave it to professional reviews.

But it’s nice to recommend something special, at least I was happy to read about those special vintage MM or MI on this forum for many years and this is how I came to some exceptional cartridges after I wasted my money on overpriced LOMC in $3000-4000 range.


Keep your opinion as an opinion and keep spending money on super expensive carts if you want (if you rich enough), but I will keep recommending amazing cartridges from the past simply because I can compare them to old and new LOMC myself and based on such conparison I believe they are amazing (some of them are not expensive).

And remember, I am not a reviewer or a shop owner, I don’t get my cartridges for free, I pay my dues and share my experience with VINTAGE stuff. Being a honest person I do not post some BS, I am not that old yet.

Purchasing NEW carts for my needs in the past I realized that most of the high-end dealer have no idea what they are selling, they do not have enough knowledge and they never tried great carts from the past, they just keep on pushing average carts for insane prices to get their huge margins. This high-end business is full of myth and propaganda for rich buyers. Many times on this forum you said you was a dealer in the past. Dealers support and sell ONLY current production and this is serious problem, because good high-end does not have an expiration date! I’ve learned this over the years. I don’t give a .... about trendy modern high-end gear, I’m searching for the quality sound, if high-end MM from the 80s in NOS condition can give me that sound I am happy. If I will find 3 more samples of than great cart I will buy them all, maybe I could sell one. 

If you want mainstream plz go to your dealer or to your local shop, you will never find any cartridges from my list at your dealer, because they are discontinued 20-30 years ago, because designers of those carts are retired, because the company hired new designers and because they can’t make it anymore, they are making something else (not better, often even worth). We are in the digital era after all.

Didn't know you collect Vodka. 
Can’t help you, I prefer white wine. 
How a good vodka can help in discovering NOS cartridges you should ask your friend. 

Dover, you are such a Sherlock Holmes, so I must be a millionaire according to your private investigation, bravo. How many cartridges per month do I sell, please tell me? I want you to recall my audiogon buyers, please. It’s funny to read you comment, because you see me as a businessman and blame me for something.

Let me tell you that audiogon is the worst platform for business, especially for vintage cartridges, if you think you can post something about cartridge and sell it next day privately you are naive like a 17 year old kid. I believe Raul and others posted about most of the cartridges in existence about 10 years ago.

Even if I can sell a few cartridges on audiogon (just like everyone on this forum), how does is correlate to my opinion about my best cartridges? Does it makes them bad or what? Or does it makes me dishonest about anything I posted? Very few people from audiogon asked me to sell a cartridge over the years, but many people asked for advice.

I have a good friend in Tokyo and there are a lot of work off-line to get some of the rarest NOS cartridges in perfect condition for my personal collection of the best vintage MM and MC. It’s my passion.

If you think you can get them online you are again naive like 17 y.o. kid. What you can get online in Japan is used cartridges listed as “junk” from the seller who can’t test them, and this is a blind deal, you know. Often kids sell their father’s or grandfather’s carts, but they have no clue what it is and don’t know how to grade them even if the cantilever is broken, they can’t make even a good pictures.

But audiophile scene is very strong in my county, some of the rarest stuff already here (speakers, cartridges, amps etc). If you search you will find them in Russia. And you probably missed those Japanese auctions 15 years ago (when the prices were 5 times cheaper).


What I like to do locally is to bring my mid priced vintage cart (and modern phono stage) for a demo for friends in their system. Once they hear it they want to throw away their inexpensive Ortofon, Grado, Nagaoka, AT ...


Local folks in my age, who are deep into music, doesn’t care about digital at all, they want vinyl. I’m happy to be surrounded by younger people who collect records (not files).


As been said before audiogon is for people over 60, but I’m 44.


I see a huge difference in preferred media format between people of different age. 

There is no such thing as new/old stock in cartridges. All the materials used for suspensions harden over time by drying out or oxidation.

No, and you just repeat a fairy-tale promoted by re-tippers who charge money for making a Frankenstains out of original cartridges pretending for "upgrade" for a poor user who bought a bad or broken sample.

Every cartridge can be tasted with a test record for tonearm/cartridge resonance figure, so you can change a compliance and you can compared what stated in the manual. If the compliance is the same then suspension is fine. Do not tell me if you don’t know what you are talking about, stick to your digital.

The suspension on an unused cart that is 20-30 years old will have hardened to the point where it is pretty well solid.

This is 100% BS, read what stated above and search audiogon for MM thread to read comments from real people (various experienced members of this forum), if you don’t have personal experience please do not post this nonsense again.

Such a cartridge requires a new replacement suspension and possibly other parts according to model. With some manufacturers now out of business this may be impossible without specialist fabrication of a like for like replacement.

It requires NOTHING, just plug and play, absolutely no problem, do not expect that people are stupid, NOS styli are available and I bought many of them in the past 5 years for a cartridges made in the 80s.

I want to admit that your average re-tipper can’t change the suspension in MM cartridge, so you don’t know what you are talking about. Suspension on various models can be tuned (there is a tiny screw and tension wire), but even this is not necessary if you can buy a NOS cartridge stored properly (not a used junk from ebay in America from some amateurs).

Frankly it is a much better deal to buy a cart of recent manufacture.

Maybe you can’t read, so I will repeat again that I have cartridges from recent manufacturers in $3000-4000 price range, I tried enough of them.

People who praise vintage MM well aware of the sound of modern high-end cartridges.

It is you not are not aware of the sound of vintage high-end MM cartridges, this is the only reason you post such nonsense.

New is not better, remember, unused cartridge from the 70s or 80s does not have an expiration date. Do not buy broken carts and used junk from the strangers if you want to protect yourself.

Using over 50 different cartridges I am happy with my discoveries and my system is capable for all types on different tonearms with different phono stages. I can compare new to old (nos) and I trust my ears.

Some of the greatest vintage NOS samples are very expensive and people are bidding on them, if you think people are so stupid, so they can’t buy some new carts instead, you are wrong.

And again, I’m talking about unused vintage carts in Mint condition, often still sealed, this is what I’m looking for! If a used sample was nice in my system I will find unused NOS. This is why my top-10 list of carts is the same for over 5 years at least. There are brands and particular models that build very well and does not degrade in time during storage period.


I know very rich local people (audiophiles) who can buy whatever new ultra high-end cartridges from any manufacturer at any price, but for some reason they are looking for vintage NOS (those best and rarest high-end from the 80s). There are some amazing carts made in the 80s and no one can make anything like that today. I’m not gonna say all new high-end cartridges are bad, some of them are great, but do not underrate decent models from the past (especially when NOS available).

My favorite new cartridge is Miyajima Kansui (LOMC) and I like it better than any other LOMC at the moment.

Shelter 5000 also here. In the past I owned ZYX Airy III and Premium 4D SBII.
Those are very expensive cartridges.

I am not aware yet of a new MM that can compete with the best vintage MM or MI from my collection.

And my top vintage MM (purchased NOS) are better than almost any LOMC I have tried!

Some of the greatest MC from the past are also here (Miyabi Standard and Miyabi MCA, FR-7fz, FR-7f, Klipsch MCZ-10 , Dynavector with Diamond cantilever ... and many more). I like LOMC cartridges too. I want to tell you @clearthinker than I do not have any technical problem with any of my cartridges, no matter MM,MI,MC. So leave your horror stories for someone else who never tried decent NOS carts, maybe they will believe you.

Direct Drive Technics SL1200 GR cost $1700 (made in Japan) and will outperform all those belt drives, will last for your entire life. It’s bulletproof, powerful and stable. Available in silver or black. Detachable headshell for as many cartridges as you wish, adjustable VTA of the fly on magnesium tonearm. Technically you will not find anything new and better than this, personal taste in design is another story. Belt drive is inferior technology, watch this. Read about it on audiogon. 

A New Stylus will sing with a Newly Cleaned but undamaged Vinyl. Avoid the Trauma of hearing the Stylus plough through all those years of collecting contamination from the other environments lived in.

This is incorrect. Used vintage vinyl sounds better with advanced stylus profile, because this type of stylus (MicroRidge, LineContact etc) can reach previously untouched part of the groove! While conical or elliptical rides previously worn part of the groove, because 90% of used vinyl on the market played with cheap conical or elliptical styli on average hi-fi 30-40 years ago.

For used vinyl: advanced stylus profile is a must! Huge upgrade. Most of my collection is original vinyl from the 70’s.