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Replacing MM Cartridge suggestions phillips table

Fellow audiogoner's need your help. I've decided to plunge back into vinyl. Haven't played records in years so I need to replace my cartridge. I have a Philips 312 Electronic belt drive turntable. It tracks very well from .5 to 1.5 grams. Back in the day it competed (almost) with Thorens. I have a MA 2002E cartridge which I paid $250.00 for in the early 90's. My system is B&W N802, Wadia CDP with a crown amp and pre. I listen to jazz so hearing the full music spectrum is important, high-mids-lows. I've looked at a few manufactures but honestly I have no clue. Like every thing else there has been a big price increase over the years. How much do I need to spend in todays dollars to get the sound of a $200.00 dollar cartridge from the 90's? I've seen prices in the thousand dollar range, do you have to go that high to get a cartridge that matches the sound quality of a CD? I've been told that playing vinyl will make me forget my 200 plus cd collection. Thanks in advance I would particularly like to hear from jazz listners. Also do you think a 20 year old table that seems to play like it was new stacks up to whats available today or do I need to start over?
So if you have experience going from digital back to vinyl give me your recommendations on brands and price range.
walkelin
11 responses Add your response
rcreations
158 posts
 
my former 212 with a grado red (80.00ish)was a good matchup for me.
go for a vpi jr table and really move into the current era.
put the dollars into the table arm to start with.
kurt
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
Kurt's suggestion is sound to first upgrade the turntable and tonearm. These two components are the essential foundation to good cartridge performance. The VPI Jr. is one option, but if you have the money, the VPI Scout with the JMW 9 arm is a superb package for the money.

There are some very good moderately priced cartridges on the market today, but at discount price, it's pretty hard to beat the newest version of the Shure V15xMR. It can be purchased new for $250-275, and at that price, I personally don't think there is another MM cartridge that comes close in overall performance.
rlxl
92 posts
 
Welcome back! I think you're in for a pleasant surprise and good listening. My recommendation would be to go with a Shure V15VxMR. I believe you can pick one up from Jack's Audio for $200. I think this is an excellent cartridge. If you go this route, be sure that your phono amp input load is 220 pfd. This makes a world of difference in the sound. Also you may consider replacing the belt and the bearing oil.

Good luck---and, not to worry, I listen mostly to jazz.
sean
6,231 posts
 
Your system, pretty much from digital source to speakers, comes across as being on the brighter i.e. quick and lean side of neutral. If one were to carry this over into your cartridge selection, i would avoid Grado's and the Shure mentioned above. If looking for similar sonic traits in a cartridge, you might want to opt for something along the lines of an Ortofon "Super" OM series cartridge or possibly the Stanton 881S or an AT 440. All are suitable for your straight low to medium mass tonearm and have similar sonic traits to what you are used to. Sean
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walkelin OP
52 posts
 
Gentleman,

Thanks for responding. This is a great forum to get first hand recommendations from people that are not selling but just sharing expereinces from thier heart. I ended up with a Dynavector X10 not bad but it made me realize I really need a new table. I've read alot about the VPI scout which seems like a good entry level rig. I will be taking the plunge soon hoping it will not lead me into the never ending upgrade maze. I space my purchases so the wife doesn't think that I'm willing to blow our bank account on audio. I don't have to tell anyone it gets expensive if you try to do it right by todays standards. Which leads to a tread someone should start. "Why is so expensive to get good audio gear when every other aspect of electronics have gotten Cheaper? Are we audiophiles being exploited because like any other addiction people reconize that we will pay any price for a FIX.
jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
Greetings all. Sorry for the thread resurrection but I'm in need of some help with my Philips GA 312 Turntable. It was restored recently and it was fitted with a new Ortofon Om5e Cart. Now I have the Philips 312 TT connected to my McCormack TLC-1 Deluxe Preamp with a NAD PP-2 Phono preamp. The cables are vintage Esoteric Audio Musica 200 cables.

I'm finding that I'm getting a lot of harsh treble from this set-up which is causing a siginificant amount listener fatigue for me. My speakers are KEF Q-90s. I was playing some classical music at a moderate to low volume and was experiencing some discomfort.

Could it be I need to change the Ortofon OM 5E cart? Is the NAD PP-2 at fault? I'm just experimenting with vinyl. I was just curious to know why audiophiles always say it sounds better than CDs. Any help is much appreciated with this. Thanks in advance.
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jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
Viridian

Thanks so much for your input. I'm going to look into your Audio Technica recommendations. One thing that I wonder is that when I first got the table I got the weight wrong on the tonearm and I remember hearing a grinding noise coming from the needle whenever I played records at first. Could I have damaged the needle or cartridge? Also what about a standard mount Grado Blue cart as a replacement to the OM5E? I'm able to get an almost new one locally at a decent price. Thanks again.
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