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Still looking for a new Moving Coil Cartridge

I noticed that Music Direct has 20% off cartridge sale on select cartridges. I am still using a ZU/Denon DL103 MC cartridge Series 1 with the cartridges tightest tolerances. I purchased it here from “Audiofiel” back in 2010 and have used it sparingly since. I had been using a Dynavector DV20XL cartridge which I bought a couple of years ago but my 6 yo nephew destroyed it (that’s another story) so I am back to the ZU/Denon.

My table is a Technics SL1200G which I truly love. I have been looking at the Hana Low out put MC cartridges. I am interested in the low output “S” series as the $600.00 price is right where I want to be. Now, the million dollar questions: I listen to 95% 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Rock and want whatever cartridge I purchase to make the records sound good without excessive surface noise. Will the Hana S be up to the task? My Mac C2500 tube preamp has cartridge loading from 50 ohms up to 1000 ohms so I should be ok. I just want to be sure this cartridge will be very musical and full bodied sound. I do no want a thin sound. So there you have it, yay or neigh?

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Showing 2 responses by hsounds

hsounds
133 posts
 

Hello, All of these choices seem great for different reasons. I think I agree with getting the Hana SL. Also, Sometimes Hana has an upgrade deal in case you want to move up to the ML later on. For rock I would keep at the 2.0 gram weight/ VTF for rock/pop. If you have the kids, pets, or cleaning person coming too close to your tt then remove the head shell after you are finished listening. I put my stylus guard on my Hana in case the cat gets curious. Music Direct is where I bought my Hana. I might get a second headshell so you can swap out. Also, I would buy the 7mm Funk Firm record mat. It sounds great. I think MD sells all of this with free returns in 60 days. I hope this helped. 

hsounds
133 posts
 

Hello, You were asking about surface noise or to have a cartridge that produces very little. The issue is that is usually caused by the record or more likely a poor cartridge setup. SRA/VTA (not the same thing) can be very forgiving. This is why there are tonearms with VTA towers to adjust on the fly. Also, anti- skate isn’t always exact unless you have the right tools to set it up. Azimuth is only setup electronically. Yes you can make sure you cartridge or headshell is level but the problem is that more times than not it is setup wrong. A Fozgometer 2 cost along with the AP record is $450. So what’s left? The most important thing which is zenith or your cartridge being moved left or right in the headshell. You should not just eyeball the cantilever on a lined mirror. The stylus can be off by upto 5 degrees from the manufacture. The reason why I am bringing this up is to tell you to skip a Shibata Stylus. It is very difficult to get it setup right. The Hana SL, Dynavecktor 10x5 mk 2 and a few others have this stylus. I would try to find a Fine Line or  Geiger (Ortofon) stylus that mimics a cutter. 
I would go with the Ortofon 2m Bronze. It has a fine line stylus. ( much easier to set up over Shibata) you get silver over copper instead of just copper in the 2m blue or 2m red. Plus, the bronze have a touch of warmth which is great for rock/ pop. Plus, When someone destroys the cantilever you can just replace the stylus. Moving Magnet will work better for you for now. I truly believe this is right for you and you will save some money to put towards something else. I hope this helps. 

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