technics 1200 cartridge and preamp choices


i'm looking for a cartridge and preamp for my technics 1200, i was wondering if you all could give me some direction. i've done quite a bit of searching on the web; from what i understand the tonearm on the 1200 is medium weight.. i've read alot of favorable reviews of the Denon dl-103 and 103R which are about in my price range ($200-300) for this type of tonearm.

for preamp, I was looking at the Grado PH-1 and the Creek OBH-8SE ($300-500 range) i'm especially interested in hearing peoples opinions of these preamps or ones of comparable value.

i'll be playing all genres of music from classical to rock.
fadeawayman

Showing 2 responses by photon46

If you are set on using moving coil catridges, you don't want the Grado PH-1, it's only for moving magnet carttridges. You're going to need more gain for a Denon catridge, which has rather low output. To really give you better advice, it helps to know what kind of sound you are after. Do you prefer analytical or a lusher kind of sound? Does your system have certain sonic characteristics you want to enhance or counteract? My own prejudices and budget have led me to go down the path of moving magnet designs as opposed to the moving coils. If one is doing vinyl with budgetary constraints, there are some very real advantages to sticking with moving magnet or high output moving coil designs.
The Grado is designed for .4-4.5mv outputs, but the Denon is only .25. A higher output moving coil will work it would appear.