Time for a new cartridge


My current cartridge which is a Van Den Hul DDTII Special MC is starting to lose it's zing. Details are not as sharp as they were and overall I think I'd like something fresh. My tt is a VPI Prime with the 10" JMW Memorial tonearm. My phono stage is a Musical Fidelity Nu Vista Vinyl. My amp is a McIntosh MA8950 integrated. My speakers are Sonus Faber Cremona M. I have 2 KEF R400B subs, which I think compliment the Cremona's. I've emailed VDH and they said they would do a re tip and get it back to where it was, but I'm thinking maybe it's time for a different sound. With the info I've provided I'd like some alternatives. My budget is around $2500.

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Because you are using a unipivot arm you will want to go with a high compliance cartridge such as another Van den Hul or a Lyra. Lyra specifically recommends against unipivot arms.  Soundsmith makes some of their cartridges in high compliance versions and they are great cartridges. You certainly want something that tracks at less than 2 grams. You really want to get a better arm at some point.

@rauliruegas Which DS Audio Cartridge do you currently own and actively listen to at the moment to come to such a conclusion? The DS Audio cartridges draw out more information making your source much clearer which might reveal flaws in some systems. Hence the frequency you hear isn't caused by the cartridge. Because I don't hear it in mine nor in any other set ups of friends that have one.

I would still send your cartridge to VdH but ALSO try something else. My recommendation is a Vas Nova and you can upgrade the standard to better cantilever and stylus if you desire. Harry from VPI recommends.

@drvinyl01 

Yeah. That sounds fishy and I've not read that about the deviation in any review I've read.

Esp not with the Grand Master cartridge.

Thank you all for your responses. After taking all your suggestions into account, I'm first going to send my cartridge back to VDH for a rebuild. I have a vintage Denon with an Ortofon Bronze as my back up. While that's going on, I'm going to do some shopping with some of your suggestions. After all, it's always good to have options. Thanks for your feedback.