You've run some pretty fancy MC's, but the _______ MM cartridge really impressed me

I just put this together in another thread.

Before joining Audiogon, I had a MM Shure V15Vxmr micro-ridge (favorite due to sound and preferred to AT440ml only because of Shure’s alternate damped brush), alternate headshell with MM AT440ml microline; and an alternate headshell with MM Shure 97xe elliptical, also damped brush. My wood floors are flexible, so damped brush can help with that as well as warped lps. No longer a problem due to current rack/TT location

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Joined Audiogon, AND covid era left me toooooo much time alone and some otherwise unspent money). Don’t forget, I’m an old dog, 74.

Current Cartridges:

I ’make my own’ by buying bodies with broken cantilevers and if MM eventually finding NOS stylus or if MC having Steve at VAS build me something. Happily, he’s only 35 minutes from me.

I’ve got 6 mounted in various tonearms here, plus a few spares. I have gathered them based on past listening here or hearing friends cartridges; reviews; specs: but not carefully compared them to find differences. Like many LPs, a few I never even listened to yet.

AT 14SA, shibata 1.25g; sep >27db; balance 1.0db. On my garage/shop TT, a Sony Drawer Type, to stack and fit more stuff there, incl dual cassette and 8 track. Note: these TT’s had P mount, or an alternate head for 1/2" which mine came with.

AT TR485U linear 1.25g; sep >31db; bal 1.0db. P mount Shibata (rare) on my Technics SL-J33 programmable compact TT (former garage/shop: spare/loaner these days)

AT440ml micro-linear 1.25g; sep >30db; bal 0.75. Active on Office Mitsubishi Vertical Linear Tracking LT-5V. Wonderful sound, I had a few AT440ml’s over the years.

Shure V15Vxmr micro-ridge 1.25 sep >25 db; bal 1.5db. Originally Beryllium cantilever, broke it. Bought Jico SAS on boron, optional brush, but not damped like Shure’s. Now have VAS ’p’ stylus on boron, with Shure’s optional damped brush, haven’t listened yet. Optional for rear arm of main system and/or office

note: happily, removable/replaceable stylus fits both V15Vxmr body and 97xe body

Shure 97xe elliptical 1.25g; sep >25db; bal 2.0db. Now have advanced stylus on boron, with Shure’s optional damped brush, haven’t listened yet. (bought body with broken cantilever). Bought it to get the damped brush, knowing original body/elliptical sounded great, was my favorite elliptical. Alternate for either main or office TT.

Grado Mono Elliptical: 1.5g. Main system, left arm. Definitely better than using a Stereo cartridge for Mono. I now have the AT33PTG/II Mono body with advanced stylus for modern mono (bottom of list), but yet to hear/compare here

Goldring Eroica LX MC, ’gyger 2’ 1.7g; sep >25db; bal 1.0 db. Listened, very nice, now at my friend’s house.

Sumiko Talisman S Sapphire Tube, van den Hul 2.0g; sep > 30db; bal 0.5db
I’m hoping a spec more bass out of it’s sapphire tube cantilever. Best bass I ever had was V15Vxmr beryllium cantilever. Friend coming over tomorrow, perhaps I will mount it today!

AT33PTG/II MC micro-linear 2.0g; sep >30db; bal 0.5db. Current Favorite. Main TT, main right side 12.5" long arm. 1st MC, when worn: replaced without even considering anything else. And, AT’s trade in program, I got a new one at half-price.

AT33PTG mono body, had VAS make boron advanced ’p’ stylus 2.0g. Heard it at VAS, not yet mounted here. (bought body with broken cantilever). Left mono arm is mission, fixed cartridge, so I guess I will get a headshell and use it on the rear arm, wonderful Acos Lustre GST 801 with instant height change.

I have Grado MM Mono, no hum.

My friend had a Grado MM Stereo, it hummed. Steve at VAS gave him the clue that many Grado cartridges hum.

Goldring: I heard their Eroica MC LX 0.5mv low output which needs signal boost.

https://www.goldring.co.uk/goldring-eroica-lx-cartridge.html#tab2

I have not heard, but I suspect their High Output version, same Gyger 2 stylus also sounds terrific. 2.5mv output uses MM phono input, no signal boost needed. 

https://www.goldring.co.uk/goldring-eroica-hx-cartridge.html#tab2

Sumiko Talisman S Sapphire Tube, van den Hul 2.0g; sep > 30db; bal 0.5db
I’m hoping a spec more bass out of it’s sapphire tube cantilever. Best bass I ever had was V15Vxmr beryllium cantilever. Friend coming over tomorrow, perhaps I will mount it today!

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I did mount/align it. I played some Cecil McBee, Alternative Spaces before my friend arrived, very impressed.

https://www.discogs.com/master/204354-Cecil-McBee-Alternate-Spaces

Not compared it’s sound yet, especially bass output to current AT33PTG/II. Because slight signal strength change, Sumiko 2.6mv; AT 3.0mv, so need to get some pencil marks ready for equal volume, then compare. Happily, both MC’s have 10mv coils and use the same impedance setting on my SUT, just switch inputs with slight volume adjustment.

Friend arrived, we finished listening to Cecil, both loved the sound. He is very familiar with my system sound and a few of my cartridges, including playing his Goldring here.

He brought some ’new to him’ LPs, looked like they had never been played, Sumiko sounded terrific, soon just totally involved in the sound.

He also brought an ’apparently never played’ Louis Armstrong, 2 mono lps, 'Half Speed Mastered' with recordings from 1936 to 1938. All original Decca recordings re-issued.

https://www.discogs.com/release/6970821-Louis-Armstrong-Big-Bands-Louis-Armstrong

Switched to Grado MM Mono, and they sounded very very good. Big warp, didn’t bother the Grado tracking 1.5g a bit. If you didn’t look, no idea the big warp existed.

Playing that big warp with a Stereo Cartridge, in Mono mode could not be good, the Stereo cartridges pick up any vertical movement, and your preamp doubles the resulting noise in Mono Mode.

Without the warp, nearly new condition of this modern groove Mono release (1985), a Stereo cartridge played in Mono Mode probably would have been quite good, however the Mono Cartridge always makes a small and sometimes large improvement.

We seemed to notice, there was an improvement in the 1938 recordings over the 1936 ones, I’ll have to give a second listen. I wonder if a new mic or mixing board, .... was introduced, some game changer. Or just better engineers. Anybody know?