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


Fill in the blank above. If you wish, feel free to mention what MC or MC's you have used. 

fjn04

Showing 3 responses by fjn04

OP here....Let’s accept any high output cart including Moving Iron. I apologize for not being specific. I’m actually interested in Grado, along with Clearaudio and Sumiko. I just bought a Luxman PD 151, and am thinking of going with a high output (MM, MI...) cartridge in an effort to keep my second system simple. At this point, I’m just looking for something special. I’m usually willing to sacrifice detail for tone and emotion. Price range is $600-$1500. 

The only mass spec on the 250 I could find was the ST (straight) version, but the S (S shaped) may have a similar mass. Apparently 18 grams total mass with the head shell itself being 15 grams alone. So there's future flexibility with changing headshells to ad or (perhaps) subtract mass to suit a particular cartridge. Another interesting surprise was my Naim XS3 phono does fine with the EMT TSD 75 at a mere 1.0 MV. Not ideal, but it works. So my guess is I'm fine with any cartridge that is equal to or greater than 2.0MV. I figured Nagaoka would see some light in this thread. The Nags have certainly been popular amongst the MM/MI/HO fans. 

The My Sonic Lab Hyper MC in my main system/turntable offers great detail. But with that wealth of detail, it also offers plenty of body. But I’m sure there will be trade offs for a HO cart in this price range. So with that, I’m just looking for something tonally communicative, with amply body. My Charisma (wood/ruby cantilever) denon 103 has some real mojo for an MC under $1000. So it will be interesting to see if I can find this with a HO cart.