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Cartridge upgrade for vintage TT - MM or MC?

I have a Technics SL-D202 that currently has a Sumiko Pearl on it, which is OK but I don't totally love it. The midrange is nice but the treble in particular is lacking. Compared to my digital source it sounds dull and lifeless and therefore I hardly use it.

My question is, would it be at all worth it to upgrade the cartridge or should I just wait until I can upgrade the TT totally?  I am considering the Schiit Sol in the future if they ever get it back on the market but my wife really likes the automatic function of our current table so I may be stuck with it or something similar at least for now.

I had considered trying a lower-end MC cartridge and seeing how that sounds but any other recommendations would be appreciated.

I use a Schiit Mani pre which can be adjusted for any cart (or so I'm told).  

The table came stock with a AT-71E and I also tried a Shure MX97e but neither of those really wow'ed me.
elangley01
elangley01 OP
93 posts
 
@ roberjerman What do you make of this review of the Grado Gold? I notice he didn't review the Silver2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Wl6PUtBho
lewm
12,553 posts
 
Please ignore or take with a grain of salt what Roberjerman says about the inductance of MM cartridges. True, the inductance of a typical MM is 1000 to 10,000 times that of a typical MC, but that is not the sole determinant of HF response. If it were, MM cartridges wouldn’t work at all. And MCs have their own issues with HF. His logic is flawed. The better MM cartridges more than hold their own with MCs in bandwidth and musicality. I also tend to agree with Raul that for your needs one of the new AT or Ortofon cartridges he mentioned would be a good choice.
elangley01 OP
93 posts
 
Understood. 

Yeah I like what I've read about both the AT and Orotfons in that price range.  I also saw an excellent review of the Nagaoko MP-150 which I think would also meet my needs although I saw something else that said it's worth it to just get the MP-200 which is out of my range at the moment.
lewm
12,553 posts
 
Nagaoka are excellent, too.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
12,848 posts
 
Dear @elangley01 : Agree with @lewm . Nagaoka is very good option too.

R.
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