suggestions on MM to MC upgrade

Alternatively you can consider keeping the cart and upgrade the phono instead.

More transparency, and added pace. If possible, borrow one to try if it is worth the upgrade. Look at MM phonos from Graham Slee and Whest.

This is an interesting thread. I have a Clearaudio Emotion TT with Virtuoso Wood cart and really do admire its highly organic sound. I have, however, been curious about the world of moving coil. From what I've been reading, it seems like it might take a substantial sum of money to move into the MC world from the high end Clearaudio MM carts if one wants to hold onto that organic sound.

I have several excellent MM cartridges including an Ortofon 2M Black and a Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood.I enjoy both a great deal.Recently,I purchased a used Denon TD 316 with a nearly new Denon DL 110 cartridge(high Output MC) fom a fellow Audiogon member.I am shocked at how good the table/arm/cartridge combo sounds through an inexpensive Vincent phono preamp! I have owned far more expensive MC cartridges from Benz,Dynavector and Signet,yet;this might be the best sound I have had from vinyl.There is very little surface noise and the soundstage is deep and wide.The mids and highs open and shimmering while the bass is tight and well defined,if not overly large or deep.

Dear Danielvradenburg, You must mean 250,000 ohms or 250K. Correct? Or are you really loading your MM at 250 ohms? Thanks. I am rather surprised that you hear so much difference between 100K and 250K loads. Do you have any idea of the capacitance at the phono stage interface?

I too went to the Linto(I)from the Lehmann Black Cube SE. It was a definite upgrade(although I didn't test the two properly). I would suggest that you try the Linn forum or Pink Fish media(?) for suggestions, because you want a cartridge that matches the Linto also. While you are there, have a listen(there are links)to a Linn with their new step-up and dc motor. I believe that the Radikal(and cheaper offshoots, I hope)is the next move-before the arm. I use the Ekos I and Archiv(the early one), because that is what came with the table I bought on Audiogon. I believe they recommend that you take the arm off the table before tightening the screws on the cartridge. Scrounging around in my memory, I believe a Dynavector is one of the ones people recommend-but I don't know if that is with the Linto. Of course, the Linn mc's should work also(although the Klyde is controversial). There is a bit of a cult surrounding the one before the Archiv(I forgot the name.), but remember that it is getting long in the tooth now. I believe that one of the current cartridge manufacturers made the Archiv, and they may be a good match.