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Turntables- Moving Magnet vs. Moving Coil


Jim

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To my knowledge  MC is MC regardless if high or low output.  The difference there is what phono stage is necessary because of output.  If I am wrong I would be happy to learn.

Yep, see my last edited.

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if the tip requires replacement - you buy a new stylus -50$ to 100$

do all MM cartridges allow stylus replacement? I think not.

Nor does MC.

 

Sad story: In the mid '80s I paid $750 for a MM cart and while dusting the table after one play I hung the stylus on the back on my hand and bent it. Pizzed, I took the cart and threw it as far as I could. Later I learned that I could have had the stylus replaced for 10% of the original price.

 

 - actually it is more like 25% at least   -5 years ago , while  I was on the phone - the door rang and I dropped the phone on the SME tonearm  , the Supex 900 Super was damaged -

 

this outfit refitted  it for 400$ -   and that was cheap by their standards - the owner does every repair by hand - I am resending him another one soon -

 

- http://www.vandenhul.com/products/phono/cartridge-repair-modification-and-re-tipping-available-services

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if the tip requires replacement - you buy a new stylus -50$ to 100$

do all MM cartridges allow stylus replacement? I think not.

Nor does MC.

 

Sad story: In the mid '80s I paid $750 for a MM cart and while dusting the table after one play I hung the stylus on the back on my hand and bent it. Pizzed, I took the cart and threw it as far as I could. Later I learned that I could have had the stylus replaced for 10% of the original price.

 

what was it - a Koetsu - Grado or Supex -

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Well, that made it easy for me to make a decision, MM it will stay.

 

Until I don't have to worry about 4 kids or 2 110lb dogs potentially messing with anything, I will take the easy way out and do a MM and maybe upgrade the TT down the line. For now, I will do the cartridge,mat, and a pre amp to go into the tube amp.

 

Thanks for the replies.

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Looks pretty decided, but one thing wasn't really made clear.

 

All technical considerations between MM and MC aside, MC is largely for the equipment head who has learned to discern miniscule differences as "better" or "worse" where the majority of us music heads with either hear "slightly different" or nothing at all. 

 

MC, therefore, is largely a hobbyist area that requires more tweaking and money.  Perfectly fine if that is what a person enjoys. 

 

My 2M Black is performing just fine.  When a stylus replacement is necessary I MAY even wish I'd have gone a bit less as the price is high for that Shibata...but at least I'll be able to R&R it myself!

 

Dave

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Yeah, I'm thinking my 2M Red should be just fine, or I may also do their other OM Super Phono cartridge which can have 3 different stylus interchanged with them for SQ. I think for now I will see how the records play out and see how much difference there is in a few different branded cartridges.

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Get a high dollar SUT and plug it in to the aux input!!!! Now get another table one with MM (HOMC) and the other with a MC (LOMC). Now you can drive yourself crazy dailing both in and see if you can hear the difference.

Unfortunately, aux inputs don't have RIAA phono equalization (and SUTs don't either, to my knowledge).  SUTs only increase the gain and do some impedance matching of MM cartridge signals that are fed to them, so they are therefore made to be inserted into RIAA mag phono inputs.  You would still get most of the weak, tinny sound of an MM plugged into an aux (aka "line") input.

Edited by LarryC
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Get a high dollar SUT and plug it in to the aux input!!!! Now get another table one with MM (HOMC) and the other with a MC (LOMC). Now you can drive yourself crazy dailing both in and see if you can hear the difference.

Unfortunately, aux inputs don't have RIAA phono equalization (and SUTs don't either, to my knowledge).  SUTs only increase the gain and do some impedance matching of MM cartridge signals that are fed to them, so they are therefore made to be inserted into RIAA mag phono inputs.  You would still get most of the weak, tinny sound of an MM plugged into an aux (aka "line") input.

 

Thinking of my Tercel which plugged into the line in.....(obvisously had RIAA in the Tercel)

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So I think I found my replacement TT.

 

I was doing a house clean out and came across this. It's an old Collaro. I didn't know anything about this company or if this even worked.

 

I went online and on a Facebook page for vintage gear and was given a site to go to after telling some members the motor was not really moving. The motor was running extremely slow, so I cleaned it and lubed it afterwards. Then hooked it up and it played on 1 channel only. The RCA cables on it have male ends on both sides, so I just switched out to new cables.It also has a Tenorel 2001 D Cartridge.

 

All I can say is I feel like a little kid with how good this sounds compared to the other TT. I don't know if it's the TT, the cartridge or a combination of both, but it blows away the sound of the other. The soundfield opened up more and the clarity is much much better.

 

Has anyone heard of this brand,and if so, what are thoughts on it? I know it's not Thorens or anything like that, but it's definitely better sounding than the Yamaha P-300. And for free, I don't think I can have any complaints about it. Only thing I want to do is a power cord upgrade as it's stiff. Still trying to find out when it was made, but from what I see, it looks to be late late 60's to early 70's.

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post-59264-0-76640000-1425574011_thumb.j

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It's a brand new Ortofon 2M Red, not even 20+ hours on it yet.

 

From what I read, the older Collaro is supposed to be a pretty decent TT, but after they were sold to Magnavox, started declining in quality. I know this has the arm so you can play multiple albums, but doesn't have the attachment to use it that way, and know most people wouldn't see it as a quality unit due to that option.

 

I thought about switching the cartridge to the Tenorel cartridge with the Yamaha just to see the play quality, but don't want to go messing up anything as I don't have a gram scale or turntable protractor to line things back up again. I may try it once they get here just to see.

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Something not right with your other setup.  Don't know that 'table, but the Tenorel 2001D is a competent, but pretty low end cartridge.  The "D" is a spherical stylus.  They could be upgraded with a stylus change to elliptical or shibata.  Word was they were OEM'd by some oriental maker.  Goldring sold them under their name, as well as Astatic. 

 

About the same class as a Shure M44...very good performer but lower end of the line.

 

Though, in thinking about it, the Ortofon 2M Red is about the same price adjusted for inflation but reviewers and users suggest it performs above its price. 

 

Dave

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I'll play with the other TT some more to see if I can get better SQ from it, if not, I will just continue using this one as it seems to be a better quality TT for now.

 

For my ears, if this is "competent", I can't wait to hear what "upgraded" will sound like. The sound field already seems to surround me in 2 channel.

 

Dave, with the stylus being spherical, that means it's more rounded, am I correct? If so, the elliptical would be more fitting to the grooves then, and the shibata even more? Or would the shibata and elliptical upper be switched?

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I'll play with the other TT some more to see if I can get better SQ from it, if not, I will just continue using this one as it seems to be a better quality TT for now.

 

Yep.  "If it sounds good, it IS good."

 

 

 

Dave, with the stylus being spherical, that means it's more rounded, am I correct? If so, the elliptical would be more fitting to the grooves then, and the shibata even more?

 

As always, there is some debate.  But safe to say the majority of LP lovers would agree with that hierarchy. 

 

Dave

Edited by Mallette
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