Can a good phono cartridge be had for under $100?

[sunnysal]

nos I use the phono section of my Marantz 7T preamp. I don't know if that is sensitive or not. but the thing sure sounds good!

[Randy Bey]

Well I threw caution to the wind and bought an Ortofon OM3e.

Yes, you may wonder how I can afford this kind of ebullience? Well, I decided to throw caution to the wind and pop for a $40 cartridge. What the h-e-double toothpicks, you only live once.

I can't wait to get home and try it out. Actually, I bought it at needledoctor, and after doing my best to adjust it (using the same procedures wherin I pooched the X3) the dang thing didn't have any output over about 5K. This smacks of the B&O results, yes it does.

But I took it to needledoctor for their "free" adjustment (which is how you pay $60 for a $40 cartridge) and he said I had the VTA wrong. I thought as much but the darn little cueing arm wouldn't let me set it low enough. Who'd'a'thought that even that little moocher could be adjusted? Live and learn.

Listened to it while there through a Creek phono stage, sounded fine with some Eurhythmics, so I'm psyched to get home and have a listen.

Garage sales and Goodwill, here I come!

[NOSValves]

Well thought I would report on my Shure M97xE purchase. All I can say is for $100 delivered with a spare stylus it is one incredible value !! It sounds better than any cartradge needle combo I have !!! I recommend it highly to anyone that's interested !!!

Craig

[T2K]

Anyone have a good source for a Denon DL-110? Of course I'd like to pay as little as possible! Thanks.

Keith

[Clipped and Shorn]

Has anyone (mh?) compared the

The Sumiko Blue Point High Output Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

with the

The Sumiko Blue Point Special High Output Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

How do these Sumiko Blue Point High Output Moving Coil cartridges compare to the regular MC type cartridge with the lower output.

I looked at the preamps I will be using and they only say MM on the phono inputs, so I presume I would need one of these High Output MC carts unless I add some other kind of phono stage.

mh, can you indicate the matrix of carts you auditioned before arriving at the Sumiko Blue Point. I am starting to shop for the cartridge I will be using. As you know I listen to Jazz, Classical, and highly percussive Latin Jazz etc. In addition I often play vintage LPs which are not always of the highest condition or highest original recording quality. Can I get one cartridge to do it all, or should I consider having an alternate turntable setup and a second special cartridge for the records which are far from mint condition? In other words are there certain cartridges which are particularly good at digging deep into older and possible worn vinyl to extract the best sound? as it is I often resort to playing some of this vinyl in a wet condition to dampen some of the noise (especially true for some very rare old LPs brought back from Cuba recently -- grooves filled with tropical air and cigar smoke I guess...).

-c7s

Notes:

SUMIKO BLUE POINT

The standard of high output moving coil cartridges, this favorite of the "bargain hunters" is now even better! The Blue Point has been redesigned with a mechanically superior mounting system which now gives significantly better performance than its P-Mount ancestor. The Blue Point is famous for performance that outstrips its modest price.

Sumiko Blue Point $249.00

THE BLUE POINT SPECIAL

Take an Oyster Blue Point, remove its housing- that is, "nude" it- endow it with a better generator and lighter tip mass, and VOILA! A Blue Point Special, which betters its brother in bass, detail, focus and highs. A high output, moving coil design, the Special is famous as one of the best values in the audio world.

Sumiko Blue Point Special $349.00

-c7s

[Clipped and Shorn]

What do you need if you want to go with a low output moving coil cartridge?

answering my own questions:

http://www.getplugged.com/ha_learn/GPHALEARNSUBTOP_380296.html

http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~mleach/headamp/

https://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productintro.asp?CategoryID=44&IntroType=0

http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/xentar/1179/projects/aaphono/aaphono.html

http://www.furious.com/perfect/vinyl16.html

Doesn't take long after I start asking naive questions before I am way over my head and way over my pocketbook.

-c7s

[jazman]

C&S,

Maybe you should consider something like this Dynavector 10X4 as a compromise, double-duty cartridge for good, and not so good vinyl. Just a thought.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/dv10x4mk2_e.html.

Klipsch out.

[Clipped and Shorn]

jazman,

thaks for the link.

what cart are you using these days?

-c&s

[jazman]

C&S,

I'm using a Clearaudio Aurum Alpha Mk II cartridge(3.3mV) purchased from the Elusive Disc. The Beta S model was my preferred choice, but unfortunately my wallet could not afford my brain waves.

Klipsch out.

PS. The decision to go with the Clearaudio was definely influenced by the fact it would be used in the Scout TT and JMW9 tonearm.

[Clipped and Shorn]

"I'm using a Clearaudio Aurum Alpha Mk II cartridge(3.3mV) purchased from the Elusive Disc.

The decision to go with the Clearaudio was definely influenced by the fact it would be used in the Scout TT and JMW9 tonearm."

Jazman,

So with 3.3mv that would be a MM cartridge, right?

What factors regarding the Scout tt and JMW9 tonearm were involved in that decision? How does one decide on a cartridge for a particular set up?

Was there a reason you did not go with a HO MC or a LO MC as opposed to a MM. Was the type of music or the condition of the LPs you listen to also a factor?

I want to get a sense of how one goes about matching a cart to a TT and/or one's listening habits.

c7s

[jazman]

C&S,

Some quick responses.

The Aries Scout table was going to provide some of the benefits and characteristics of an Aries, so reviews of the Aries and JMW arms were plentiful.

The Aurum Alpha is MM. I ruled out a LOMC based on the additional cost required to add a step-up transformer or buy a new phono pre with capability to handle LOMC. My phono pre can handle anything down to 2mV output. I asked a lot of questions as well as relayed information as to the kind of sound I liked and the type of music I listened to. My arm is a slightly modified JMW 10.5 and was capable of handling anything I threw at it. All arms are not capable of handling a MC, HO or LO. They are not stable enough. That you will have to determine. I eventually discounted condition of any source LP as part of my decision feeling that I wanted to extract the best out of everything I had playback and would use the best record cleaning solution/s I could muster which can make a major difference. I wanted a cartridge with a good "mid range" but also good overall balance. I called upon the experience of the table, arm designer, and company owner. His choice was the Beta or Beta S. The feeling was much of the finesse of MCs could be found in the Clearaudio Aurum series, and at a very good cost to benefit ratio. The Alpha is part of the same production run as the other two more select(by specs) cartridges and shares those benefits.

That's the short version. It took me three months to finalize my choice, many questions to the owner of the Elusive Disc who was very knowledgeable, a lot of reading, several posts, more reading, and finally my limited budget. If I had wished to wait another couple of weeks or a month to save additional cash(no credit cards), I probably would have gone with the Beta S. You should be able to find many comments on the Aurum series by searching with Google, then sift through the reviews with a grain of salt. I hope this helps.

Klipsch out.

[Clipped and Shorn]

Jazman,

Thanks for the quick response. I can see that the cartridge decision process is a biggie because it all starts there and at the turntable.

Your statement:

"All arms are not capable of handling a MC, HO or LO. They are not stable enough. That you will have to determine."

That seems to be the crux of the matter regarding MCs, and as you say there is the fact that there is additional expense with the pre-pre if you do not already have this in the preamp. Since I do play many rare recordings with surface noise, an MC might just end up doing too much amplification of this. Incidentally what kind of cleaning solution do you find works best for you? Among other things, I brought back a treasure trove of LPs from Cuba, there is that combo grunge of cigar smoke and tropical humidity in addition to the permanent surface imperfections brought about by someone loving these records for the last 40 years or so. Most of my jazz LP library ranges from NM to VG+ and is not the same issue. Some Latin material was just about danced on and the actual stuff from Cuba, who knows what that went through.

-C&S

[jazman]

C&S,

I've been using everything from Discwasher, Geneva, RatShack, to name a few. I am ordering a Disc Doctor kit which seems to be the generally accepted quality standard based on the solution and brushes. I have just received a new product offered by an small independent who's concentrate was half the price of Disc Doctor so I'll let you know how both work out within the next few weeks. In lieu of either, washing with a very mild dish soap solution; then rinse in cool water, allow to dry in a clean dish rack.

BTW, If you're up for the drive, you're welcome to drop by for a listen to my rig sometime. Like mobile said in another post to you, there are many good TT choices under $1000.

Klipsch out.

[Clipped and Shorn]

Jazman,

I am already using the mild dish liquid/ cold water method for these really grungy records. Sometimes I have a dozen or so drying in the dish rack. I do a final rinse with distilled water with a little ethyl alchohol. This method seems to work good. I always fantasize that there is still something in those grooves, but some is just wear and tear that cannot be reversed. The music often stays intact in spite of the surface noise, interesting how that works. As winter approaches I might have more time for visit look see and hear. Thanks for the invite.

-C&S

[prodj101]

ORTOFON!!! at least they are good for scratchin with, lol. witcha witcha wah wah, faaaaaaadddddeeeee power slam!

[jazman]

C&S,

Some might recoil at this suggestion but here goes anyway. For really dirty vinyl, you can get a VPI vacuum machine replacement brush to work the grooves. Most people fail to read that it is advertised to be used as a replacement for the VPI machines AND for hand scrubbing vinyl. In lieu of a VPI brush, a super fine nylon bristle paint brush given a crew cut can also be used to work grunge out of vinyl grooves. The brushes would be used with the distilled water and alcohol formula after the dish solution treatment, and a final rinse of just distilled water.

Klipsch out.