Cart for Pro-ject 'The Classic'

[Mellotronix]

Not the 'Classic' TT but 'The Classic.' I'll post a photo just in case. Anyway, I like the deck very much. I installed a Ortofon 2m Blue just after Christmas and it sounded great through my BW 683 floorstanders. I've since moved it to my new mixing room and set it up with a Yamaha integrated amp (A-S801) and a pair of BW CM6 s2 with a SVS 12" 500 watt sub. The Ortofon Blue is out. Great for my home theater room; too strident for the new, smaller space and those CM's.

Since I'm new here, I have to plead ignorance and hope that I don't step on any sacred cows or run contrary to the established groupthink. But, after agonizing over the lower/middle end of the spectrum, I ordered a Grado Sonata 2 Reference cartridge. It (barely) beat out the Nagaoka MP300 and an Audio Technica VMSLC.

The Grado arrives tomorrow and I'm in no hurry to mount it --so should I reconsider? Maybe go with something else? The one wild card is that I will be installing an Auralex ProPanel kit in the room (two corner bass trap panels and six 4'x2' diffusers.

So...tell me what you are thinking after reading this.

 

[Poinzy]

I hear the Grado cartridge achieves optimal performance when actually mounted on a tonearm, so I'd mount the cartridge. Room treatment relates more to the size and placement of your speakers, and the geometry of your room, than it does to the type of phono cartridge you're using.

 

[Mellotronix]

I hear the Grado cartridge achieves optimal performance when actually mounted on a tonearm, so I'd mount the cartridge. Room treatment relates more to the size and placement of your speakers, and the geometry of your room, than it does to the type of phono cartridge you're using.

Thanks. And, duh. But, yeah, you made me laugh. The panels are obviously to reduce room reflections, flutter echoes, standing waves, etc. during mixing and mastering. They will also tame the high end to some degree and they should make for a very pleasing listening environment for my vinyl and digital music collection. When I say that I agonized over the cartridge choice, I'm not exaggerating. Having spent 25 years with most of my records hiding in the basement, I lost track of pretty much every development in vinyl reproduction. So even though I've read a lot on the subject, I'm ripe to make a really stupid decision. In your opinion, is the Grado cart a stupid decision? Or maybe not stupid but just questionable?

 

[Freddymac2]

My preference would be a MC unit, that is a lot of money for a MM, wrapped in wood.

 

[Mellotronix]

My preference would be a MC unit, that is a lot of money for a MM, wrapped in wood.

Really? On a $1200 turntable? I was under the impression that decent MC's were expensive, not to mention the phono stage. Tell me more.

 

[sqlsavior]

It is really hard to tell what someone else may prefer, and not all folks like MC cartridges. Based upon the nature of your complaint about the Blue, and the reputation of the Grado, I doubt that you will be disappointed. If or when you do decide to try a MC, I would go with a step-up transformer rather than an inexpensive MC-capable phono preamp.

 

[Mellotronix]

It is really hard to tell what someone else may prefer, and not all folks like MC cartridges. Based upon the nature of your complaint about the Blue, and the reputation of the Grado, I doubt that you will be disappointed. If or when you do decide to try a MC, I would go with a step-up transformer rather than an inexpensive MC-capable phono preamp.

You speak the truth. I'm not certain that I want sonic perfection from my vinyl. That's what my DSD and 24 bit 352 kHz PCM files are for. I'm looking for some compression, a few clicks and pops, maybe a bit of phase distortion. In fact, I often add MM noise using Waves' Abbey Road vinyl plugin during final mix down of my own original songs.As you can see from the screen cap, I enjoy a bit of analog imperfection. In fact, I use this plugin with my digital files in Audioirvana when I'm in the mood for some grit.

 

[Mellotronix]

Here's a better shot of the Waves Vinyl Plugin. AR is an Abbey Road house turntable; DJ is exactly that. MM, MC and DJ are cartridges. Etc. There are specifics about each type of TT and cart modeled, but I would have to go to the (ugh) manual to get the specifics. Anyway. OK, I'm totally open to the fact that I might be missing something critical by resisting an MC cart and a nice step up amp. I certainly can afford them at the moment with the stock market soaring, but a few years from now, I may be kicking myself. Are we making a case for another turntable to add to my system? I was afraid that would happen if I joined this forum.

 

[Bubbalouie]

You made a post in the "What Turntables Do You Folks Have," and I posted my reply to your Cartridge question there.