Cartridge for Aiwa AP-2200?

[stratokaster]

Hello guys. Long time lurker but first time poster here.

I need your advice in getting the right cartridge for my Aiwa AP-2200 turntable. Before it I had a Sansui P-50 (a very basic BPC belt-drive turntable) which I used with Audio-Technica AT-95E. However, the Sansui is now dead and gone so I went out and found a rather nice looking (and incredibly heavy! this thing weighs like a ton!) Aiwa AP-2200. This is a mid-80s direct drive turntable with an S-shaped tonearm.

I mounted AT95E to Aiwa and was horrified by the sound this combo produces. Everything is muddy, the bass is too boomy and there is no imaging to speak of. Also, on warped records (even if they are very slightly warped) the cartridge starts to "dance" which never happened when it was mounted on Sansui. I suspect the tonearm is just too heavy for AT95E.

But then I remembered that I have an old Denon DL-60E cart that I got 5 years ago with Sansui. I have never actually used it because its needle is worn and needs replacement. However, I decided to try this cartridge on Aiwa. And it turned out much better than AT95E. The sound is much more "cohesive", the bass is tight and well controlled and the cartridge doesn't dance on warped records. The highs are rather dull and veiled but I think this is because the needle needs replacement.

I suspect this is because DL-60E is a much better match to my "new" turntable and its arm. Its cantilever is much thicker and more stiff than that of AT95E.

So it seems I need a new cartridge or at least a new needle for DL-60E. What are your recommendations for a new MM cart in $200 range that will play nice with a heavy S-shaped tonearm? Or should I order a new aftermarket needle for DL-60E? Also, are DSN-60 and DSN-65 needles interchangeable (they look identical and DSN-65 seems to be somewhat more available)?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[melofelo]

it's interesting that the 2200 uses a high mass arm . I had a 2600 pass through my hands a while back (bought for a friend) and the arm seemed much happier with a relatively mid to high(ish) compliance cartridge in the form of a Ortofon VMS5E although the arm itself was a strange beast with some kind of weights imbedded in the plastic bearing housing.
Link to thread here:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=236341

I'm even more surprised that the AT-95E was an unhappy match if the arm is actually heavier than the ap-2600 as it generally copes well with those 70 early 80s s-shaped arms such as that found on the Pioneer PL12D , technics 1200 etc..(in fact its a very good match for the pioneer arm which is a pretty robust arm ) .

A wobbling cartridge on a relatively flat record usually indicates that a compliance match issue is to blame...but I can't imagine Aiwa would have used an excessively high mass arm at a time when high compliance cartridges and low mass arms were still considered the best way to a detailed sound....but perhaps they might have bucked the trend earlier than most ?:scratch2:

It might be worth checking everything is in tune, align to a good protractor and dial in the downforce - antiskate again on a budget cartridge you have to hand before throwing more money at the headshell.

 

[stratokaster]

Thank you, melofelo!

Now that you've mentioned it, it seems that AP-2200 indeed has a medium-mass arm. But it's definitely heavier than the tonearm in my previous turntable.

I will make sure that everything is aligned and then report back.

I'm also waiting for my Electronica 043 (a Soviet copy of Shure M75) to arrive and I will test it in this turntable.

 

[stratokaster]

Okay, so I got a NOS Electronica GZM-043 (a not-quite-exact Soviet copy of Shure M75). The stock stylus is nude square shank elliptical. Recommended VTF for this cartridge is just 1g. This cart is excellent and it mates well with AP-2200's tonearm.

 

[melofelo]

nice ! :thmbsp: If it tracks well at 1.0 gm and the arm is relatively stable during play ( i.e. it doesn't bounce around after mild warps or constantly wobble while tracking heavily modulated grooves..big bass notes)..it shouldn't be much of a problem. :thmbsp: