Help me pick a new Rock n Roll cartridge!

P

PearlJamGuy

New Member
Looking for advice for the fine folks of the forum.

I am looking to upgrade the Sumiko Pearl on my Pro-Ject Carbon turntable. It's always been fine for me, but that's probably because I've never really compared it to anything else.

My office vinyl listening setup is fairly modest. As follows:
- Musical Fidelity V90-LPS Phono Stage (MM/MC)
- Musical Fidelity V90-HPA Headphone Amp / DAC
- Micca PB42x Powered Bookshelf Speakers
- Philips Fidelio X2/27 Open-Ear headphones

Predominantly, I listen to rock music (60's thru 2018) with some jazz, hip hop, techno, acoustic, classical, etc mixed in. Rock well over half the time though.

With that particular turntable and other items in the setup, I'm curious what people might suggest for a cartridge upgrade. I've seen a few usual suspects continue to pop up specific to listening to rock music (Ortofon Blue / Bronze, Denon DL-110 among others) but wondering if there's a cartridge that can take advantage of that modest-budget setup above the best (keeping in mind that the budget for the cartridge itself would probably also need to stay modest... ideally $400 or under would be the sweet spot so that probably rules out a few suggestions).

Or should I maybe look at a new stylus that could still use that Pearl shell? I have no idea if that's even a possibility, to be honest.

Thanks!
 
PearlJamGuy said:
Looking for advice for the fine folks of the forum.

I am looking to upgrade the Sumiko Pearl on my Pro-Ject Carbon turntable. It's always been fine for me, but that's probably because I've never really compared it to anything else.

My office vinyl listening setup is fairly modest. As follows:
- Musical Fidelity V90-LPS Phono Stage (MM/MC)
- Musical Fidelity V90-HPA Headphone Amp / DAC
- Micca PB42x Powered Bookshelf Speakers
- Philips Fidelio X2/27 Open-Ear headphones

Predominantly, I listen to rock music (60's thru 2018) with some jazz, hip hop, techno, acoustic, classical, etc mixed in. Rock well over half the time though.

With that particular turntable and other items in the setup, I'm curious what people might suggest for a cartridge upgrade. I've seen a few usual suspects continue to pop up specific to listening to rock music (Ortofon Blue / Bronze, Denon DL-110 among others) but wondering if there's a cartridge that can take advantage of that modest-budget setup above the best (keeping in mind that the budget for the cartridge itself would probably also need to stay modest... ideally $400 or under would be the sweet spot so that probably rules out a few suggestions).

Or should I maybe look at a new stylus that could still use that Pearl shell? I have no idea if that's even a possibility, to be honest.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Several of my friends had tried the Audio Technica AT F7 lomc, do a forum search and see what others think of it. :idea:
 
I like my AT OC9III. It plays everything I like and it plays it the way I like it. Loud and clear with a nice thump when called for. I like it so much I'm about to double the outlay to move up the AT line.
 
My favorite rock and roll cartridge is the Denon DL304. It is out of production, but the less expensive Denon DL 301 MK II would be a nice choice. I also like the Audio Technica 33EV, and you might find it at your price. Maybe. The Audio Technica OC9 II can probably also be found for that kind of money.

Listening to Aerosmith Live Bootleg at the moment, and its just smoking hot on the Denon.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
These are great suggestions everyone! Thanks for the activity. Has anyone upgraded from a Pearl specifically? Or happen to have the Phono Stage I have? I've read that it's pretty detailed, less warm. Wondering if there's a cartridge that pairs well with that profile to really make Rock music... well... ROCK.
 
PearlJamGuy said:
These are great suggestions everyone! Thanks for the activity. Has anyone upgraded from a Pearl specifically? Or happen to have the Phono Stage I have? I've read that it's pretty detailed, less warm. Wondering if there's a cartridge that pairs well with that profile to really make Rock music... well... ROCK.
Click to expand...

Audio Technica 33EV is one of the best rock cartridges I have heard.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
I have similar music tastes and find that my Denon DL-110 to be an amazing value and happens to be one of my favorite cartridges when listening to rock and other genres for that matter. I also own the Dynavector 10x5 and even though it is a great cart, I prefer the Denon DL-110 over it everytime and it's only a fraction of the price! I don't think you would be disappointed with it, hence my amazing value statement. Those are my HOMC carts, for favorite MM carts that I use on a regular basis and find great with rock are the Shure V15 type III with the Jico SAS stylus, although finding this cart and getting the Jico stylus for it will probably put you over the $400 or less budget. And last but not least, is my beloved Denon DL-107 cartridge. These are no longer being made and rarely come up for sale in the US but I find it to be probably the most musical and best sounding MM cartridge I have ever owned and highly recommend it.
 
This is all really helpful everyone, thanks. I think there's something to be said about putting a $500 cartridge on a $350 TT. Is that just a weird idea?

The Denon DL-110 seems to hit the sweet spot in a lot of ways, and can be had for $300 (or maybe less? Any suggestions on where to find it?)

I assume all these suggestions would be a pretty large upgrade to the Sumiko Pearl? I'm excited to check them out for myself (but don't really have the time or wherewithal to "audition" 5-6 cartridges).
 
The price tag and even ratio between table and cartridge is only a guideline at best. I put a $6500 cartridge on a used table that I paid $700 for. I have a $4300 cartridge on a table I paid $2500 for. They both sound great on their tables. I have a cartridge I paid $175 used for on a table that cost me $2400 used. There are no hard and fast rules on this stuff.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
needlestein said:
You can find them on ebay from a Canadian seller for about $190. But I have to tell you that if you want it for rock and roll, the Denons are a bit bass shy. These seem to me to be more suited to classical music and jazz for that reason--and even jazz likes more bass. Might not be a problem if you have a subwoofer or can otherwise crank the bass, but I've got no tone controls and Denons in my system almost always sound a little weak in the bootie so I've got to put my sub on "11."

Since you specifically want a cartridge for rock and roll . . .

For excellent bass, creamy mids and really good highs, with a budget of $400, you might also look into the Grado wood bodied cartridges. I auditioned one recently and was really pleasantly surprised by what it had to offer in that regard. Really, really nice. If your username reflects who'd you be listening to mainly, Pearl Jam has a wide enough spectrum of tonal range, frequency, and detail as well as dynamics that you really want a well-rounded cartridge that is going to make your speakers explode. Guitar work is extra "steely" with a Grado wood body. The DL-110 is probably not going to do that unless you have bass help in your amplification chain.
Click to expand...

One thing worth mentioning is that this is all system and table dependent. It is darn near impossible to judge a cartridge separated from its turntable and phono stage, or the rest of the system for that matter. From my perspective, I find the Grado wood bodies to be horribly underwhelming, actually boring. Don't care for them at all. As far as the Denon DL 304, I get plenty of bass for rock and roll, and really enjoy the cartridge. Can't say it transfers over to the DL110, as I have never owned it. Although the 103R does not have issues with light bass response either. So it all depends on the system and what the priorities are of the owner. But cartridges have so much variance, and are so dependent on turntable, arm, and phono stage that pinning down its pure "sound" can be challenging.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
I might raise some eyebrows with this suggestion But if you want a true Rock and Roll cartridge I'd give a Stanton 500 a try.. During the hey days of Album Oriented Rock it was used by more rock stations. It's not bass shy and has a nice midrange and not to bad highs. Just a thought .
 
I had the Project turntable, next model up.
I ran Grado Silver, Excellent.
Then Grado Gold, better.
Now Grado Statement wood body. Better still.
But, not very forgiving on any slight marks or scuffs on the record.
 
I have a mixture of quite a bit of carts, including the Grado Wood body Sonata Reference to MC carts AT OC9 Micro coil and Sony MC, Denon MC's the DL-110, Staton 681 EEE. Rock IMO is not as critical in my mind when it comes to carts. Not a lot of quite passages so a cart that covers up some unwanted surface noise is less needed. Don't get me wrong most of my listening is on MC because I like the upper end air and detail which I think the MC offer more than say a MM or MI. But considering your budget and table and your music preference I would stick to something like a Stanton 681 EEE or a Stanton 881 which are great all around MM carts, that cover all one would need for Rock music. Another alternate would be buying a Grace F9 cart and sending in to get it retipped. Depending on your budget you can go all the way up to the ruby cantilever with the fine line stylus for less than 500 and you have basically a new cart with some very good capabilities. All these carts are more than capable for a higher level of table incase you ever decide to move the ladder.
 
needlestein said:
33EV is excellent, but it’s over your budget of $400. If you’re willing to go an additional $50 to $150 for the 33EV, then you might as well pick up a Goldring Eroica LX on eBay for $495. This is the most amazing cartridge I have heard in that price range and it definitely boasts the nicest stylus—a Fritz Gyger FGII. I’m not usually one to use competitive or adversarial language when describing cartridges, but the Goldring kicks the EV33’s ass all over the place. It’s not even pretty.
Click to expand...

How good is the FGII stylus? The reason I ask is because I'm thinking of trying one of the Goldring MM carts that have either the FGII, the Vital Polyhedron, or the FG-S. How would you rate those shapes up against an AT Microline or a JICO Shibata? I'm especially interested in how well the FGII and the others would track inner grooves...I've heard the FG styli are very good, but how good are they?
 
The cartridge that was most used by Rock ‘N Roll radio DJ’s, you know when you first heard metal on the radio more likely than not that DJ was using a Denon DL-103.
 
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