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1978 Kenwood KD 3070 Cartridge Upgrade ?

JohnnyS

JohnnyS

Member
I just dropped off my KD 3070 off to my tech for service yesterday. I will not see again til after the first of the year. I am wondering about changing out the ADC XLM MK 2
cartridge to something more modern.
I been tossing around the idea of going with
the Audio-Technica VM 540 MC/H with headshell. Then there is the ORTOFON Bronze ?
The KD 3070 is my daily driver in my den.
I like it alot. It is pared with a 1977. CONCEPT 11.0 110 wpc receiver and a pair of 1980 Infinity CS 7000 Crescendo speakers. Everything works and sounds awesome to me. For streaming music I use amozon prime HD through the CONCEPT receiver. That works good too IMHO.
Looking for positive input from experienced
Mid FI enthusiasts about whether our not to spend money on something newer for my turntable. I am 63 now and been buying and listening to records since the 1960's. I had a stackable Garrard TT in Jr High and after that I upgraded to Marantz 6100 belt drive.
Been through more than a few setups over the years.
Thanks for reading.
 
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I am not very familiar with ADC cartridges, although I know some of them are very high-compliance - I suspect yours is, implied by its low recommended tracking force of 1g. It is really meant for low-mass arms, while I think yours is probably medium-mass.

An upgraded cartridge may give you a fresh take on your music but I think you have to be careful, especially when the cartridges you're considering are not cheap. The AT-VM540ML and Ortofon 2M Bronze may well be brighter than your ADC and they will almost certainly be more detailed. So they may be more revealing of edgy recordings and imperfections in your records, especially when you are playing 60s records. I think many people prefer warmer sounding cartridges for 60s music.

If I were you, I would consider less expensive cartridges with less fancy styli, probably a nude elliptical. The AT-VM530EN and 2M Blue would be equivalent AT and Ortofon models, but they may still be on the bright side. The AT-VM95 cartridges are not as bright, so you may consider the AT-VM95EN. Cartridges from Grado, Nagaoka and Sumiko are reputed to have a mellow sound, so you could look into those. In particular, Nagaoka do some quite advanced models with elliptical styli.
 
Crab33 said:
I am not very familiar with ADC cartridges, although I know some of them are very high-compliance - I suspect yours is, implied by its low recommended tracking force of 1g. It is really meant for low-mass arms, while I think yours is probably medium-mass.

An upgraded cartridge may give you a fresh take on your music but I think you have to be careful, especially when the cartridges you're considering are not cheap. The AT-VM540ML and Ortofon 2M Bronze may well be brighter than your ADC and they will almost certainly be more detailed. So they may be more revealing of edgy recordings and imperfections in your records, especially when you are playing 60s records. I think many people prefer warmer sounding cartridges for 60s music.

If I were you, I would consider less expensive cartridges with less fancy styli, probably a nude elliptical. The AT-VM530EN and 2M Blue would be equivalent AT and Ortofon models, but they may still be on the bright side. The AT-VM95 cartridges are not as bright, so you may consider the AT-VM95EN. Cartridges from Grado, Nagaoka and Sumiko are reputed to have a mellow sound, so you could look into those. In particular, Nagaoka do some quite advanced models with elliptical styli.
Click to expand...
Crab33 said:
I am not very familiar with ADC cartridges, although I know some of them are very high-compliance - I suspect yours is, implied by its low recommended tracking force of 1g. It is really meant for low-mass arms, while I think yours is probably medium-mass.

An upgraded cartridge may give you a fresh take on your music but I think you have to be careful, especially when the cartridges you're considering are not cheap. The AT-VM540ML and Ortofon 2M Bronze may well be brighter than your ADC and they will almost certainly be more detailed. So they may be more revealing of edgy recordings and imperfections in your records, especially when you are playing 60s records. I think many people prefer warmer sounding cartridges for 60s music.

If I were you, I would consider less expensive cartridges with less fancy styli, probably a nude elliptical. The AT-VM530EN and 2M Blue would be equivalent AT and Ortofon models, but they may still be on the bright side. The AT-VM95 cartridges are not as bright, so you may consider the AT-VM95EN. Cartridges from Grado, Nagaoka and Sumiko are reputed to have a mellow sound, so you could look into those. In particular, Nagaoka do some quite advanced models with elliptical styli.
Click to expand...
 
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