flavio81
Turntable technician
If you can manage low capacitance, this is the best option price-wise.
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Best budget cartridge between $100-$300?
- Thread starter 34dean
- Start date
If you can manage low capacitance, this is the best option price-wise.
flavio81
Turntable technician
With a capacitance meter. But you can always cut the cable down to the bare minimum distance you need.
Really for MM cartridges the minimum length, the better. These are high impedance devices and thus need to have minimum cable length. On an ideal world there would be an amplifier at the headshell (there's at least one company that markets an MM cartridge with a buffer amp inside the cartridge...)
Yes, somebody will say "No, because some MM cartridges rely on a specific capacitance and 47K resistance to achieve a flatter/balanced output". However, those are suboptimal cartridges where the cantilever/stylus resonance is within the audio band thus need this 'correction' to sound fine. A fine cartridge (like upper-class MM and most MC cartridges) shoulnd't use these questionable corrections. MC cartridges can't have those corrections, what you get at the cantilever, you hear at the preamp.
MC cartridges are low impedance devices so cable capacitance doesn't have such a big impact. This is the main benefit of MC cartridges, no matter what everyone else says (the often repeated "MC cartridges have lower moving mass" has been debunked many times here and elsewhere). Cartridges ought to be low impedance, as MC cartridges are.
Exactly!
flavio81
Turntable technician
I disagree. Cantilever first... Moving mass is primary determined by the cantilever (and by the configuration of the lever)
DL-110 is very fine sounding however for the price quoted it doesn't make sense anymore.
What is this based on?
Your post reminds me of a thread from about a decade ago in which a poster argued that high fidelity began with a .2 X .7 mil elliptical because anything blunter than that lost too much high frequency information, particularly at the inner groove area. I no longer know, and did not take the time to try to find, the reasoning and formulas involved, but there was information offered that a .4 X .7 mil elliptical can theoretically trace a frequency of about 13 kHz at the end of a side (25 kHz at the beginning of a side) while a .2 X .7 elliptical works out to about 26 kHz at the end of a side.
I don't know what a conical is capable of, but I've spent thousands of happy hours enjoying music with .7, .6, and .5 mil conical styli, never noticing any issues with high frequency performance.
I disagree. Stylus is important to read high frequencies at inner tracks. However there is no stylus what can read correctly inner track 20khz at wavelength 10µ.
VDH-1 is close and Audio-Technica Microlinear is second best. All other parameters are very important, but stylus is Nr.1
Only ELP laser player can reproduce exactly with 2µ laser beam diameter.
So what is the provenance of this art project?
JP
7480 74111110101115
What is the correct loading for an MM then?
Mister Pig
Pigamus Maximus
I would caution against going down this rabbit hole. All that is going to happen is the OP thread is going to get hopelessly trashed and of no use to him. The point is presented, I would leave it at that.
I believe all will agree Audio-Technica Microlinear stylus is what OP need. And there are AT cartridges with it within his price range. And there are even more expensive MC with the same tip. Audio-Technica today is one of the best cartridge manufacturers. Because of their stylus first. I believe their supplier is Namiki or Ogura.
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Tiver
Enjoy the music
You'll get your head spinning like an LP on a turntable if you keep this up
Kidding aside, it's unlikely there is a "right" decision to be made. As you can see from the posts there are a lot of favorite carts from different folks and they aren't all the same or for the same reasons. Going from your description of forward and bright/detailed I think some carts with a ML stylus would be in that neighborhood. Audio Technica can have that kind of sound in a lot of systems/environments.
I have a RB300 arm on one of my tables. Not the same level as the RB900, but I think the mechanics and cart matching are similar. Among others I have had a Denon DL-160 (up line from similar DL-110, but NLA) and Audio Technica AT155LC(with ATN150Sa stylus) on that arm. I sold the Denon with relatively low hours on it, I sold it because it did not stand above the Audio Technica. Overall it was not as versatile. The AT has multiple replacement styli and at best I thought the Denon somewhat redundant.
The point is that the AT cart worked well for me with the arm mentioned. The Denon was a fine sounding cartridge and I would have been happy to have it still if I was without the AT
Now a little something on AT carts:
AT has cartridge "Groups" . These groups are designed to accept styli that have compatible "grips", the plastic part that acts as the carrier that attaches the stylus/cantilever to the cartridge body. Previously in this thread some AT carts were mentioned. The VM95 series is a different group than the one the VM540ML comes from. They may each offer styli with similar profiles, but the grips won't fit outside their group.
The VM540ML is part of Group K and comes with a ML (Micro Line or Micro Linear stylus). Other current Group K offerings are (C)Conical, (EB)Bonded Elliptical, (EN)Nude Elliptical, (SH)Shibata, and (SLC)Special Line Contact. My AT155LC from 1981, is also Group K and has an earlier generation of LC (Line Contact) stylus. I can buy a brand new VMN40ML stylus that fits today's VM Group K series carts and drop it in my 42 year old AT155LC. The group K has been AT's top tier moving magnet cartridge since the late 1970s and have been supported throughout. Choices through the years have had many different diamonds and cantilever materials. The current top group K cart is the VM760SLC at around $649. The VM540ML($279) is in the same line-up and would carry similar internal parts with a lesser cantilever, diamond and body structure. The VM740ML($349) has the same stylus as the VM540ML, but has a metal body as opposed to the VM540ML's resin body. VM760SLC and VM740ML and VM750SH have the same metal body with each having a different stylus.
Additionally there appears to be available from a couple of vendors (HiFi Heaven at least) the AT 440MLb, the predecessor to the $279 VM540ML. There are a couple differences, but I would estimate them to be small. The AT 440MLb can be had for $60 less at $219. Still Group K. This has a lower recommended tracking force and although not spec'd as such might have a slightly higher compliance. The HiFi Heaven description says gold plated beryllium cantilever, but it is not.
Audio Technica Group K has had a long line of cartridges and styli for over 40 years. The AT 440MLb seems to me like the budgetary bargain in that group at the moment.
I don't know where you get a new AT VM740ML for $244. That would be a very good price. I see there is also a VM540ML at another site for $249....this would indicate (to me) that they are not an authorized AT seller as AT seems pretty strict about their pricing from approved vendors.
Mister Pig
Pigamus Maximus
You'll get your head spinning like an LP on a turntable if you keep this up
Kidding aside, it's unlikely there is a "right" decision to be made. As you can see from the posts there are a lot of favorite carts from different folks and they aren't all the same or for the same reasons. Going from your description of forward and bright/detailed I think some carts with a ML stylus would be in that neighborhood. Audio Technica can have that kind of sound in a lot of systems/environments.
I have a RB300 arm on one of my tables. Not the same level as the RB900, but I think the mechanics and cart matching are similar. Among others I have had a Denon DL-160 (up line from similar DL-110, but NLA) and Audio Technica AT155LC(with ATN150Sa stylus) on that arm. I sold the Denon with relatively low hours on it, I sold it because it did not stand above the Audio Technica. Overall it was not as versatile. The AT has multiple replacement styli and at best I thought the Denon somewhat redundant.
The point is that the AT cart worked well for me with the arm mentioned. The Denon was a fine sounding cartridge and I would have been happy to have it still if I was without the AT
Now a little something on AT carts:
AT has cartridge "Groups" . These groups are designed to accept styli that have compatible "grips", the plastic part that acts as the carrier that attaches the stylus/cantilever to the cartridge body. Previously in this thread some AT carts were mentioned. The VM95 series is a different group than the one the VM540ML comes from. They may each offer styli with similar profiles, but the grips won't fit outside their group.
The VM540ML is part of Group K and comes with a ML (Micro Line or Micro Linear stylus). Other current Group K offerings are (C)Conical, (EB)Bonded Elliptical, (EN)Nude Elliptical, (SH)Shibata, and (SLC)Special Line Contact. My AT155LC from 1981, is also Group K and has an earlier generation of LC (Line Contact) stylus. I can buy a brand new VMN40ML stylus that fits today's VM Group K series carts and drop it in my 42 year old AT155LC. The group K has been AT's top tier moving magnet cartridge since the late 1970s and have been supported throughout. Choices through the years have had many different diamonds and cantilever materials. The current top group K cart is the VM760SLC at around $649. The VM540ML($279) is in the same line-up and would carry similar internal parts with a lesser cantilever, diamond and body structure. The VM740ML($349) has the same stylus as the VM540ML, but has a metal body as opposed to the VM540ML's resin body. VM760SLC and VM740ML and VM750SH have the same metal body with each having a different stylus.
Additionally there appears to be available from a couple of vendors (HiFi Heaven at least) the AT 440MLb, the predecessor to the $279 VM540ML. There are a couple differences, but I would estimate them to be small. The AT 440MLb can be had for $60 less at $219. Still Group K. This has a lower recommended tracking force and although not spec'd as such might have a slightly higher compliance. The HiFi Heaven description says gold plated beryllium cantilever, but it is not.
Audio Technica Group K has had a long line of cartridges and styli for over 40 years. The AT 440MLb seems to me like the budgetary bargain in that group at the moment.
I don't know where you get a new AT VM740ML for $244. That would be a very good price. I see there is also a VM540ML at another site for $249....this would indicate (to me) that they are not an authorized AT seller as AT seems pretty strict about their pricing from approved vendors.
I believe a previous post showed the 740 from Thakker who is a reputable seller.
+1
charles 1973
Super Member
I stumbled on a website reviewing budget cartridges that rated Audio Technica's AT91 higher then the AT95. Actually Ive seen others too come to the same conclusion. May it because the 95 is more expensive. Anyways I found it interesting as the Rega Carbon cartridge that came with my Planar 2 turntable gets nothing but glowing reviews and I believe is based on the AT91.
With 26 hours on mine it sounds WAY better then it has any right too. Clapton's guitar work sounds wonderful, as do the drums. Perhaps that's why they were so popular on many Realistic Turntables back in the day.
With 26 hours on mine it sounds WAY better then it has any right too. Clapton's guitar work sounds wonderful, as do the drums. Perhaps that's why they were so popular on many Realistic Turntables back in the day.
flavio81
Turntable technician
You can easily read 20Khz at the inner grooves with a normal conical stylus as long as this 20KHz signal is cut low enough, or in other words, with a constrained velocity. In other words "cutting at a lower volume".
That's why on many records the last grooves are cut with a lower dB level overall, or with reduced higher frequencies.
The Neumann cutting lathes (which are some of the most frequently used lathes) came with a device intentionally designed to limit cutting velocities, for this reason and also to protect the cutting head.
Your requirements for a MicroLine or a stylus of very small radius, is only for the cases in which a record has been intentionally cut without a restriction on groove velocities at the inner grooves.
This is why many records will sound fine at the inner grooves with a normal conical stylus, while others will show the usual distortion at sibilances/etc.
Furthermore, damaged records will show also inner groove distortion problems, that will not show anymore when using a ML stylus simply because the ML, being a 'line contact' stylus, will read more of the groove and thus avoid prior groove damage. But, in these instances, a brand-new sample of the very same record would probably sound fine with a conical stylus.
Finally, i spoke about "moving mass" because even if you have an ultra-narrow stylus, mass needs to be low to be able to follow the groove velocities cut there. And mass is mostly dominated by the cantilever and the mechanical configuration.
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flavio81
Turntable technician
Agree. Don't. Otherwise i'll go down there too and will not stop.