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Cart recommendations

Zach Nelson

Zach Nelson

How deep is this rabbit hole?
What's the best cart to match with the Sony pua-114 tonearm? I am using a Parasound Zphono preamp. I was thinking about trying a Denon dl-103 MC, or do you think there would be a better option in the budget range? I already have an Ortofon Blue and Nagaoka MP-110. Just looking for ideas.
 
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I also have a Parasound Zphono, nice little unit. Not the quietest phono-pre out there, but does what it does very well. I ran a 2M Blue for several years, but recently upgraded to the 2M Bronze. The Parasound does a very creditable job of wringing detail out of this cart, which does a very creditable job of wringing detail out of the grooves. It's a winning combination, with the rest of my gear. I think you will find most any cart will sound at least decent with that pre. And if the Blue works well on your Sony arm, the Bronze set-up will be a piece of cake. But if you want to go MC, there are a couple of quite reasonably priced Audio Technica moving-coils available. I'm thinking of going that route myself.
 
justjed2 said:
I also have a Parasound Zphono, nice little unit. Not the quietest phono-pre out there, but does what it does very well. I ran a 2M Blue for several years, but recently upgraded to the 2M Bronze. The Parasound does a very creditable job of wringing detail out of this cart, which does a very creditable job of wringing detail out of the grooves. It's a winning combination, with the rest of my gear. I think you will find most any cart will sound at least decent with that pre. And if the Blue works well on your Sony arm, the Bronze set-up will be a piece of cake. But if you want to go MC, there are a couple of quite reasonably priced Audio Technica moving-coils available. I'm thinking of going that route myself.
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What AT mc carts would fall in that price range?
 
Any idea what the effective mass is for your tonearm? The Denon dl-103 you mention is a rather low compliance cart that prefers a heavier arm. The recommended VM540ML and MP-200 are both on the high side of medium compliance, and do better in arms on the lighter side of medium mass.
 
Go to LP Gear website, they have six A-T MC carts for $360 or less.

EDIT: I'm sure they can give you a recommendation based on your table, tone-arm, and ancillary components.
 
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