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Help Me Pick a Cartridge

lissenup said:
I have the same deck. The Denon103 mates beautifully with the PUA-7 arm on your Sony.
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I had heard that before when I was looking for a new cartridge a few years ago. The local stereo store had instead recommended the Ortofon 2M red; I was just totally disappointed. No more Ortofon for me. With the PUA-7 arm swapping head-shells is pretty darn easy so I am still hoping to have an alternative cart to the Nakoaka. Maybe I'll swap the stylus to the 200 and start looking for that Denon 103 to have in the other head-shell. Thanks for the reminder.
 
losthorizon said:
I have a Nagaoka mp110 and have never got on with it, to me it sounds significantly suppressed, I also have the 2M red and blue and preferred these to the mp110, this is my own personal choice and maybe my ears are getting old but at the moment I am using an AT vm95ml fitted to my Kenwood KD990 and in general it's great but can sound a bit bright on high notes, the best-balanced cart I have tried is the Goldring 1042, I am also pleased with the Grado Black2 that I have on my Thorens TD160 mk1, I am in the process of putting my Garrard 401 together with a plinth I bought from Moldovia, and I will try my collection of carts on that to determine which one I think is best.
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I'm sure you are right. I have heard carts on different systems sound worlds different. I have definitely heard Ortofons on other systems sound fantastic, just not on mine ;(
 
Don't judge the 2M line on the performance of the Red. You don't care for it, I don't care for it, and we're far from alone. I think it's just too modern sounding. The Blue is a completely different sound, even tho the generator is the same. It smooths out the rough edges, and tones down the 'in your face' presentation of the Red. It's more of a classic vinyl sound, without being too slow or heavy. Personally, I think anyone not happy with a 2M Red owes it to themselves to try the Blue stylus before giving up on the line.
 
Ilikevinyl said:
I would get the MP-200 stylus for your MP-110, the Nagaoka stylus are all interchangeable. The MP-200 stylus cantilever is made of Boron, very thin but strong! I have the MP-200 cartridge and it's wonderful on every music genre specially Jazz! The MP-200 stylus is a big step up from your MP-110 stylus.
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Agree here. MP-200 stylus upgrade. Improves in the ways you want. Simplest upgrade.
 
Nucities said:
Sony PS-X60 Turntable (with original toner and head shell)
Schitit Mani Phono Preamp
Sony TA-A1ES Amp
KEF 103.2 Speakers

My everyday cartridge is the Nagaoka MP 110. I love it. Sounds amazing for the price and works well for the vast majority of my collection. Where it falls a bit flat to my ears is on Jazz or piano heavy stuff. It smooths stuff out a bit and you lose some detail. I have an Ortofon 2M Red and to be honest I don't like that cart at all. It does provide some more detail but its harsh to my ears and doesn't have the mid range. Base is lost almost entirey.

So any recommendations for a new cart? Im looking specifically for something that would really work nicely with jazz, piano and vocals. Good clarity without fatigue. I can spend 200-350 ish.
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I agree with @Ilikevinyl, try an MP200 stylus. If you do, recheck your alignment as I believe the cantilever is slightly shorter.
 
lissenup said:
I have the same deck. The Denon103 mates beautifully with the PUA-7 arm on your Sony.
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Hoping you are still on this message board. As it turned out I did get the Denon DL 103 and I absolutely love it! As mentioned it works perfectly with the PUA-7. The improvement in sound is far beyond what I had expected. The only issue is that I am using a first gen Schiit Mani phono preamp. It actually does "work" and the improvement is profound but I have to run my amp at near full volume. Im sure the sound would be even better with with more gain. I need either a step-up transformer or a new phono preamp. I'd like to not go crazy with cost but I'm happy to spend 350-750 US max.

I've looked at the Vincent PHO 701 and Darlington Labs MP-7 phono preamps. I've also considered adding the Bellari MT502 step-up transformer. Any thoughts on those? What do you run on your system? Any others I should look at?
 
Nucities said:
Hoping you are still on this message board. As it turned out I did get the Denon DL 103 and I absolutely love it! As mentioned it works perfectly with the PUA-7. The improvement in sound is far beyond what I had expected. The only issue is that I am using a first gen Schiit Mani phono preamp. It actually does "work" and the improvement is profound but I have to run my amp at near full volume. Im sure the sound would be even better with with more gain. I need either a step-up transformer or a new phono preamp. I'd like to not go crazy with cost but I'm happy to spend 350-750 US max.

I've looked at the Vincent PHO 701 and Darlington Labs MP-7 phono preamps. I've also considered adding the Bellari MT502 step-up transformer. Any thoughts on those? What do you run on your system? Any others I should look at?
Click to expand...
I have been using two phono preamps, a LFD Phono LE and an older Aragon 47K. Recently sold the LFD and using the Aragon. Nice vintage unit, sounds really good, and plenty of gain options. In your price range there will be many to choose from and I don’t think you can really go wrong with many of them.
 
Nucities said:
Hoping you are still on this message board. As it turned out I did get the Denon DL 103 and I absolutely love it! As mentioned it works perfectly with the PUA-7. The improvement in sound is far beyond what I had expected. The only issue is that I am using a first gen Schiit Mani phono preamp. It actually does "work" and the improvement is profound but I have to run my amp at near full volume. Im sure the sound would be even better with with more gain. I need either a step-up transformer or a new phono preamp. I'd like to not go crazy with cost but I'm happy to spend 350-750 US max.

I've looked at the Vincent PHO 701 and Darlington Labs MP-7 phono preamps. I've also considered adding the Bellari MT502 step-up transformer. Any thoughts on those? What do you run on your system? Any others I should look at?
Click to expand...

I'd consider the Rega Fono MC, the NAIM Stageline, the Atoll PH100
 
Look no further than a Denon AU-340 for a very high quality SUT. This uses Tamura transformers, highly sought after units. Can be found on YahooBuyee for under 400 bucks.

BillWojo
 
Brandtwi said:
I've been reading a lot of good things about the Denon DL 103 (approx $350) - I don't know how well it would integrate into ur system but it's in ur price range. There are several companies customizing them and selling them at a higher price (ranging from $600 - $2,000 depending on what they do to them).

I just bought a Victor QL-Y5 turntable that came with an Audio-Technica AT-F3 (dual moving coil) cartridge which I hate - too much surface noise, pops & clicks - and my records always get a thorough cleaning on a VPI record cleaning machine (the first & most important upgrade to any vinyl system). I don't know why it's so noisy, but I can't stand to listen to it and I ordered a Denon DL-103R - sure hope this fixes the problem. My phono amp is a Krell KPE Ref with Krell amp & preamp & ML Summit speakers.

Let us know what u decide to buy and what u think of ur new cartridge.
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Listen before you buy. I've tried the DL-103 and 103R in all the ways you're supposed to and found it lacking in everything I consider vital to good audio reproduction. 0/10 not recommended. I find that it misses all of the detail and throws the music out with the bath water. If you have surface noise issues with the AT-F3, it might be worn ot. Curious to hear what you think. Krell gear is good stuff!

BillWojo said:
Look no further than a Denon AU-340 for a very high quality SUT. This uses Tamura transformers, highly sought after units. Can be found on YahooBuyee for under 400 bucks.

BillWojo
Click to expand...

This is a superb SUT. Blows the cheaper 300, 310, and 320 out of the water! And, its a boon for us cartridge rollers with dual arm inputs and pushbutton selection of options.
 
vinyldavid said:
Listen before you buy. I've tried the DL-103 and 103R in all the ways you're supposed to and found it lacking in everything I consider vital to good audio reproduction. 0/10 not recommended. I find that it misses all of the detail and throws the music out with the bath water. If you have surface noise issues with the AT-F3, it might be worn ot. Curious to hear what you think. Krell gear is good stuff!



This is a superb SUT. Blows the cheaper 300, 310, and 320 out of the water! And, its a boon for us cartridge rollers with dual arm inputs and pushbutton selection of options.
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Did you not notice the OP already bought the 103? “Lacking in everything vital to good audio reproduction”. Gimme a break! The OP, myself, and many others have found the 103 to be more than satisfying.
 
Big fan of the Denon 103 family, and now have many members of that family at my house (@BillWojo is to blame);)

Only have a couple with original stylus, a 103D and a 103M, but that’s the real beauty of the 103s, very upgradable :trebon:

You’ll be very pleased with the cartridge and an AU320 but if you have the funds get an AU340….

Andy
 
Just ordered a Denon AU340 from Japan. I'll post here when I get it and have it set up to share my impressions. I appreciate everyones input and I know these things are kind of subjective; what sounds good to one ear may not sound great to another. Given how happy I am now with the DL 103 just through the Schiit Mani I'm guessing the addition of the SUT will be even better.
 
BillWojo said:
Look no further than a Denon AU-340 for a very high quality SUT. This uses Tamura transformers, highly sought after units. Can be found on YahooBuyee for under 400 bucks.

BillWojo
Click to expand...

I might need to start a new thread but thought I try here first. I picked dup a AU340 and hooked it up. I think I connected it properly? (tonearm>AU-340 input>phono pre input>amp). I'm getting loud humming from the SUT. Any advice? Im hoping the SUT I purchased isn't the issue.
 
Cable routing can be very important with a SUT. I bought a Reisong 20:1 SUT, for an Ortofon Quntet Bronze, into a Zen Phono. Mine only hums at volumes above where I normally listen, but it's brand new, and I haven't had time to isolate it yet. Good luck!
 
I've been lucky with both Denon SUT's when it comes to hum. I keep the cables and the unit away from power cords and anything that might induce a strong magnetic field like the power transformer in an amp.
My guess is that you have a grounding issue. I run the TT ground wire to the SUT and than another ground wire to the phono preamp section on my preamp.
No hum at all.
Try different grounding schemes, hook up a wire to your preamp ground post and try touching different ground spots on the table. Sometimes there is corrosion on a ground point causing a bad connection.

BillWojo
 
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