Help picking a high compliance cartridge
- Thread starter kceateva
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KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
Not now unless NOS. You can upgrade to it from any OM body. I also recommend the Audio-Technica AT 150 MLx as a nomination also.
kceateva
Active Member
Was thinking about The Audio- Technica AT 150 MLX but isn't it better for moderate mass tonearms? Also been reading some stuff by reto luigi andreoli some interesting things he has to say about Spherical (also referred to as conical) cartridges. Thank you guys for the inputs keep it up 
Ilikevinyl
Cool Breeze
Vintage ADC XLM II is a very high compliance. The aftermarket stylus probably doesn't have as much compliance as the original.
neobop
Well-Known Member
Soundsmith carts are well thought of. He expanded on B&O technology. In fact, he's authorized by B&O to do repairs on their carts. The capacitance load is really the capacitance of the wires + the capacitance of the preamp input.
I would guess that Sony would use low capacitance interconnect on the table, so the 55pF setting should be perfect. The recommendation is 100 to 200pF.
Standard measurement for dynamic compliance and that used for arm matching is taken at 10Hz. Many Japanese manufacturers take that measurement at 100Hz and results are not directly comparable. The 100Hz figures are lower and must be converted. For example the AT440, 150, 120 is 10cu @100Hz = 18cu @10Hz. If you could find an ATN140LC stylus which fits on these bodies, the compliance is 15cu @ 100Hz. I'm not exactly sure what that converts to, but it's much closer to your target.
The OM40 looks perfect and that stylus is still available. If you can find a used OM Super body (OM10 through 40), I believe the bodies are identical and the stylus will fit.
They might not be as common, but users seem to love the Soundsmith carts. The Othello looks juicy I'd like to try one of those.
neo
The TT should have around 100pf in its cabling, set the phono stage to 55pf and you should be in the sweet zone for a Otello at 155pf (they are specced for 100 to 200pf - so 150pf should be ideal...)
The Soundsmith MI cartridges are an excellent choice.
Other choices include:
Ortofon OM40 (speakerbits in Australia has recently been selling NOS ones on ebay at a good price)
Audio Technica AT150MLx (if the budget stretches that far you could even go for the AT150ANV)
You could also look for a Shure V15III or V15IV body, and purchase a new SAS stylus for it.
Grado cartridges are not as high compliance as they once were, but very suitable for that arm and table... you would need to go into the wood bodied models for performance to match the cartridges being discussed... or get a Prestige series body and fit an 8MZ/MCZ/TLZ stylus....
kceateva
Active Member
Thank you for the info. My system is adcom 555 amp 555 pre amp and my speakers are jbl 530's. I have a Audio Technica 120E and a Grado with a 8MZ great carts, but want to see if there is somthing else also My turntable is in the shop and I may try to get a Longhorn headshell crossbar added on. I had a Shure M97xE it was my first cart, but sold it to a friend who loves it. I like the Grado but kind of want more mid-rang. Bass was great and it has the ability to help me sleep, but I really want to see if there is something more. Audio Technica might be my best option, but its not as high compliance as I would like. Also looking at the OM40 anyone know if this tracks very well? Thank you all for info I been spending three days searching comparing and thinking, and I think I may have lost a bit of my mind.
The OM30 and OM40 are excellent trackers - if you can find the early 30 or 40 styli they were higher compliance than current production ones....
