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How many have switched from MM carts to LOMC?

How many have switched from MM carts to LOMC?

  • I switched and could never go back

    Votes: 61 43.0%

  • I switched but it wasn't really any better

    Votes: 1 0.7%

  • I switched back to MM after trying LOMC

    Votes: 11 7.7%

  • Both are good and it doesn't matter

    Votes: 58 40.8%

  • I went with HOMC and like it

    Votes: 11 7.7%
  • Total voters
    142
Funky54

Funky54

Super Member
Ok, so how many here have gone from MM to LOMC?

Are you glad you did?

Please share in your post if you did it with low, medium or high mass tone arm.

Please share if your using a SUT or head amp.

What MM did you leave and what LOMC did you go to?
 
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I switched from an Audio-Technica AT-ML170/OCC to an AT-OC9ML/II then from that to another AT LOMC, the PTG/II.

I'm glad I switched. The 170/OCC is an incredible cartridge with true to master tape playback, no question. The LOMC carts bring out a very fun, lively sound from the music. It's a ton of fun to listen to.

With my MM cart I was running it into a highly modified full tube Yaqin 22b MM phono pre. For the LOMC carts I've added a Signet MK10T SUT to the chain. I've run my LOMC carts through a solid state MC phone pre with no SUT and while it sounded good, it did not sound anywhere near as good as the tube MM/SUT setup.

For what it's worth the rest of the chain is a completely restored/refurbed Pioneer SA-9500 amp, a Pioneer PL-630 turntable with DIY tonearm oil damping (medium mass tonearm), and a pair of recapped Polk SDA 2 speakers.
 
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KentTeffeteller said:
For me, not practical for daily use. Not rugged enough nor flexible enough. Special purposes, yes.
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The Denon DL 103 has to be one of the most rugged and long lived cartridges ever made. It's been in production for 50 years or so and professional often use it daily. A cartridge is rugged, strong and tough, in my book, if has low compliance and and high VTF. YMMV.
 
I can't actually recall ever having used a MM. I must have when I was a teenager, but that was 45 years ago. I'm pretty sure I've used MC since the early 80s, at least.
 
vinyl1 said:
I can't actually recall ever having used a MM. I must have when I was a teenager, but that was 45 years ago. I'm pretty sure I've used MC since the early 80s, at least.
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I agree I've been using HOMC or MOMC for at least the last 20 years (or so) but do those (HOMC) really count? Is it like being half pregnant? I still marvel at my old Benz Glider (.09mV) which I've had for years and yes the old diva has seen her better days but she can still belt out a wonderful tune.
 
I have several MM' s that I enjoy a lot especially Shure V15-III. I also like the DL 110, especially great at its old pricing.

Now running DL 301 mk II and it is fantastic, a true step forward from my MMs. I like it better with a SUTso far.

To complicate things I like my Grado GF1+ with MCZ stylus the best of all. So let's not forget moving iron.

Cheers, Bob
 
MudSlideSlim said:
The Denon DL 103 has to be one of the most rugged and long lived cartridges ever made. It's been in production for 50 years or so and professional often use it daily. A cartridge is rugged, strong and tough, in my book, if has low compliance and and high VTF. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Yes, and those are Asian broadcasters who don't cue their own records. Studio engineers do that for them. Different from my needs in working at home life. And one tip type won't play all records best for me, so 3 LOMC are necessary. In the USA, the DL-103 on air outside of a classical station might last 1-2 days with many a self service do the work of 4 European or Japanese broadcast staff who cues his own records, often gets rough with it cueing them, and bye bye tip. Apples and oranges. I am not that rough, but I need the ability to handle all records, all speeds, all sizes. And styli must be user replaceable. As my setups do some work for a living dubbing material for archive and for on air where no digital version which is suitable is available. Mine works and plays and must handle spastic, gimpy me (the engineer at that)
 
Well our local jazz station would use DL103s (before they went digital) and I'll ask them if they lasted their DL 103s lasted more than 1or 2 days. I think you might be exaggerating too prove a point . I've seen them cue records and they use more care that I do. OK a jazz station might be more like a classical station. I don't want to get into a food fight, I'm just an arm chair audiophile expert in his little nutshell thinking he rules infinite space

Obviously you have more experience and expertise then I do and I'll digest and sleep on your real life experiences. It's funny I actually have 3 LOMC TT which I do rotate so i can agree that might be necessary. Any Yes having non replaceable stylists is a PITA. But in my experience all my MC have lasted longer and sounded better than any of my MM but I'm not an engineer even though I love trains. Thanks for your real world input, it's appreciated.
 
My first experience with a MC cart was an Ortofon SPU-GT on an SME arm with a Thorens TD-124 and the Ortofon SUT driving a McIntosh MX-110. That was an excellent combo in 1974.

I moved on to other tables with MM carts. About 10 years ago, I went back to a Denon DL-301 with Lundahl SUT on a Technics 1200 driving a number of preamps including a PASS DIY Pearl, which I'll keep forever. It wasn't as nice as I remembered the SPU-GT so I sold it along with the SUT to a deserving soul here at AK. Part of the reason was all the fiddly stuff and the risk of not being able to swap the stylus. Like Kent, I'm a bit fumble fingered these days.

So, I've been to the MC mountain and returned a more enlightened and knowledgeable guy. I'm happy now with my Ortofon 2M Bronze with the Pearl phono pre. No more fiddly!

Cheers,

David
 
My SAS stylus on a Shure M97xe sounds just as good as my Audio Technica OC9. My 50 year album collection works best with a MM set-up IMO.
 
Apologies for the long post. A little history for you fine folks. I have always been a fan of Shure products. My first introduction to "HiFi" as a teen was a Shure M95ED on a Dual idler drive through a Marantz 4270 and a set of Bose 901 Series II speakers at a friend of my father's home. A magical combination for sure (pun intended). As I came into my own, my first system had a Shure M91ED cartridge. I wasn't quite satisfied, so when I could afford it I changed over to a Shure V15 Type IV which I was delighted with until CDs came around. When I got back into vinyl a few years ago, I got the old V15 Type IV up and running with a Jico SAS. Something just seemed to be missing. After doing some research and reading here on this forum, I installed a Denon DL-110 on my Technics SL1210M5G. I was pleasantly surprised at the deep tight bass and natural sounding midrange. What really got my attention was a new aural sense of space that I had never experienced before in my system. After doing a lot more reading about LOMC cartridges, I decided to try a Denon DL-301mkII. What a difference! I did have to work through some cartridge loading issues, which I find is the challenging part of the LOMC experience. The built-in MC preamp on my amp was not loading the cartridge effectively, so I had to purchase an outboard MC preamp - a Project Phono Box S. I am very happy with my DL-301mkII. However, I have never tried using an SUT with it. I may try that route if someone could recommend one that will match up with my cartridge. I do plan on continuing my adventure into the LOMC world. I would like to try the AT-OC9ML/II next if it is compatible with my Technics deck. Hope this answers your question.

David
 
I'm afraid your poll will be squed at this site as of right now 50% 8 votes for...

Both are good and it doesn't matter <Really!!!:dunno:

But no comments otherwise of how they came to that conclusion. In fact looking at the comments they are overwhelming for MC cartridges.

I'll never use a MM cartridge again and right now all my cartridges are HOMC, the MMs I have are just tossed aside with little care about them what so ever.
 
Jazz station applications is much like Classical station applications. Less backcueing and less tight. Less rushed. I can see where the DL 103 works for that. But most commercial formats outside of Beautiful/Easy Listening of yore would not be MC friendly. That said the DL 103 is the most rugged MC cartridge of the common reasonably priced option.
 
I went from an Ortofon VMS20E & 2M Red to the Denon DL-110 and finally settled on the DL-103. It's my favorite.
 
Went from Grace f9e Ruby (supposedly one of the best MM ever) to a Denon 103R, albeit on a different tonearm and table. (TD-160 Super and TP-16 arm to TD-124 with Empire 980 arm) Huge improvement... Way more punch and slam. Fatter, more tactile tone. Better tracking, just wow...
 
I am one of those who switched back to MM after trying LOMC. System at the time (about 25 years ago) was LP12/Ittok LV II/Linn LK1 preamp/Linn LK2 power amp/Linn Sara loudspeakers. I used the LK1's built-in phono stage. I no longer remember the particular moving magnet cartridge that immediately preceded my purchase of the Linn Asaka moving coil, nor do I remember which moving magnet cartridge I mounted up after the Asaka. I do remember that prices increased so much that the re-tipping fee to keep the Asaka going had risen to more than what I had paid a year earlier to buy the new cartridge, and that the pleasure of using the cartridge was in no way commensurate with its price. With the Linn setup, I had always gotten great satisfaction from my record collection using modestly-priced MM cartridges, the Stanton 681 being a particular favorite. With new styli no longer available from Stanton, the Shure M97xE has for the last eight years or so become my favorite cartridge. I find the M97xE a very natural-sounding transducer, with nothing hyped or exaggerated, making it easy for me to stay engaged with the music for hours on end (its great tracking, warp-handling, and lack of congestion/compression on musical peaks don't hurt, either).
 
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