Is there a cartridge that does the best of both?

cmb3366 said:
What you want pretty well describes a Grado Sonata; the only difference being that the Sonata is better in all respects than the best qualities of either mentioned cartridge. It out-Grado's the Gold on the low end, and its closer to a decent moving coil than the AT on the high end, with tons of richness and detail in the middle.

Find a dealer to listen to one, that will make the decision easy.
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Yep, it's my favorite Grado for price vs. performance, but at $500 new it's a bit out of his league....

It also may hum like crazy on a Rega....

One of these days I'll scan in an article written by Corey Greenburg and published in the now defunct "Audio" magazine about what he did to get a P-3 quietened down enough to enjoy a Grado Platinum....

And while I haven't heard the Denon DL160, I do have an earlier DL-300, which was not an expensive cartridge listing for $100 back in the '80's, and is a low output version of the 160, and it sounds dyn-o-mite!

The DL-103S Shibata I have is also a different beast than the normal conical stylus in today's DL103 and it is really the only one I've ever listened to, but it's also a great cartridge...but unobtainium....

.
 
RickB said:
Yep, it's my favorite Grado for price vs. performance, but at $500 new it's a bit out of his league....

It also may hum like crazy on a Rega....

One of these days I'll scan in an article written by Corey Greenburg and published in the now defunct "Audio" magazine about what he did to get a P-3 quietened down enough to enjoy a Grado Platinum....

And while I haven't heard the Denon DL160, I do have an earlier DL-300, which was not an expensive cartridge listing for $100 back in the '80's, and is a low output version of the 160, and it sounds dyn-o-mite!

The DL-103S Shibata I have is also a different beast than the normal conical stylus in today's DL103 and it is really the only one I've ever listened to, but it's also a great cartridge...but unobtainium....

.
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No need to do any funny business to get a quiet wood bodied Grado on an A/C motor table, just buy the low output version, and a phono stage capable of driving it at 47kohm.

My Pro-ject has a 24 pole A/C sync motor right under the platter, and there is not one bit of hum.
 
stuckinthe70s said:
2 carts were mentioned here, the Shure V15III and Sumiko Pearl. I have both, the V15 is equipped with the Jico SAS and is currently my top runner. Incidently, just this last week I remounted the Pearl to give it another listen since I haven't used it in over a year. I do like it, it has a nice midrange most of the time, decent hf although leans towards being slightly rolled off on some music. And as others have said, is slightly bloated on the bottom, but not bad. By comparison, the Shure is more neutral- it doesn't add anything nor does it remove anything from the music. It just seems to do most things right. And it always tracks flawlessly, with no hints of sibilence. I like it. Of course on your table with your amp and your speakers, the Pearl might perform better. It is however a great bargain for it's price, which is roughly the same as the SAS stylus for the V15.
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I would be careful about the Shure if you like a good midrange, don't get me wrong I did like the sound of the one I heard, its just very neutral. Not saying don't try one if you like, just that it is a very flat cart, which I would have a hard time living with because of (I'm just a midrange junkie).
 
Brett a said:
What Dynavector was it? Did it sound like the best of a Grado Gold combined with the best of an AT440MLa?
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As I said, it was the model preceding the dv10x5; I guess the dv10x4? I have an AT440MLa and a Shure V-15, and the Dynavector sounded better than both.
 
Brett a said:
Hi
I recently bought a used Rega P2 (with Incognito wiring) that came with a Grado Gold. I'd been using an AT440MLa for the last year and, long story short, now when I am listening to the AT440MLa (which I have mounted on the P2) I miss the Grado richness and presence, and when I'm using the Grado, I miss the detail, openness and tracking ability of the MLa.

Is there a cartridge (~$200) that would work well with my P2 w/RB 250 arm that will perform like the AT 440MLa while at the same time delivering the mid/low richness of the Grado Gold?

Thanks in advance.
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of course, it goes without saying that no cartridge "does it all" (especially at the price level of which you're speaking)....unless you're ready to unload a ton of money on a top-of-the-line dynavector, koetsu, benz-micro, 47 labs, clearaudio, or other top-tier brand....and even these very high-cost cartridges have sonic "limitations"....albeit minute.
 
iLUVanalog said:
of course, it goes without saying that no cartridge "does it all" ...
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Obviously it doesn't :D
No harm in trying to get as close as I can within my means.

I know, this hobby is rife with compromises. I'm just looking for something a bit more balanced than what I've got. There have been some good suggestions so far, don't you think?
 
With full awareness that i acted contrary to much of your advice, I have an AT 150MLx on its way.

Why, you might ask? Well, I decided to cash in $200 worth of Amazon gift card from my credit card points program and the only choices at Amazon were the 150MLx or the Denon 160.

I was concerned that the Denon, although different, would not be an obvious upgrade from my 440 MLa. And I've been curious about the 150MLx for a long time. So took this opportunity to pick one up for $50 out-of-pocket (one way of looking at it). I figure if I don't love it, I can quickly re-pack it and sell it used/low hours and move on. If I sold all my carts (the 440MLa, the Grado Gold, and the 150MLX), I might just be able to swing a Dyna 10x5 or something similarly sexy and out of my current price range.

Thanks for all your input guys. This thread introduced me to the Shure V15 II/III's reputation--seems like something any self-respecting analog hobbyist should know.
:thmbsp:
 
Well hope you like the MLX!! Make sure and tell us what you think of it once it arrives, I love to hear what people think of there carts.
 
You could do what I did, I have a grado green on my AR XA (famous combination for grado hum) that I did the longhorn mod on. I didn't care for the hum so I ordered mu-metal online and used that to shield my AR motor, that pretty much got rid of the hum.:thmbsp:
Mark
 
Brett a,

Please do keep us posted, I posted a similar question, having ran a much liked Grado and changed to the 440mla, then wanted even more. I had to rule out the 150 as it was just too heavy for my arm. I'm still looking for an alternative and am leaning toward an Ortofon Om with line contact stylus. But I really do like what the 440 does right and hope the 150 will do even more for you.
 
First impressions

...and maybe I'll start another thread when I get more time.

The AT150MLx was waiting at my door when I got home last night. Even though I was exhausted, I managed to get it mounted and aligned by 10:00pm. (It took most of 30 minutes-The screws/nuts were particularly fidgety for some reason)

Short review:

Oh my f&@king word! I had no idea my system was capable of such performance! I was up until 2:00am listening to record after record (my wife wasn't home).

More to follow...
 
Brett a said:
...and maybe I'll start another thread when I get more time.

The AT150MLx was waiting at my door when I got home last night. Even though I was exhausted, I managed to get it mounted and aligned by 10:00pm. (It took most of 30 minutes-The screws/nuts were particularly fidgety for some reason)

Short review:

Oh my f&@king word! I had no idea my system was capable of such performance! I was up until 2:00am listening to record after record (my wife wasn't home).

More to follow...
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awesome !!! sounds like you found a winner!
 
Well, after the 150 arrives, make sure to give it at least 20 hours to settle in. I think you'll find it detailed while not being harsh at all. But let us know?
 
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