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Low output MC carts for a SOTA Sapphire

Thanks tabarrdin51 for the info. It is loaded at 1000 but I had it on MC setting. It sounded decent, better than what I have been using by far but I will set it to MM and see how it sounds. I can now see why people go the MC route, way superior sound as long as the phono amp is up to the challenge. Loving vinyl more than ever.
 
tabarddn51 said:
Please discount to recommendation to go to a Decca cart as they have a low compliance & require a heavy, (the heavier the better) weight arm.
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If you've had bad experiences with a Decca and a 309, just say so. Otherwise, your generalization is incorrect and a disservice.

@k600r - I think you'd be fine, but you can always glue a nickel to the headshell, or move the 309 along...
 
sqlsavior said:
If you've had bad experiences with a Decca and a 309, just say so. O
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In my 309 the Decca Gold tracked ok, but frequently caught the outer edge of some records. The Super Gold with its clipped corners didn't catch the edge of any records but tracked poorly in the same undamped 309. A 3 gram head shell weight did not fix the tracking issues.

In my system the Deccas hum at about a 40 dB level. Annoying between songs, but not really noticeable when the music plays. The Decca design does produce an immediacy and vibrancy unlike anything else I've heard, so I understand why people like them so much.

I put the Super Gold into a Decca International tone arm (a vintage damped unipivot) and the cart tracks beautifully. Still hums though. Maybe it doesn't know all the words?
 
The Benz Micro Gold is a low output, Silver is high output.

I'm real partial to the Denon DL-301 for something inexpensive, then the Dynavector 20x2, then stepping up to a Lyra.

My 312 wears a Lyra Kleos. Soon going to add a SoundSmith The Voice on my 2nd headshell.
 
A
dcmfan said:
OP said he had a 309, not 3009. Effective mass =9.5 grams.
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Ah thanks misread that, put in an extra 0…

Was wondering about the Decca Gold hum you described, Grado’s hum on particular turntables, is there a correlation between them?

VR
Andy
 
Mine hummed in my Teac Magnefloat, but not on the Technics, and not on the Marantz. On a Jelco SA-750L, the cartridge behaves like a dream. On the Clearaudio Satisfy tonearm on the Marantz (8g effective mass) it is a challenge to stick the landing, but the tracking once down is great. fwiw

I do believe there is a synergy between the Decca and my Fosgate Signature phono preamp that is not matched by my Luxman phono stage.

IME, Decca + Fosgate + Quads = Magic.

:music:
 
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Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II on a Well Tempered Classic V arm on my Sapphire.

The 33 series is said to sound a wee bit warmer than the OC9 series.
I would avoid Shibata tipped pickups from A-T. More expensive than MicroLine, more fuzzy to set up, faster wearing too.
So: get one like mine or the AT33EV version, or an OC9XML or OC9XEN.
 
adnick said:
Was wondering about the Decca Gold hum you described, Grado’s hum on particular turntables, is there a correlation between them?
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Never tried a Grado, but from what I've read Grado Hum is from intereference from the TT motor and the cart - it tends to get a little louder as the tonearm moves closer to the motor. The Decca hum I'm getting is constant regardless of tonearm position.

sqlsavior said:
IME, Decca + Fosgate + Quads = Magic.
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When the Deccas play well they sound really good, I'm sure.

k600r said:
Since the Benz runs at 2.5 milivolts
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k600r said:
Off I go to listen and tweak
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I like the sound of my Benz at 1000 ohms. At 2.5 mV, the low gain setting on the Fosgate might be the better option.
 
dcmfan said:
Never tried a Grado, but from what I've read Grado Hum is from intereference from the TT motor and the cart - it tends to get a little louder as the tonearm moves closer to the motor. The Decca hum I'm getting is constant regardless of tonearm position.
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Have never owned a Decca so can’t comment, but have used several Grado’s on several different tables and when they hum it’s very table dependent, not behaving the same on every table. More along the lines of @sqlsavior experience with hum….

VR
Andy
 
A Benz Glider is a very respectable cartridge, whether its high output or not. You can do a lot worse than it, and a $2K cartridge may be an improvement, but I wager it will not be a night and day difference. Now it is a dainty cartridge with that cantilever hanging out in open air and the coil wires exposed on the sides, so one must be careful with it. I would suggest investing that money into the mag lev bearing, and the Eclipse motor controller before I spent money on a cartridge. I would also make sure you have the Cosmos level armboard also.
 
sqlsavior - You should learn about the effect of low compliance cartridges when used with low Effective mass arms. You loose base depth & impact.
Yes they will work & track, but you are just trowing away the bottom end. Visit the site below & plug in the numbers, then look at how bad the match is. Yes you can make it work better by adding around 18 to 10 grams of head-shell weight & whatever increase of counterweight needs to compensate.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...m/calculator&usg=AOvVaw3TZBwCCUJnkZylN5_xdzus

How do know all this, well I have owed a 309 a few years ago when I was developing my range a 12'' tonearms. So I think I do know a little bit about the subject

Cheers Derek
 
I have a Music Hall 9.1 with the Fosgate Signature and really like them. The manual for the Fosgate recommends using the mc mode for carts 1mv and under. In a thread on Canuck Audio Mart members spoke of finding carts with less 0.5 mv raising the noise floor and lacking dynamics. I agree. I am now using Hana sl 0.5 mv. Before that in order Benz Micro Glider L 0.3 mv, Dynavector 20x2L 0.3mv and a Goldring Eroica LX 0.5 mv. Cheers
 
Mister Pig said:
That holds for the OC9 II, but the later versions are voiced with a fuller sound. OC9 III and the new XLS and XSH are not voiced as lean as the II series
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My comparison is limited to the original OC-9 and the OC-9ML, I've never heard a II, III or the newer, easier to install, OC-9's.
 
kbwhaaland said:
Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II on a Well Tempered Classic V arm on my Sapphire.

The 33 series is said to sound a wee bit warmer than the OC9 series.
I would avoid Shibata tipped pickups from A-T. More expensive than MicroLine, more fuzzy to set up, faster wearing too.
So: get one like mine or the AT33EV version, or an OC9XML or OC9XEN.
Click to expand...
I owned the AT33PTG/ii and now have the ATOC9XSL and the XSL is much more full and warmer than 33ptg/ii.


Audiofreak71
 
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