MC vs MM
- Thread starter Axcel
- Start date
Dude, you have hit this hobby with a fever! Wasn't it less than a year ago that you didn't have any real components to speak of?
A year ago I didn't have a working stereo.
Now I only have 5 pairs of speakers, 2 receivers, 1 integrated amp, 2 phono preamps, 3 turntables, a few hundred albums and a partridge in a pear tree.
But I can give it up anytime, honest.
The only moving coil I've tried in my own system was a Linn Asaka (mounted on an Ittok arm, LP12 turntable, Linn LK1 preamp, Linn LK280 power amp, and Linn Sara speakers). I didn't hear enough improvement over low-cost moving magnets (e.g., Linn K5) to justify the cost difference. I also worked part-time at a small hi-fi shop where I got to experiment with higher-end cartridges in different turntable/tonearm setups, and I just never found cartridge differences to be anywhere close to as significant as turntable and tonearm upgrades. Admittedly I don't care much about detail, imaging, and transparency, but am more attuned to the temporal qualities of pace, rhythm, and timing. I think cartridges have the greatest impact on the playback qualities that are the least important to me.
iLUVanalog
Addicted Member
They each have their own set of pros and cons. I lean more toward moving coils because they have that sonic "magic" that moving magnets many times don't have. MC's are a little finickier with tonearm match-up, whereas MM's are more "tonearm friendly".
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
No going back after a MC.
Zyx forever!
Count me in too! Well, probably not forever but for the foreseeable future, happily.
Oh, and, MC forever!But I can give it up anytime, honest.
No you can't, you're screwed like the rest of us.
Tedrick
Infinity-phile
Ain't that the truth?!?!
A year ago I didn't have a working stereo.
Now I only have 5 pairs of speakers, 2 receivers, 1 integrated amp, 2 phono preamps, 3 turntables, a few hundred albums and a partridge in a pear tree.
But I can give it up anytime, honest.
That's amazing. Where are you finding all your gear here in town?
And, I've not seen a list of what all you have, but I'm curious to know, of you wouldn't mind sharing.
Speakers:
Boston Acoustics A200's of Craigslist
Boston Acoustics A150's from a fellow AK'er in Katy
Boston Acoustics A100's from a fellow AK'er in Tomball
Boston Acoustics A70's of Craigslist
Advent /1 from a fellow AKer in Tomball (What got me into vintage gear)
Receivers:
Yamaha CR1020 from an AK'er on Barter Town it's should be arriving today
JVC 7.1 from Fry's, not bad for $100.00 (What got me started)
Amp:
Luxman L-430 from Sounds Good to Me at Traders Village
Turntables:
Technics SL1200 Mk2 of Amazon
Technics SL1700 from an AK'er on Barter Town
Pro-Ject Perspective from Audiogon
Phono Preamps:
Cambridge Audio 540P of Amazon
Project Tube Box II of Audiogon
Cartridges:
Grado Blue came with SL1700
Denon DL-110 of Amazon
Goldring 1012 GX came with Pro-Ject Perspective
Benz Micro Ace of Audiogon
And some Tubes and Interconnects.
Ohhmmmmmmmm....
Ohhmmmmmmmm....
sounds like a healthy bit of aura has touched your heart
I must say though, it takes a big man to admit that detail, imaging and transparency don't matter much to him. EDIT: and I just mean that in a friendly way, not judging at all. Your post embraces what I call the "aura" part of analog vs digital (and turntables in particular) perfectly.
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zappa28
Member
mm: rega bias 2
^ frankly doesn't sound great.
As per my girlfriend's wishes I'm purging some of my gear (most importantly, the larger, more noticeable stuff) and will be secretly continuing my upgrade addiction by grabbing a mc cart (dl160, 103r, or dyna 10x5 if I find one for a good price) within the next week or so, we'll see if the sound difference is notable enough that I'll get scolded for spending more money on my "hobby."
^ frankly doesn't sound great.
As per my girlfriend's wishes I'm purging some of my gear (most importantly, the larger, more noticeable stuff) and will be secretly continuing my upgrade addiction by grabbing a mc cart (dl160, 103r, or dyna 10x5 if I find one for a good price) within the next week or so, we'll see if the sound difference is notable enough that I'll get scolded for spending more money on my "hobby."
I've been thinking of trying the MC thing myself. I noticed a nice difference when I moved from MM to MI carts.
My favorite is a Grado Signature Model 8M that came with a headshell I bought.
I've just switched to an SME 3009 Pre-Improved to open up my cartridge possibilities a bit more than the Series 2 that I was using. Maybe we should also be mentioning the tonearms we're using in addition to carts.
My favorite is a Grado Signature Model 8M that came with a headshell I bought.
I've just switched to an SME 3009 Pre-Improved to open up my cartridge possibilities a bit more than the Series 2 that I was using. Maybe we should also be mentioning the tonearms we're using in addition to carts.
Duffinator
Spin The Black Circle
I'm using a Signet MK220E LO MC cart on my Pioneer PL-630. The Signet sounds fantastic. One of these days I'll try an external phono stage but for now I use the MC input on my Denon DAP 2500A.
