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New cartridge suggestions

Krasdale

Krasdale

New Member
Hey all,
I'm looking to upgrade soon, and it's been difficult getting good information on cartridge/tonearm matching. Ultimately, I'm looking for a LOMC that would work well with a Jelco TK-850S tonearm (effective mass of 13.4g) and a Tavish Design Adagio phono stage. The turntable is a heavily modified AR ES-1.
Cartridges I'm considering are the Dynavector XX2, Dynavector 20X2L, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, MusiKraft DL-103, and the Lyra Delos. At the extreme end of my budget would be something like a Cadenza Bronze, Koetsu Black, or Koetsu Rosewood Standard.
Do any of you have experience using these carts with this particular arm? What are some I should cross of the list and what are some that I should add? I appreciate your help!
 
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I have an Oracle Delphi been running with a Charisma MC-1. For fun I ordered a cheap Denon DL-103

Pleasantly surprised. 1/3rd teh price of the Charisma and sounds good. Different flavor and apples to oranges. I was hesitant when I read the 2.5g force and the cheap mounting (non threaded) but man, it tracks like a champ and doesnt sound cheap to me. In fact it has the omph the Charisma lacked. The Charisma is a fine cartridge and much more "fancy". I enjoyed it. But I am starting to wonder how much the high end cart game is fluff.
 
Krasdale said:
Hey all,
I'm looking to upgrade soon, and it's been difficult getting good information on cartridge/tonearm matching. Ultimately, I'm looking for a LOMC that would work well with a Jelco TK-850S tonearm (effective mass of 13.4g) and a Tavish Design Adagio phono stage. The turntable is a heavily modified AR ES-1.
Click to expand...

Did you get anything yet?
 
sqlsavior said:
Not in your list but maybe it should be: London Decca Super Gold.
Click to expand...
Plus 1 I have over 45 carts many mc's mi and mm literally 10's of thousands worth of carts, my best is my Decca super gold. The rest are music, the Decca is a live performance. There are good carts, then the Decca. ..
Chris
 
Look for a poorman's Koetsu, Monster Genesis 2000. They are hard to find, been looking for one for a while. NOS will set you back 700. The people behind this cartridge went on to start Zyx CARTRIDGES.
 
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qdrone said:
Look for a poorman's Koetsu, Monster Genesis 2000. They are hard to find, been looking for one for a while. NOS will set you back 700. The people behind this cartridge went on to start Zyx CARTRIDGES.
Click to expand...

The Genesis is an awesome cartridge. I have no 1st hand experience with the OP's tonearm. However I can say that for the past week I've been thoroughly enjoying an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze on a mid mass Sony PUA-1600L. I was expecting good things, but have been blown away
 
srs735 said:
The Genesis is an awesome cartridge. I have no 1st hand experience with the OP's tonearm. However I can say that for the past week I've been thoroughly enjoying an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze on a mid mass Sony PUA-1600L. I was expecting good things, but have been blown away
Click to expand...

I remember coming across a Cadenza Bronze review. I had forgotten how old it is!

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue51/cadenza.htm

Cheers
Mister Pig
 
I'm not sure you'll get a better sound from your list, over the 2M Black.
Different, certainly, yet the one you have is a lovely cart for itself.
 
nkorah said:
I'm not sure you'll get a better sound from your list, over the 2M Black.
Different, certainly, yet the one you have is a lovely cart for itself.
Click to expand...

The 2m Black is great. However according to it's specs it pairs better with a low mass arm than a medium mass arm. I had tried one on various arms and almost gave up on it until I paired it with a Stax Ua7 tonearm. Suddenly it came to life.

Thanks @Mister Pig for digging up that article. I'd been on the fence about buying my Cadenza Bronze until I read it. I'm certainly not disappointed ;)
 
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