Upgrade to a phono preamp or cartridge

[jrtrent]

I compared them... I like the Dennon's phono better.. but, i ca't tell if it is for the what it actually is, or is that their line inputs are not catching all that analog smootheness.
So, just can't solely blame the mmf indtegrated one.

So if it is a limitation of the Denon receiver itself, then an outboard phono stage will be of little help, and if replacing the Denon is off the table (as you mentioned previously), then finding a cartridge that's a better match for your current system is the best option. If you have a dealer you can take your system to, he could let you hear different options throughout the playback chain, but without being able to do that, you're left to take your best guess and see what happens.

WizardWG4 mentioned capacitance as a possible problem. The Ortofon OM series has a wide recommended capacitance window of 200-500 pF, as opposed to AT's recommendation of 100-200 pF. You might want to add an Ortofon OM to your list of possible cartridge options.

 

[tiga]

My advice is to keep the AT3600 and replace the stylus with the LP Gear Carbon Fidelity stylus - (tracking at 2.5 - 3g). Take another look at your cartridge alignment and make sure that is good. Run Audyssey on your receiver! Don't be afraid to try some of the sound settings of the receiver - at least set it to Stereo to take advantage of the room correction.

If that isn't making an improvement then go with a phono preamp. Can start with the Art DJ which is cheap but sounds great.

I'm running this exact cartridge/stylus/preamp with my Technics sl1200 and a Yamaha AVR and it sounds great. Running the room correction software made all the difference. Good luck!

 

[mcgjohn]

Trying to get the sound update
What I have:
- MusicHall mm 1.5
- Dennon AVR-S760H receiver with the phono stage, that I am using
- Quite Nice large B&W old speakers

Cambridge Audio Alva Solo or​

Schiit Mani 2 Phono Preamp f​

Both are a little above my budget but .. if it is a worthy update, I could stretch ...

For the Cartridge I am looking at the AT-VM95 EN ..
But, I can only do one or the other, so ... given I have a Phono stage in the Denon receiver ..
what would be a better option
- To upgrade the pre-amp
- To upgrade the cartridge ?

does your Denon have an Analogue pass through or does everything go through DSP?

if the latter, then stick with what you have.

if the former, then take a look at the EAR clone phono stages. Will be a large step up in performance over what you have now.

 

[mkane]

If the op play records as is a 95 c might be a option

 

[DavidTT]

I'd try an elliptical stylus for the cartridge you have, one from turntableneedles.com or thevoiceofmusic.com for not much money. See what that does for you. If you yearn for better, an external phono preamp would be a logical next step. Something like a U-Turn Pluto 2 or Cambridge Alva Solo would be nice choices for not much money, perhaps even used from ebay for less than $100.

If you are just getting into phono listening, beware that it becomes a never-ending rabbit hole of chasing increasingly small improvements that cost more and more money. With HiRes streaming being so good and so affordable, I'm not sure I'd get into phono at all in 2023 if I weren't already neck deep. Just food for thought. Phono is a small-budget killer.