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What 2 carts to use???

ace420

ace420

333 only 1/2 evil :-)
Hi. I have a collection of cartridges (13) & I am looking for opinions on what 2 would be the best match for my TT's (Systemdek IIX with Profile arm & Denon DP-40F). I will offer the remaining ones for = trade for a replacement stylus for the 2 I keep. I am debating over the top 6 in the pic but I am leaning towards the Shure V15 with a new Ed Saunders stylus on the systemdek & the ADC XLM with a new XLM MKIII or MKII improved stylus for the Denon. Any opinions would be great!!

Here are my carts starting top L to R ** = needs stylus
AKG, P7E ** - ADC, XLM ** - Shure, V15 type III (cheaper aftermarket stylus??) - Grado, 8MX - Ortofon, 2M red (3 months old) - Signet by AT, TK5E **
Ortofon, FF10XE - Audio Technica, AT70 ** - Shure, M70EJ - Shure M93E
Shure, M75 typeD - Audio Technica, AT3482H/U (10-20hrs of use) - Hitachi, VM
 

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My advice would be to keep three:
Get a good stylus for the V15 III and use it and the Grado on your everyday to good vinyl and then keep the Shure M70 for parties and for your less than perfect vinyl that may just need a stylus tracking at 2 grams.

You've got some other nice cartridges there--I like the Signet, the Ortofon 2M, and the AT70 myself--and others may give you entirely different advice. So I guess he best advice would be to play each of them and let your ears decide.
 
Hard to find replacement styli for the ADC line. I'd likely let those go. The AT70 and the Signet are low / mid line cartridges, as is the Audio Technica, AT3482H/U. However, the latter can be upgraded to with a Shibata stylus which might make it a very strong performer. The Shures are also good mid line cartridges, with of course the exception of the Shure V15 III. I'd suggest at least the William Thacker or LP Gear replacement stylus for the V15 is you intend to hang on to it. The Ortofon FF10XE is a good performer, but the 2M Red may be even a better performer. The Hitachi is OK, but nothing special.

So, I'd hang on to the 2M Red, which you can always upgrade the stylus for. The Audio Technica AT3482H/U would be interesting with the Shibata upgrade, but if you're not prepared to spend $120 for a stylus upgrade, let it go. The Shure V15 III is a keeper, but deserves a good stylus, which may run at least $55.
 
pilotputz said:
My advice would be to keep three:
Get a good stylus for the V15 III and use it and the Grado on your everyday to good vinyl and then keep the Shure M70 for parties and for your less than perfect vinyl that may just need a stylus tracking at 2 grams.

You've got some other nice cartridges there--I like the Signet, the Ortofon 2M, and the AT70 myself--and others may give you entirely different advice. So I guess he best advice would be to play each of them and let your ears decide.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your opinion.
I have only been able to hear 2 of the top 6 at their full potential with a good stylus, The Grado 8MX & the Ortofon 2m. I have read many good reveiws of the other top 4 but I don't have the $$ to buy stylus's for them for testing. I wish I could!! :-)
 
You're going to get a lot of different answers because everyone has their own taste in what cartridges sound good or bad to them. The correct answers should also take into account proper matching of cartridge compliance to the effective mass of the arms on your Systemdek and Denon tables. Do you know if the tonearms are light or medium mass?
 
ChairSpud said:
You're going to get a lot of different answers because everyone has their own taste in what cartridges sound good or bad to them. The correct answers should also take into account proper matching of cartridge compliance to the effective mass of the arms on your Systemdek and Denon tables. Do you know if the tonearms are light or medium mass?
Click to expand...

I realize personal taste is a factor, But what else can I do? :scratch2:
I believe the Systemdek is a low mass & the Denon a high mass? Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong!
 
Ace, a bit more information from you would help a lot, have you heard each one of the cartridges and what are there qualities of the different cartridges you do and don't like, do you prefer warm, bright, dynamic, neutral, lots of bass, lots of detail, listenable for long periods, sound stage, etc. Based on your comments we can make better recommendations of cartridges that would work well with your tables and also sound good to you.
 
ChairSpud said:
Ace, a bit more information from you would help a lot, have you heard each one of the cartridges and what are there qualities of the different cartridges you do and don't like, do you prefer warm, bright, dynamic, neutral, lots of bass, lots of detail, listenable for long periods, sound stage, etc. Based on your comments we can make better recommendations of cartridges that would work well with your tables and also sound good to you.
Click to expand...

Let me break the selection down a bit. Through listening, researching reviews & chat forums I feel the top 6 carts in the pic are the best of the bunch! Out of these 6 I have only been able to hear 2 of them at their full potential, with a good stylus, The Grado 8MX & the Ortofon 2M.
The Ortofon 2M has the sound I like but lacks the warmth of the Grado.
 
Unfortunately none of the cartridges you listed will give you the 2M Red sound with the warmth of the Grado 8MX so you'll have to decide what you're willing to settle for.

So, not much to go on here but doesn't sound to me like you'd really like the AT or Signet sound so let's take them off the table. Don't believe you can get stylus for the AKG and don't remember them being very warm anyway. What's left in your top 6 are the ADC XLM, Shure V15, Grado 8MX and Ortofon 2M Red. I'd consider all 4 good cartridges that you may like. Genuine stylus for the ADC might cost up to $100 for a nice XLM, a new JICO or NOS stylus for the Shure won't be cheap either. I'd concentrate then on what's left that you've already got good stylus for, the Grado on the Denon and Ortofon on the Systemdek, that's what I'd suggest.
 
ChairSpud said:
Unfortunately none of the cartridges you listed will give you the 2M Red sound with the warmth of the Grado 8MX so you'll have to decide what you're willing to settle for.

So, not much to go on here but doesn't sound to me like you'd really like the AT or Signet sound so let's take them off the table. Don't believe you can get stylus for the AKG and don't remember them being very warm anyway. What's left in your top 6 are the ADC XLM, Shure V15, Grado 8MX and Ortofon 2M Red. I'd consider all 4 good cartridges that you may like. Genuine stylus for the ADC might cost up to $100 for a nice XLM, a new JICO or NOS stylus for the Shure won't be cheap either. I'd concentrate then on what's left that you've already got good stylus for, the Grado on the Denon and Ortofon on the Systemdek, that's what I'd suggest.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I have been using the 2M on the Systemdek & the Grado on the Denon:thmbsp:
I found a site that has the XLMII improved or XLMIII stylus for around $75.00 & as for the V15 III, I have read some good reviews on the Ed Saunders replacement stylus for $40.00. Any experience with this stylus? The Jico Japan one is $180.00, ouch!
 
Sorry haven't touched a V15 III since the 80's but several guys here know a lot about stylus for the V15, you'd probably might get some good responses if you start a new thread asking about it. Yikes!!! $180 is a lot for a stylus.

The XLM is one of my favorite cartridges and can sound great with a new stylus, since you seem to like a warmer sound I'd suggest if you go that route you look at the MkII Improved.
 
ChairSpud said:
Sorry haven't touched a V15 III since the 80's but several guys here know a lot about stylus for the V15, you'd probably might get some good responses if you start a new thread asking about it. Yikes!!! $180 is a lot for a stylus.

The XLM is one of my favorite cartridges and can sound great with a new stylus, since you seem to like a warmer sound I'd suggest if you go that route you look at the MkII Improved.
Click to expand...

Just made a trade this morning. A gentleman is ordering me the Ed Saunders stylus for my V15 & I am sending him the Grado. I hope it lives up to the reviews I've read!
I think I will try to do the same sort of deal for 1 or 2 of my other carts for the XLM stylus. Thanks again!
 
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I've decided on the Shure V15, the XLM & I'm going to hang on to the 2M to mount it on a second headshell for the Denon. A few of the others are going on some turntables that I have for sale & the rest are up for sale or trade!
 
Just checked out Jico...

ace420 said:
Thanks for the advice. I have been using the 2M on the Systemdek & the Grado on the Denon:thmbsp:
I found a site that has the XLMII improved or XLMIII stylus for around $75.00 & as for the V15 III, I have read some good reviews on the Ed Saunders replacement stylus for $40.00. Any experience with this stylus? The Jico Japan one is $180.00, ouch!
Click to expand...

Their prices ranged fr0m 49.99 to like 119.99. Sold my V15 type III to Tinman. Used the cash for a stylus for a M55 Shure. Spent 29.99 plus shipping, Sounds really good on my Dual 1019 right out of the box. You might try a 49.99 stylus on it. I am very pleased with the $29 stylus. Just hooked up my SX 850 upstairs. After fours years of not using the LR set, I may start hanging out here instead of the shop:music:

Eric:D
 
ace420 said:
The Jico Japan one is $180.00, ouch!
Click to expand...

Huh? I paid $97 for a JICO VN35HE SAS stylus in January. And I'm thrilled with it. The HE stylus is listed for $73 and the elliptical is $68.

Edit: $180 sounds more in line with the prices I've read about for a genuine NOS Shure VN35HE.
 
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You can pay $97.00 for a Jico or be patient and watch THAT auction site and nab a NOS Shure stylus. Case in point: I have a VN35E that had seen many years of use and was getting towards the end of its life. My choices were Ed Saunders, JICO or NOS. For $145.00, just $48.00 more than the JICO I got a NOS VN35MR which took this cartridge to a new level. The JICO's get a lot of good press here but so far I haven't wanted to plop $97.00 on someone else's stylus when good NOS styli still exist. I had no problem buying a 1979/1980 stylus because the one I replaced was from 1976 and still going strong. To me, it was worth the $145.00 to keep it all original. Find a nice HE or MR and you'll be happy! Just my 2 cents.
 
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