What kind of cartridge do ya recon? (yet again)

[Embryos]

The 681 series Stanton was the calibration series for many years and the 681EEE was my favorite of the type. Tracked well, great imaging, being just a hair forward, and nice clean bass. During the same period I also owned Ortofons among others. And though I preferred the sound of the Ortofons they did not track as well, could be heavy and required careful set up. V-15's of the period from Shure lacked the quality control of the Stantons. And though the V model has a great following, alas Like the Stanton 981 is not longer available. So I would choose the Stanton. Now Ortofon is now making great non moving coil cartridges, to day. They are the most popular now among professionals, If you like tingling highs, you'll love AT, me not so much. Ive become a Dynavector camp member and that's out of your desired budget. But they have a beautiful sound and have brought me back to the LP fold. Quite an achievement in my case.

great..thanks for the details. i think you are the first to mention "great imaging". what do you mean by this?

 

[Embryos]

Regarding your stereo gear (since you asked); ultimately, if it sounds good it is good. I've only heard Polk 7's a couple of times but they were very sweet. The Technics 1200 has its own world wide fan base for good reason. The receiver I don't have direct experience with but the specs look nice. Personally, I think the whole thing is probably pretty nice sonically but visually I might go with an earlier receiver. Something between,say, mid-70s to very early 80s. In this period there are about a gazillion great pieces with a silver face (to match the record player) and a wood look cabinet to match the speakers and the cabinet you have it all sitting on. Please don't ask which one you should look for - you'll get a gazillion answers! I happen to like Pioneer products these days. I have also had really great Technics components. And I just had a very nice Realistic pass through my hands (bought it for a friend who lost his in a house fire). My girlfriend installed a beautiful Mitsubishi in the living room. Oh, it just goes on and on. Oh, like I said, a gazillion answers! Nevermind.

Oh yeah FYI..its not a "cabinet" Its a "credenza"! get it right! haha my wife and I constantly laugh about the "Cruh-DEN-zuh". Oh dont put drinks on the "credenza". Good afternoon mailman, do youu like our "credenza"... . oh Hello jehovas witnesses! do you ever get jelly of the Shakers and Quakers ability to build beautiful "credenzas"? proper terms sure are entertaining sometimes.

 

[welcomdmat]

Used carts -- they can be a bit of a chance. You could go the route of becoming a member here and the putting out what you are looking for. A better chance in this community for a honest description, but I have not yet been burned with patience and the right questions.

 

[malden]

Embryos,

The Shure M35x is a wise choice, especially for a beginner. It will work well in the Technics tonearm and will not hurt your records in any way as long as you keep your records clean and the turntable is properly set-up.

 

[crispycircuit]

Let us know what you think? There's plenty of turntables that need a cheap cartridge....

 

[rebellovw]

when Cartridges are shaped like the KAB you are suggesting (long angled cylindrical),, are those marketed for DJ use? What is the benifit to a cartridge like that? Thanks

They were like that before dj u
se

I bought one in 79 and it was called a Concorde for its shape like the cool jet at the time

 

[twiiii]

Imaging is difficult for LP's. With the changing record EQ as the cutting stylus traces across a record the relation ship between frequencies changes. The vast amount of record and play back equalization makes things difficult to. Get the stylus mounted correctly is easier today than it has ever been but still a chore. So maintaining the timing relations ships throughout the frequency spectrum are almost impossible, especially when the relation ship between the stylus and the record groove is wrong. What does this all mean. Every LP has a characteristic sound that is suppose to replicate what is heard when the recording is made. If the timing between frequencies throughout the spectrum is corrupted in any way the image of the sound will be compromised. When all the frequencies are produced correctly with proper timing then the imaging will be accurate. Imaging is the relation ship between the instruments and vocal artists as presented to the ear by the system that forms a mental picture to the brain of the listener of the performance. If the system pushes the soloist to far forward or backward between the speakers, if there is only a left and right and not a continuous spread of sound between the speakers, if groups or individual instruments or voices are suppressed or made to prominent, then the imaging is said to have been corrupted. I prefer to use recordings with only two or three microphones as a source as they are less apt to corrupt the original imaging of the original sound. Sheffield is known for their Stereo mic recordings, where only one mic with two elements is used, Guaranteeing the true perspective of the performance, imaging.

 

[Eric Lloyd]

Oh yeah FYI..its not a "cabinet" Its a "credenza"! get it right! haha my wife and I constantly laugh about the "Cruh-DEN-zuh". Oh dont put drinks on the "credenza". Good afternoon mailman, do youu like our "credenza"... . oh Hello jehovas witnesses! do you ever get jelly of the Shakers and Quakers ability to build beautiful "credenzas"? proper terms sure are entertaining sometimes.

Yes, it is a nice credenza. I think it's a little different to have the hi-fi in the foyer, but it is a lovely contrast to the lime green wall, especially with the Polks continuing the medium-dark theme.

It seems the M35x is the cartridge du jour. It's getting pushed pretty hard here. I have not tried one. I think carts designed for dj use often have a stiffer suspension than those intended for home use. I allow that I might be wrong. I had an AT-2P (dj cart) that seemed best at 3.5g. Alas, that kind of VTF did not allow me to sleep well at night so I dropped it in a drawer somewhere.

I HAVE heard the M97xe and the AT-120E. Both were excellent in their own ways. I'm currently running an AT-71E on my Pioneer record player. I have an AT-95B installed on my friends deck - he likes it, it's a bit too bright for me. I have a few vintage Realistic (Shure) carts that are all wonderful but I grew out of the cart swapping mania I was in and the AT-71E has a nice synergy with my current living room system. I have a linear contact cart that is super nice - can't stand it because most of my records aren't up to that kind of scrutiny.

These days, when looking at specs, I always look for an elliptical stylus measuring 3x7 or 4x7. I find that a 4x7 tip is a very happy medium for my collection - a good balance between extracting nice details and minimizing old record noise. A conical stylus can sound very good, but I often find the level of detail not quite satisfying. Those in my small collection smaller than 0.3 pick up too much noise and pops to be very enjoyable. All this is only my personal tick, of course. I thought it might be nice to know why people pick certain things, so there you go.

I probably should have pronounced it kre~DENZ~a (rolling the RRRR).

 

[danj]

Also, can you describe the "Shure sound" to any extent? or would we need a poet? thanks!

There are numerous threads in this forum that discuss the Shure sound, esp the V15 and M97 series cartridges. Personally, I'm a Shure fan and appreciate their rather 'neutral' (flat) sound.

 

[welcomdmat]

When I changed the capacitance in my setup, my cartridge choice changed (had my table rewired; based on listening). People can tell you about a cartridge, but it is only one piece (an important piece) in the sound of the system. There is no poet needed to describe different in-house sounds -- your ears will be deciding factor.

Your system may sound better with 'x' to a trained listener and you don't like it, you may like something that is bright to some people, you make like something that rolls off highs, you may find you like something that tracks heavy and that you are not the type to get too concerned about that (and there is nothing wrong with that).

I read a lot of threads on different cartridges when I started this whole thing a few years ago, and I learned a lot -- this is a very valuable forum with many great posters and a lot of knowledge/ experience. Still, I learned a lot more by listening -- that is when I was able to say "oh, I see what they mean" or "I am starting to understand why it sounds that way with the system that they have".

 

[slate1]

I purchased the shure m35x..but am considering the ATmlb next. That would fit a standard technics headshell correct?

Absolutely.