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Your Top 5 older cartridges

ADC XLM Mk III with XTIV stylys
Acutex 312 III STR
Pickering XL-33 with DTL2s
ADC PSX 40
Shure SC39 ED or M91E with N91HE
 
I've had many vintage carts come and go, and these are the ones currently in use/rotation on my tables. They have OEM styli except where noted:

Grado G1 with 8MZ stylus
Shure M97HE and also the integrated headshell verison, M97HE-AH
Ortofon OM30 and its twin, the Digitrac 300SE
Grado F3E+ with 8MZ stylus
Shure/Realistic RXT6 (rebadged M111E) — mounted on a Dual 1009 where height of the the P-mount adapter actually helps get the arm closer to level
 
Stanton 881, 981 HZL , V-15V MR, Ortofon Sl 20 II MC30, and Dynavector IV & V . Now that the MP100 installed I may retire the 20 X2 HO and step up to a XX2. BUT I have to decide on whether I want a Prime Signature or an Aries 3 D. I need a new photo to show the update.
 
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Okay.....this is a tough one....but here goes:

Shure (Realistic) V15rs with a Jico neo SAS vn5xmr stylus ( I have a bunch of Shure carts but the V15rs sounds the best to my ears....might qualify as a Frankencart
Audio Technica OC9/iii (not sure if this qualifies as vintage)
Dynavector Karat 17d2MR
Grado Statement Reference wood body (needs 58-60db gain) I am using a cheap Emotiva XPS-1 that has a synergy with this cart that is uncanny
Micro Acoustic MA-2002e
Signet TK9

Someone should start a thread for top 5 vintage TP4 carts....I have a bunch and I love them in a Technics SH90s headshell on a good pivot arm tonearm. Maybe I will start one...TP4 carts don't get as much respect as they deserve.
 
These are the four cartridges I used on my AR XA:

Shure M91ED (the turntable was an XA-91, so it came with this cartridge installed)
Empire 2000E/III
Micro-Acoustics 282e. My favorite of the lot, even though it seemed to accentuate surface noise on some records.
Ortofon OM-20
 
Surprised there are no AKG cartridges in this topic.

AKG P8E or P8ES
AKG P8ES Nova or Super Nova
Empire 2000Z
Shure V15 Vmxr
Ortophone 2M Blue
 
Grace F9 with Soundsmith Nude Elliptical stylus-Aluminum Cantilever
Signet TK7E
Audio-Technica AT20SLa
 
Micro Acoustics 282e
Shure V15 III
Shure ML140HE
Pickering XV15 750E / Stanton 681EE
AT 12Sa [Shibata]

Music sounds so much different on the MA cartridge. I think that the rest of the list pales in comparison.
 
Fidelity Research FR-7
Phillips GP922
Klipsch MCZ-7
Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk3F
Grace F8L with VN35HE NeoSAS/S

My Ortofon SPU, Koetsu Rosewood, Supex Rosewood long body don't quite make the cut.... Actually there's carts I'd rank higher from Pickering and Denon.
 
My favorites:
Audio Technica ML440a
Shure M91 w/Jico Hyper-Elliptical stylus (in use)
Audio Technica ART9 (in use)
Audio Technica AT15xe used many moons ago
Grado X1+ w/MCZ - thought it was great till the ART9 arrived
 
I threw ought my V-15 V, my Stanton 981, and Ortofon MC 30 when I broke the cantilevers. I gave my Dynavector 10X 4 to my oldest and kept the 10 X 5 as a back up to my 20 X 2 HO. I had my Shure and Stantons for over 20 years, but they failed and I discovered Dynavector in 2008 as a best guess. When my 20x2 dies I want to try an XX-2. I bought a pre-preamp last year so I am ready. I in herited a Grace F9E that I used temporarily till the Dynavectors showed up. But I had to return it. Its a shame they are no longer available. They were a great cartridge.
 
91r100gs said:
My favorites:
Audio Technica ML440a
Shure M91 w/Jico Hyper-Elliptical stylus (in use)
Audio Technica ART9 (in use)
Audio Technica AT15xe used many moons ago
Grado X1+ w/MCZ - thought it was great till the ART9 arrived
Click to expand...

Aye, the ART9 and FR-7 are my two main carts mounted on my turntable. Both the same level though totally different presentations.
 
Shure V15 Type IV
Shure V15 Type III

In that order, even though I have managed to collect several more III's than IV's over the years. In my most recfent TT setup I ran a III, not a IV, as it seemed to work betterw/ the Sumiko tonearm assembly mounted on an AR "The Turntable" I use(d). All that's packed away now as I've gone 100% to digital sources, but I still have a collection of some dozen (or more) III's and IV's in a box somewhere. Have a large collection of Shure styli to go w/ the those III and IV bodies.

P.S. Dear OP, I have only these 2 to list as I've not experienced any other makes/models, thus I cannot list 5 favourites. Sorry 'bout that.
 
Dr Tinear said:
These are the four cartridges I used on my AR XA:

Shure M91ED (the turntable was an XA-91, so it came with this cartridge installed)
Empire 2000E/III
Micro-Acoustics 282e. My favorite of the lot, even though it seemed to accentuate surface noise on some records.
Ortofon OM-20
Click to expand...

Where do you get styli for your Empire 2000E? I've got one that came with a $30 turntable, but the stylus I got from the Netherlands via Fleabay is crap.
 
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