Cartridge Recommendations for SME V Arm
I have a VPI TNT Jr. turntable with an SME V arm. My current cartridge is an older Sumiko SHO feeding an Audio Research PH3 phono preamp in turn into a BAT VK5i preamp and Revel Gem or Revel F208 speakers driven by a BAT VK 6200 6 channel amp. I'd like to upgrade my cartridge and would like to keep the cost below no more than around $3000. I am intrigued by the Hana line and the cheaper Lyra's, Dynavectors , Ortofons, etc. but not really sure where to start. I primarily listen to symphonic classical, 60's and 70's rock, sound tracks and some jazz. Lots to unpack there. Any suggestions to where I should start? Thanks for your thoughts!
BTW, SoundSmith is currently having a sale on existing inventory, Paua being one of those on sale. I'm sure you can negotiate a $3k price with an authorized dealer. One big advantage of SoundSmith other than great sound quality is rebuilds of all their cartridges is 20% of retail, a fraction of what other brands charge. |
+1 for van den Hul Frog. Also note vdH do very cheap rebuilds. And do look at the YouTubes of AJ building cartridges.
@retiredfarmer Why stone body? Adding useless mass for no good reason. |
