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Cartridge upgrade for vintage TT - MM or MC?

I have a Technics SL-D202 that currently has a Sumiko Pearl on it, which is OK but I don't totally love it. The midrange is nice but the treble in particular is lacking. Compared to my digital source it sounds dull and lifeless and therefore I hardly use it.

My question is, would it be at all worth it to upgrade the cartridge or should I just wait until I can upgrade the TT totally?  I am considering the Schiit Sol in the future if they ever get it back on the market but my wife really likes the automatic function of our current table so I may be stuck with it or something similar at least for now.

I had considered trying a lower-end MC cartridge and seeing how that sounds but any other recommendations would be appreciated.

I use a Schiit Mani pre which can be adjusted for any cart (or so I'm told).  

The table came stock with a AT-71E and I also tried a Shure MX97e but neither of those really wow'ed me.
elangley01
lewm
13,118 posts
 
Nagaoka are excellent, too.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,095 posts
 
Dear @elangley01 : Agree with @lewm . Nagaoka is very good option too.

R.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,095 posts
 
@elangley01:   https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9i48a-ortofon-2m-black-mc-cartridge-cartridges

R.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Some people never learn, spending years and years on this forum and discovering some truly amazing cartridges (mostly vintage MM/MI or MC) they always advice inferior Nagaoka, Grado or Hanna. Why? I just don't understand it. Instead of some killer cartridges, someone buying inferior mass market product designed in the digital era. Look at those cartridges under macro lens, is there anything interesting ? No, what i can see is glued diamonds in boron rod, or bonded elliptical styli on aluminum cantilevers. This is inferior technology, it's been said many times, explained in details million times on this forum by many members. Even $100 FR-5EX outperform most of them. But we always see some recommended low budget Nagaoka or those Ortofon 2M even after people reporting about bad quality on the same forum (pins fell off on that new Ortofon and it's a poor quality control, so bad). 

Reviewers often knows nothing about cartridges, i always see so many mistakes in reviews, some people can't even write the name of the cartridge designed correctly. I wonder how a qualified reviewer can say something about new cartridges if he never tried any good old cartridges. For reviewer it will be stupid to compare old gold vs new, who cares? The old gold in not in the stores anymore, reviewers only promote new (i hope for a honest opinion about new stuff at least, but i want to know the background of the reviewer otherwise why should i trust him?).   
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