I would go with the Linn so you know you’ll have a cart well -matched to the arm. No, you certainly can match different brands and they may work fine, but if you stick with Linn it’s one less thing to think about. And you got the Linn 3-point mounting, which is another thing you don’t have to deal with. Simplify your life. You’ll be happier for it.
Going from MM to MC
I have a linn table with an akito2 arm I just replaced the preamp with a rogue rp7 and bought a pro ject phono box DS3B phono preamp. I am also going to get new phono cable from linn with the xlr ends on it. Right now I have an adikt on my table. I want to go to MC to get better detail and seperation. I have been researching Cartridges and have narrowed it down to 3 the linn Krystal the lyra delso or the ortofon quintet S black. My Lin repair person is trying to get me to go with the linn but I have herd the other 2 have better sound any advice.where to go or even a different one all together and why thank you Michael.
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For any MC cartridge, check the recommended impedance loading, see if your SUT or Phono Stage provides a good match. Your Phono Stage's Impedance via Potentiometer is a splendid feature i.e. the Delos:
Delos uses a boron cantilever, much better than aluminum, a spec better than Ortofon’s Sapphire, read Ortofon’s text The Linn has good specs, except Aluminum Cantilever Ortofon’s separation specs are NOT GOOD, you mention separation, the channel separation is listed as >23db. The other two are >30db. .......................................... My choice, far less cost, was/is the Audio Technica AT33PTG/II. It’s separation is >30db; it’s tight channel balance (very important for imaging within the wide separation) is 0.5db
I have other cartridges, my friends bring theirs here, so far it’s loved by all. I wore my stylus out, AT trade in sold me new cartridge for half price. Of course they have some higher priced, different technologies, but the separation/imaging specs are the same as the AT33PTG/II. |
What Mijostyn said. Also, there is no reason to think you must have an MC cartridge in order to realize your goals. There are any number of MM and especially MI cartridges (e.g., Grado, Nagaoka, SoundSmith) in the same price range as the MCs you are considering (or cheaper) that would be an improvement over what you are now listening to. Elliot, I hope and trust you have come through your medical ordeal and are now in good shape. Glad to know it. |
Dear @mal11963 : In the time when the Linn Kandid was its top of the line as Lyra Scan-Tech made it under the Linn specs. I owned Linn cartridges in the past ( Scan-Tech too. ) and its top of the line were really fine. Normally only Linn owners ask for Linn cartrides, Linn is really a low profile company. Looking your tube phono stage and the Linn Akito my advise is to go with the Nagaoka MP 500 that's a moving permalloy ( MP ) motor design. You can't go wrong with the Nagaoka that I'm sure will fulfill what you are looking for.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS, R.
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Where have you been? I was starting to worry! The MP 500 is a fine cartridge for the money. High output cartridges are always a better value. My favorite so far has been the Soundsmith Voice but it is $3000. Comparing the Delos to the MP 500 is hard and it is probably closer than one would think. I usually figure that equivalent high output cartridges usually go at 1/2 the price of MCs. MCs are overpriced because the market will support it. I usually suggest sticking with high output cartridges until you are willing to spend over $2000 for a moving coil with a blip at $3000 for The Voice. |
@jasonbourne71 ...or the even-better old days when the Technics SL-10 came out...a literal "plug 'n play" TT that came stock with a MC cart. The retail on it was something like 600~750$ at the time....which launched a 'pre-online era' hunt. Yielded a buy from Wisconsin Discount Stereo (long gone) for $300, and a long happy relationship; missed that MC cart as much as the SL.... Local SF dealer stocked the 10s', asked what I got mine for.....a shock, as it was lower than what it cost him to offer them.... Still miss it....but cemented my pref of linear arms....
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@asvjerry : You are correct! I had forgotten about the SL-10! I only encountered it once years ago when I was buying some tubes from a fellow that had one. He showed me his SL-10 and told me it came with an mc cartridge. I was surprised! |
@jasonbourne71 ...It surprised me at the time....not the best MC, but it outdid the Stanton 681EE MM cart I had at the time... What really caught further imagination about the 10 was it could be run on 12vdc; there was a jack on the back of it (if memory isn't total trash....I even have my moments of doubt, just to speak potential truth to a vague concern of mine...and perhaps to verify that of others... ;)...) I could see an SL in a motorhome, happily playing en route...you could (and I did) pick it up and turn it over, upside down while playing....and not miss a note. Astounding....If you rotated it horizontally, it would 'wow'...but not skip.... The cart is near unobtainium these days...even in Japan....*sigh* |
@lewm - agreed about MM cartridges; I've got a Clearaudio Charisma cart which is a $2000 MM and sounds perfect for my system; totally rocks.... |
Linn in the Present Market are releasing Annual Sales Figures of approx' £23 Million ( $30M). The Company also shows a substantial amount off-set for R&D within the Brand. Watching the Linn Space in 2024 could show a New Cart' is to be released, and with the growing trend in Vinyl Usage it could be offered in the price range of Younger users, with the intention to get them over the Linn Threshold. All is Conjecture on the guessed Marketing Strategy |
Weighing in here since I have a Linn LP12/Ekos/Lingo and two MC Cart’s to play with. The Linn came with a Benz Micro wood body MC with an MR type stylus. Great combination and sounds lovely regardless of what type of music I play with. Not bad for a 33 yr. old Cart. that hasn’t been played in the last 20 yrs. I used to have the MoFi StudioDeck with an Ortofon Quintet Black (500hrs. max.) that’d bought brand new last year. I’d sold the MoFi with it’s original Studiotracker Cart. but kept the Quintet Black w/ Shibata stylus. Honestly, I couldn’t hear any difference between the two setups and never did a Video on a "showdown" of sorts. I recently put away the Benz Micro & installed the Quintet Black onto the LP12. It’s actually a bit more revealing than the Benz but you’d have to listen for it. The Benz may be a tad more laid back (some call that "musical" I guess). I’ve carefully electrosonically cleaned the stylus tip of the Benz before putting it away but not the Quintet Black since Ortofon doesn’t recommend ever using any fluid/sticky gels onto their styluses. But I’ve heard people say the opposite to me. Vinyl Attack did an excellent review on the Cart.
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Dear @rajugsw : Good for you. Now your Ekos is way better than the OP Akito and this fact is something to take in count about.
R. |
there are couple of technical differences btw MM and MC 1) MM cart is high output impedance driver, vs low output impedance MC. MM cart will sound better with most tonearms and phono higher resistance cables, while MC will require low as possible interconnects. You may check your end of phono cable to arm connector (headshell pin) to check if resistance is below /above1 Ohm. If resistance is high, arm wiring and better connectors are needed for MC. 2) MM carts typically require less tracking needle pressure for similar performance comparing to MC, typ 1g for MM vs 2g for MC (MC coils have wires with more moving resistance). I compared sound of Audio Technica ART9 to AT-ML170/180, I found as MM ML170/180 sound more airy, warmer on many records (not all). |
With all due respect to all of you very knowledgeable analog persons, I think you’ve succeeded once again in driving another analog novice into the weeds with too much information and scaring him off. That’s why I suggested the Linn cartridge so he could have a simple, comfortable solution without overloading him with so many choices that he gets paralyzed with indecision. I don’t think a glut of information is helpful in the beginning. I’m willing to be wrong, but when someone is starting out it’s better to just present the easiest path. At least that’s what I think. Be well. |
Chayro, I tend to think the OP is a big boy who must know that almost no question posed on this Forum ever elicits a single unanimous opinion from the peanut gallery. But I do agree that the myriad of responses, many of them to questions that were never asked, can be dismaying even to a disinterested casual reader of threads. Crustycoot, since you own the phono stage, I trust you know what you’re talking about, but in reading the manual and scrutinizing the web, I fail to understand why you can’t use balanced mode for other than MC cartridges. Can you comment? |
If you can find a van den Hul dealer, I would recommend his (AJ's) cartridges highly. Great detailed sound, medium output MC with a very long stylus life. There are tons of options, some less expensive, but if you include the ongoing stylus replacement cost, it makes up for it and you have a better sounding cartridge. I have an MC One Special that lists for close to $2K or so. And if you ever want to really splurge, I have heard their phono stage, the Grail, is really the holy grail (i'm not going there), perfectly matched to their cartridges. I use it with a Rega P8, so I expect it would pair well with a Linn arm, but make sure the weight is compatible. It's on the lighter side. |
I'm a long time Ortofon MC user, and fan. I've strayed a few times to other brands, only to come back to the Ortofon sound. Most recently I tried a Soundsmith Zephyr II. I wanted to get something with more output (less noise). I liked it OK.... it was very clean & clear... but boring. After over a year on my table, I popped my old MC-30 SuperII back into my arm and got a shot of adrenaline! My very old MC was much more engaging than the Zephyr (but not as resolving). Then I tried a Quintet Black (very nice) and now I have a Cadenza Blue (very VERY nice!) I am totally happy with my 30+ year old Sota Sapphire TT with the Cadenza Blue cart, into a Parasound JC3+. |
The Lyra Delos sounds above every cartridge I have owned. It is clearer, cleaner, more detailed yet smooth, has dynamics and energy as good as my digital sources. Bass is punchy and detailed, midrange is clear and life like, treble is sweet and never bright or harsh. My last cartridge before the Delos was the Ortofon Cadenza Blue, which was very good but not as good as the Lyra. Before that I had a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC star ES which I did not care for. Audio Technica ART9 and ART9 XA, better than the Soundsmith but not as good as the Ortofon. Dynavector DV20X2L, good but not as good as the ART9s. Ortofon 2M Black. Great midrange but overall not very refined compared to the MC cartridges. Lyra Delos is a great value at its price and my winner.
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