New cart for under 1K


I am looking to buy a new cartrdige for my setup. My current system consists of a VPI Scout II with a Black Knight platter and 10.5SE tonearm (the TT Michael Fremer demonstrated a cartridge setup at last years show in NYC), JM Focal 936's, Mac solid state power & pre, and a Dynavector P-75 phono pre-amp. The Focal's are very accurate and tend to be bright in the highs. Brightness is what I am trying to avoid. I've found the highs to be too harsh for my liking, especially with vocals. Sibilance is also an issue and something I have attempted to control with speaker placement, VTA, damping fluid, and the tone controls on my old Mac preamp. My current cart is a Grado Gold. I am hopeful that upgrading to a new cartridge helps eliminate some of the treble harshness and provides a sweeter overall sound. I'm interested in the Dynavector 20x2 so far. Any other suggestions for 1K or under, Benz, Ortofon, Sumiko (Blackbird, a little over 1K, but what the hell)?

Thanks for you assistance!
davidlillis
Jperry,

Thanks, the problem I'm finding is locating a US based dealer that sells Proac. Andy ideas?

David
+1 for Arizona Hi Fi. They are my local dealer of choice. Glen and Bill are great.

Audio Connection in Verona, NJ, John Rutan is a great dealer.

Not sure where you are located.

The US distributor is Modern Audio 410.486.5975

Fjn04 - Are you in Phoenix? How do you like the Devore speakers?
Thanks guys, I'm in NYC which is no where near Phoenix for a listen of the Proac's. Devore are sold by my local dealer as well as Devore, and Dynaudio. I don't know much about any three of them, but will definitely give them a listen. I would love to listen to some Proac's, but I see that could be an issue given the fact that none of the dealers in NYC seem to sell them.

Regards,

David
David, I don't know what your price range is, but here is a couple of reco's for some sweet sounding speakers that are close enough to NYC for you for a personal demo.

Merlin VSM-MXe

Verity Audio Parsifal