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Phono cartridge advice

My turntable is a Garrard 401 in skeletal plinth, fitted with an SME3009 series 2 imp arm (fixed shell) with a Shure V15vxmr cartridge and a Trichord Dino MM/MC phono stage.  The stylus on the V15 was broken my cleaner!  My question is should I shell out on a new Japanese Jico stylus (which has had very good reviews) as Shure no longer make this stylus, or should I get a new cartridge, if so, what?  I have been looking at the Denon DL110 moving coil, but how will it compare to the V15vxmr?  The Jico stylus is very expensive  (£350GBP) so the Denon cartridge would save me a few pounds but I don't want to be disappointed.  Because I have a good phono stage, I could consider a more expensive lower output MC cartridge but if the cost is approaching that of the Jico stylus I may as well just buy one of those and continue with the V15. So, in short, do I replace the stylus or will the Denon cartridge be a better bet and save me money ... or is there another MC cart that would work well in the SME arm and offer an improvement over the Shure?  Thanks in advance for any help. Les.
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Hello Les,

I too, have a Garrard 401. I'm using a Dynavector 501 arm. My favorite cartridge is a Denon 103R, that has had the ESCCO white sapphire cantilever/Paratrace stylus modification. The 103R, in stock form, is fairly inexpensive (I believe around $250 US), and is noted as being a great cartridge on its own.

It comes with a radial stylus, having that changed by ESCCO (in Great Britain) brings it to a much higher level. The cartridge can also be re-potted in aluminum, or various hardwoods that are available.

So, that's my take on it, I'm sure you'll get some other replies yet.

Regards
Dan 
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,468 posts
 
Did you ever hear of VAS NOVA....  inexpensive and well, try it...you'll see.
raymonda
855 posts
 
I have owned and used the following Denons:

Dl110
Dl160
Dl103
DL301mkii

All of their cartridges are very enjoyable. They are not the last word in resolution but are very musical

My favorite is my 103 in an ebony body. It comes very close to higher priced MC but at a much lower price and is the best value out of all the above.

The 301mkii is my next favorite, then followed by 160 and then 110. The 110 was a scream of a value when you could get one from Comet for $89.00. At over $230 it is not as good a value and you would be better of with the 103, which at its retail price is still one of the best values in cartridges today.

That being said, many people swear by the Jico and believe that it is a good upgrade. In any case, both options are credible but if you go with the Denon consider the 103 and then modify the body. You won't be disappointed.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
How about the Audio Technica AT150MLX? The ML stands for MicroLine, and it's reputedly the same cut as the Shure MicroRidge. Plus it's on a boron cantilever (boron is lighter than oxygen) with all PCOCC internal wiring including coils. Great tracker, retrieves good detail, very dynamic, reasonably affordable and still in production, which means the replacement stylus is too.
nmmusicman
276 posts
 
While I agree with the AT150MLX recommendation in that its tracking ability is superb, one needs a tonearm that can accommodate very fine adjustments in all parameters to get the best from its MicroLine stylus.

Having lived with a AT150ANV fitted with a MLX stylus for a few years, it has become an involved love affair in that the MicroLine stylus needs a close hand in fine tuning if every album is to sound its absolute best and a VPI unipivot tonearm accommodates this very well.

A lesser extreme stylus profile might be better for those that want to not be constantly adjusting azimuth/SRA because the MicroLine stylus will quickly expose difference's in pressing attributes but when it's dialed in for a particular record, the results are magical!
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