I have 2 phono stages. A Manley Chinook and a Hegel V10. I have played with the loading on both and get similar results. Although the Hegel seems to have less top and bottom to me than the Manley. A good example is I just bought a Jackson Browne Somebody's Baby 12' Single Promo Released in 1982. The condition is very good. The album is quiet but sounds thin to me using the Hana. A lot of the albums that I own of that vintage seem to have a similar sound to them. Is there a cartridge that can add some color and fullness? Something that is easy to listen to that doesn't necessarily add a lot of detail.
Warm sounding phono cartridge
Hello all. I recently upgraded the phono cartridge on my Marantz TT15S1 from the Clearaudio cartridge that came with the table to a Hana Umami Blue. I'm overall happy with the purchase. However, while the Hana has made my well cared for and well recorded LP's sound excellent many of my albums now sound thin to me and noisy. Clicks and pops have been exacerbated to the point that I do not want to play some records even after a run through my Degritter ultrasonic.
I'm looking for a phono cartridge MM, MC or MI in the $1,000 range or less that is warm sounding and less revealing than the Hana. Any thoughts?
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- 44 posts total
@artemus_5 It could possibly be due to the cartridge change. When I upgraded from a Dynavector XV-1s to a Lyra Atlas I was amazed at how much less I noticed ticks and pops on my old records. As if they had disappeared. Someone I know at Audio Quest who used to handle the Lyra line explained it this way,
It may just come down to differences in the cartridges. A less resolving cartridge may or may not be the answer |
Maybe try an elliptical? I had a Dynavector Karat with an elliptical that was 'fat' or full sounding. If a phono stage doesn't have 'headroom' sometimes the pops and clicks don't attenuate well. I agree with the other poster: if after cleaning you still get them, it's the vinyl. Maybe try rolling some 6922s in the Manley to get the sound you like? Tons of 6922/6DJ8 to try out there. |
- 44 posts total