MM Cartridge Talk

Dear @jimmy225 :  Which your target with this tread? what do you want fo find out when each one of us own way different room/systems to yours?

Do you want to buy 2-3 MM cartridges and try to find out the best ones or just for fun?

Appreciated your answer.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I currently use a 2M Black and like it a lot but want to hear what other people are using and why they like what they’ve got. No website has everything and the number of good sites shrinks every year. It makes it hard to know what options are out there without talking to others

Shure V15mkVmr! This might still be the best of the sonically-limited MM-principle cartridges. I have a NOS one still in the box. The MC-principle cartridges surpassed MM types long ago (Ortofon SPU, EMT ...).

AT440ml. Microline on aluminum. Nearly new original stock. Current equivalent 540:

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-ca/cartridges/line-series/vm-series/vm540ml

Recently compared to my prior favorite Shure V15VxMR, with new Jico SAS on boron, main system downstairs and in my office system, AT won.

I used the Shure downstairs for many years, in prior SS system, while they sounded essentially identical, I preferred the Shure’s damped brush feature. I have forced air hvac system, air borne dust occasionally landing and picked up by brush prior to stylus pass. Thus that new AT stayed in the drawer for many years.

New setup, Vintage Tube Phono, AT beat the Shure by a speck. I was surprised, I thought the At suspension would be deteriorated or hardened.

Moved AT440ml to New Office System, VintageTT in office, no dust issue (location and vertical turntable), a shootout, the AT has a speck better imaging that the Shure here as well.

Now main system, large JVC plinth: MC favorite on 12.5" long arm #1; Shure in 9" arm #2; Grado Mono in compact arm #3; a dream to have all three balanced, switch arms in same listening session in seconds. Compare cartridges in seconds.

btw, the New Jico SAS on boron stylus now in the Shure has a brush, but it is not damped like the Shure’s brushes are/were.

Elliptical Stylus, I like my Shure 97xe, also has a damped brush,

I used it for a few years after I broke the V15 Shure’s original brittle beryllium stylus. occasionally use it downstairs now, still sounds surprisingly good. The Shure’s track lightly, I like that..