Phono stage and Cartridge for Technics 1210 GR

I am using reviews to narrow my search (probably not best method ;) ).  The Parks Phono had mixed reviews so I moved on and did not research. Thanks for pointing out  aberyclark.

elliottbnewcombjr thanks for taking the time look at my system.  I have emailed Lou the owner of Daedalus about how I have it set up and will let you know his response on the tweeter placement.

Thanks

I have read (and Michael Fremer also mentioned this feedback from some owners in his review of the 1200G back in 2017) that the sound signature of this turntable tends to be bright. Audio-Technica's house sound is on the bright side. An Audio-Technica cartridge will make your sound even brighter. Unless you like a bright tonality, I would avoid it. Probably something from Nagaoka or Goldring will be better suited. And you have to take into consideration your electronics as well. Just my 2 cents. Others may comment.

If your budget is $1,500 combined for the phono stage and cartridge, I would recommend the Parks Puffin as others have and a Hana SL cartridge. Yes, the Puffin does an analog to digital to analog conversion, but it sounds great for a $500 phono stage. Very quiet and enough gain for any cartridge. 

Having said all that, I would wait a while and save up and budget more for something like a Manley Chinook or similar phono stage. That would be more in line with the quality of your turntable. 

I'm sure we will learn something from Lou's response.

I didn’t say so, however, in my office, with bookshelf speakers horizontally at seated ear level, on shelves at he sides and 4 feet beyond my monitor, they sound better with the tweeters to the outside. It’s always good to try this type of thing. I have a perfect listening triangle here, B&W bookshelf with a 12" sub, my office system is a real pleasure, I have streaming, TT and Reel to Reel more active than ever up here. 

My left side bookshelf speaker is against a wall, like your right side speaker, but I cannot toe them in. I had to adjust the balance a bit to get the image centered properly on the monitor’s image.

I’m a big fan of remote balance from listening position, main system and here. Permanent slight fix in the office, just occasional tweaking for specific tracks/recordings in main system. A slight balance adjustment can make a significant difference.