Inexpensive MM Cartridge

@chakster I made a small typo - I meant a Pioneer PL-512. Nothing special, but still rated as a very good TT. I get the sense that it is on par with modern entry level TT’s. Does anyone think differently? I think replacing the TT and cartridge would cost between $300-$600, most likely used. Worth considering???

@yogiboy and @roberjerman, I had a Grado Black mounted on it and was not too impressed. I noted a hollow sound with poor resolution. No hum at all though. Is there notable improvement up the line?

@petg60 how about a Goldring 1042? Elliot, I will check out the AT offerings.

Other recommendations or votes? Thanks, Peter

@peter_s 

@petg60 how about a Goldring 1042?

Just bought a Goldring 1042 as a backup to my Soundsmith Zephyr. I’m very impressed. Highly recommended. Beats my old Grado Red with 8mz stylus by a long mile.

@bkeske  A source of concern with the Goldring is the following:

1) The Cartridge is very sensitive to capacitive loading. Some experimentation with it will be necessary to get the best match to your system. I ended up with 51 kOhm resistive Load and 120 pf capacitive load (plus the Tonearm cabling - probably another 50 pf or so).

2) The cartridge is a little more than usual sensitive to VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle) adjustments (for a Moving Magnet Cartridge), so experimentation is on order.

For this setup, there is not adjustability to cabling or capacitance in the phono preamp, and the tonearm has no VTA adjustment.  Perhaps there is a cartridge that is less sensitive to these non-adjustable features?

Best cart  under $300 is Nagoka 150 .

Don’t underestimate the AT95e. Cheap and a lot better than you think. Your pal will be grateful you saved him/her a pile of notes and the sound will be awesome.