Thoughts on a cartridge

Thank you for your technical feedback and knowledge - since this is my first table and I’ve never mounted a cartridge I will stick to something more straight forward . I will take a look at the AT - 
happy new year !!

Personally, I wouldn’t let the finicky set-up talk keep you from considering the Goldring. I think the talk is somewhat exaggerated. No, it is not an elliptical stylus that is more forgiving, but that is a great thing at its price point. My main cart, the Soundsmith Zephyr, shares the same/similar stylus shape with the Goldring and costs 3x more. The Goldring also shares a very similar neutral sound, good tone, and detail of the Soundsmith. Seriously, when comparing the two, the 1042 is a bargain when you compare it to the cost of the Zephyr. And that is what I was looking for when purchasing a back-up, to use when I need to get the Zephyr serviced/retipped, similar sound, tone, and refined detail.

AT’s are fine carts as well, but have a different sound signature to the Goldring 1042, Ortofon Black, or most all Soundsmiths. It really depends on your preference in what you desire sound-wise. For me, they are a bit bright. But again, that is a personal preference.

But I’ll throw another option into the mix, a Soundsmith Otello. The downside to that is, it does not have a replaceable stylus, so you lose it for a while when sent in for retipping. Then, you need a back-up. Which is why I bought the Goldring.

Thanks for the info - do you think the sound smith would mount relatively easily with the RP3?

I have pro Ac super tablette speakers which are naturally bright with a frontal soundstage so a warmer cartridge would in my opinion be helpful 

Yes, it should mount fine. The Otello comes in both a medium and high compliance, so you should check with your arm mass specs to make the correct choice if that is a consideration. I think most being sold are medium compliance. 22 IIRC. The high compliance is 28.

Here is a link to the various Soundsmiths cart compatibility with various arm mass:

https://sound-smith.com/cartridge-compliancearm-mass-chart

But to be honest, I purchased a new 1042 for less than a new Otello, about $350 (from a gentleman locally on US Audio Mart, but he sells here too, and eBay.... Jazzfan67 IIRC. I believe he has one left). And that would be still be my choice for overall value.

Audio-Technica AT150SA may also worth a consideration at slightly lower price.