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Need help with MM cartridge choice

I've stumbled across a good deal on a Rega Planar 3 fitted with a Grace G-747 that looks to be an excellent choice for my second / MM table.  It has an old ADC on it that almost certainly needs a new stylus and I was never very fond of the ADC sound to begin with.  I've had good luck with B&O, Ortofon, Grace, Empire and Shure, but everything except Ortofon is ancient history now.

This table would be used for vinyl that can't really benefit from being spun on the Sota.  Think fair-to-good condition second-hand albums cleaned ultrasonically with minor visible scuffs that have seen a lot of play.  I prefer a neutral tone balance with flat frequency response.  Specs in the tonearm manual are pretty thin; 4 to 10 gram standard cartridge weight and nothing more.

Presuming the table & arm meet the mechanical, operating and geometry inspections when I go back tomorrow, I'd like some suggestions on an appropriate modern-era cartridge match.  I'd like to keep the investment ~$300 and definitely want something for which replacement styli are still made.  For those of you who haven't seen my posts before or checked my system page, I run a McIntosh C50 with a MC302 amp into Rogers Studio 1 speakers.  My primary table is a Sota Sapphire with a Graham Phantom Supreme and a DV XX2 MkII.

Thanks for your consideration and I look forward to your replies!

effischer
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
I’ve stumbled across a good deal on a Rega Planar 3 fitted with a Grace G-747 that looks to be an excellent choice for my second / MM table. It has an old ADC on it that almost certainly needs a new stylus and I was never very fond of the ADC sound to begin with. I’ve had good luck with B&O, Ortofon, Grace, Empire and Shure, but everything except Ortofon is ancient history now.

Replacement styli for Grace F9 are available from SoundSmith and all you need is a Grace cartridge body if you don’t have one.

I prefer original Grace styli and not even F9 cartridge body (I prefer F14 and LEVEL II), but Grace F9 is one of those inexpensive vintage MM cartridges anyone can buy today without a fear of unobtainable styli. SoundSmith styli always an option (when they are available).

I still have NOS (factory sealed) original Grace styli for F9, F14 and LEVEL II.

However, your $300 budget is too low for a good MM cartridge or even for a replacement stylus alone, you have to double your budget and then you can find really good MM cartridges with advanced styli.



noromance's avatar
noromance
10,184 posts
 
Audio Technica VM540ML is your go to cartridge at $249. Even the Audio Technica AT-VM95E at $76 would suffice. You might add a little weight to the headshell.

stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,568 posts
 
You might try one of the cheaper Grado cartridges. Lots of bang for the buck. I had a Gold Note Vasari Gold MM cartridge that I liked very much. New, it was under $300.00. Really made my older Rock records sing.
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