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Do You Play Or Save Your Best Cartridges

I suspect I am like many here, I have a small collection of cartridges. Until recently I would keep a casual playing cartridge set up and I would save my "good" cartridges for evening listening sessions where I am focusing on listening to music at the listening chair. I always had a casual cartridge mounted on an arm, maybe an Audio Technica OC9 III or something along those lines. These days its either an Ortofon MC3000 II or MC5000. 

 

Earlier this year I finally decided to use the DAC in my Trinov pre amp, and this involved getting a subscription to Roon, and hardwiring the computer and preamp to the router with CAT 6 ethernet cable. The sound is remarkably good, to the point where this can easily be my casual listening format. 

I almost wonder if its necessary to have a casual cartridge. Or should I just play my best ones as often as I want and bite the bullet and know I am getting a new diamond fitted every few years. 

 

Anyone else go through this kind of decision process?

neonknight
curiousjim's avatar
curiousjim
4,776 posts
 

When I played a lot of vinyl, I almost always used my best cartridge, with the exception of played some mucked up platters, why wouldn’t you?

neonknight OP
392 posts
 

I guess an explanation is necessary.

How and why does a habit develop? I have played vinyl since my teens, so this is not new. There was a time when my digital collection was physical, and then later ripped files on a hard drive. However, they did not mirror my record collection, I typically bought distinctly different albums. Yes there is some overlap, but not a great percentage. So at that time digital could not be a casual format playing the same type of music I had on vinyl. Streaming changes that.

So if I wanted to listen casually, let us say I am at the computer, reading a book, or playing on the phone, why would you burn up the hours on your best cartridge? There is an argument for having a lesser cartridge for just casual listening.

I have two decent cartridges, a Transfiguration Audio Proteus and an Ortofon Verismo that are cartridges 1A and B for me. I listen to them quite a bit. But I have a casual cartridge installed on another arm, an Ortofon MC3000 II or 5000 that I can also play. I am considering eliminating them because I can now stream digital and it sound remarkably good.

 

So that is the reasoning behind the thread.

 

I was just curious what others do.

solypsa's avatar
solypsa
462 posts
 

Aside from having a dedicated mono cart ( recommended if you have the wax ) I do see your point vis a vis streaming. But I also think retip costs for a second tier cart are very low so ' spin dem rekords :) '

grislybutter
3,125 posts
 

what does a 10,000 dollar cartridge do better than a $1,000 one?

I don't know, and I am curious. 

wolfie62
353 posts
 

and you must be some genius or cyborg if you can handle 150 cartridges in your head with distinct info about their sound.

@grislybutter 

They’re a lot like children. You just don’t forget their sound. So I guess I’m a genius, since I’m not a cyborg. Was listening to a JVC Z-1 with original beryllium canti and nude MR stylus earlier. Listening now to the M97HE with original HE stylus now. M95ED before those. Each one has a lot to love! But my favorite MM cart is not my Grace F-9E. It’s the 1970 ADC 10E MKIV. Amazing imaging I don’t get from the Koetsu or Dynavector. Retipped with a boron canti and nude MR stylus. Tracks at 0.75 grams. It’s a singular best cartridge.

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