The only mass spec on the 250 I could find was the ST (straight) version, but the S (S shaped) may have a similar mass. Apparently 18 grams total mass with the head shell itself being 15 grams alone. So there's future flexibility with changing headshells to ad or (perhaps) subtract mass to suit a particular cartridge. Another interesting surprise was my Naim XS3 phono does fine with the EMT TSD 75 at a mere 1.0 MV. Not ideal, but it works. So my guess is I'm fine with any cartridge that is equal to or greater than 2.0MV. I figured Nagaoka would see some light in this thread. The Nags have certainly been popular amongst the MM/MI/HO fans.
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Dear @fjn04 : I think that today HO cartridges inside your price range are The Nagaoka MP-500 and agree with @mijostyn for the Goldring 1042. The stylus tip of the Goldring is the same that uses Ortofon in its 9K LOMC cartridges, the Replicant 100. !
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS, R. I forgot, the top of the line MM in Clearaudio catalog is truly fine too.
You can't go wrong with either one. Good luck. |
I am a long-time Grado fan, but they sometimes hum, resisting all kinds of grounding schemes. Even 50 years ago Grado cartridges were simply incompatible with some turntables, the AR being one. Hana EH $450 SH $750 or MH $1200 for an elliptical, Shibata, or microline stylus. I have an SH running on a VPI JMW Memorial 10.5" arm, whose lower tracing error and dial-in arm height make the otherwise very critical setup of any Shibata or Microline stylus a lot easier. While the gain is a little lower than a MM cartridge, the sound is otherwise as close to flawless as I have experienced. My one complaint is the lack of tapped mounting holes, easily remedied by carefully running a 4-40 tap through the existing smooth holes. For the money, or even a lot more, the Hana line are exceptional cartridges. |
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