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Still looking for a new Moving Coil Cartridge

I noticed that Music Direct has 20% off cartridge sale on select cartridges. I am still using a ZU/Denon DL103 MC cartridge Series 1 with the cartridges tightest tolerances. I purchased it here from “Audiofiel” back in 2010 and have used it sparingly since. I had been using a Dynavector DV20XL cartridge which I bought a couple of years ago but my 6 yo nephew destroyed it (that’s another story) so I am back to the ZU/Denon.

My table is a Technics SL1200G which I truly love. I have been looking at the Hana Low out put MC cartridges. I am interested in the low output “S” series as the $600.00 price is right where I want to be. Now, the million dollar questions: I listen to 95% 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Rock and want whatever cartridge I purchase to make the records sound good without excessive surface noise. Will the Hana S be up to the task? My Mac C2500 tube preamp has cartridge loading from 50 ohms up to 1000 ohms so I should be ok. I just want to be sure this cartridge will be very musical and full bodied sound. I do no want a thin sound. So there you have it, yay or neigh?

128x128stereo5
dsv1
3 posts
 

My Hana SL is not threaded. It has those impossibly small nuts. 

doyle3433's avatar
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doyle3433
266 posts
 

I’ve had my Hana ML for a couple weeks now, I am super impressed. Got it on sale at Upscale. Maybe give them a call. I talked with Bill quite a a bit and he really helped me pick out my cartridge. I had several in mind at my price point, $1k and under. He really took the time and I’m glad for it. 

crustycoot
594 posts
 

To address the tiny nuts issue, you can buy a new headshell with the cartridge and have the seller pre mount it.  They can probably align it for the Technics too.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,223 posts
 

The Nagaoka cartridges are fine but if you want quiet and R+R slam the Goldring 1042 is the ticket. 

elliottbnewcombjr
5,197 posts
 
roadcykler

OP says using the ZU/Denon sparingly (for 13 years _____?)

Using Dynavector for a couple of years.

If OP is thinking about a new cartridge, I PRESUME he listens enough to ask for help. Thus I mentioned stylus life, OP knows the answer, not me.

I gave the link for the whole article, and a blip of info

Everything's relative, multiply them all by 4, the difference of +250 hrs becomes +1,000 hours.

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