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Cartridge upgrade

Hi all.  I have a quick question.  I have a Marantz TT-15S1 turntable that I've been enjoying for the last couple of years.  I am still using the included MM Clearaudio Virtuoso wood cartridge that has served me well so far.  At the end of last year, I upgraded my phono stage to a Manley Chinook that I like a lot.  I am looking to upgrade my cartridge this fall.  I was looking at Kiseki Purple Heart NS.  My question is this, does it make sense to put a $3,400 cartridge on a $1,700 (base audiophile) table?  I imagine there will be some sound improvement but how much?

rfauto
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,764 posts
 

Upgrade turntable before cartridge. Your own deduction is sound. 

does it make sense to put a $3,400 cartridge on a $1,700 (base audiophile) table? 

avanti1960
1,472 posts
 

If the tonearm has VTA adjustability feel free to upgrade the cartridge which will be a noticeable sonic upgrade.  

I would cap the budget at ~2K which would include the incredible sounding Lyra Delos, above which there are severely diminishing returns IMHO.  

knock1
236 posts
 

I have the same turntable and had several cartridges on it, Ortofon 2m Black, Hana MH, Hana ML and now Hana Umami Blue all through Pathos In The Groove phono stage. Do not see any reason to change the table, at least at this point, despite having cartridge much more expensive than the table itself.

theflattire
167 posts
 

I would worry more about the phono stage rather than the TT although arm does matter.

With the Chinook you should be good to go!

mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,982 posts
 

I’m biased. The Kiseki Purple Heart NS is one of my favorite carts. I was a dealer for many years. FANTASTIC cartridge!

IMHO, you need a better table and arm.. The Chinook is SWEET, so no problems there.

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