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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
pooreboy
2 posts
 

I have this table as well, and I've been very happy with it using an AT OC9XSL MC cart. I think people tend to underestimate the ability of this turntable. I have no desire to upgrade to a more expensive table with this combo. 

boxcarman
405 posts
 

I have always been a "more for your money" type of buyer.  Audio Technica has a great lineup of cart's at a wide variety of price ranges. I would look at the VM line and you can choose different stylus types.  Go for the microline or shibata.  Bargain.

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,213 posts
 

$3,400 will buy you more sonic benefits if spent on a cartridge than on a turntable.  You have a fine phono preamp and the turntable/tonearm is good enough, at least for now.  Think about your end game system and plot a path.  The Manley was a great first step.

rfauto OP
15 posts
 

Thanks everyone for your input. @mijostyn  I have a friend that has a Soundsmith Paua Mk II on his table. In my opinion it’s one of the best sounding cartridges I have heard. However, I think that costs more new than a Purple Heart. I would like to hear some of Soundsmth’s other offerings as I find their price to performance motivating. Has anybody had any experience with the Kiseki Blue Gold Spot. I wonder how their sonically different to a Purple Heart. 

lewm
12,996 posts
 

I wonder why you are especially interested in Kiseki cartridges. Decades ago, the Kiseki brand was a significant player in high end audio and associated maybe with Sugano, who went on to Koetsu fame. I think in recent years the name has been co-opted by a different company and I’ve not seen such glowing reviews of the modern lineup, although they also resurrected some of the names, like Purple Heart, from days of yore. I would stick with more main stream brands, like AT, Ortofon, Dynavector, Soundsmith, Grado, etc, where I think you also will get more for your money. For example, the AT 9Xa and 9Xi cartridges that cost less than $1500 or even the Nagaoka MP500 for a shade under $1K. Or Soundsmith "The Voice" for similar money. Just my two cents. (If you're planning to use a SUT, do some reading before you pair a low output MI cartridge (e.g., SS or Grado) with a SUT.)

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