Warm sounding phono cartridge
Hello all. I recently upgraded the phono cartridge on my Marantz TT15S1 from the Clearaudio cartridge that came with the table to a Hana Umami Blue. I'm overall happy with the purchase. However, while the Hana has made my well cared for and well recorded LP's sound excellent many of my albums now sound thin to me and noisy. Clicks and pops have been exacerbated to the point that I do not want to play some records even after a run through my Degritter ultrasonic.
I'm looking for a phono cartridge MM, MC or MI in the $1,000 range or less that is warm sounding and less revealing than the Hana. Any thoughts?
@knotscott Mentioned Nagaoka… IME the MP500 has an exaggerated top end, to the point many people attempt to tame it, but if you want the same signature with a tad less extension (better for his pop/click problem) and want to save a a bit of money, even the mp250 may do the trick. Slight difference in output I believe. I got a Zu DL103 at one point and it may do what you want. Or the Sumiko Blue Point.
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@thebrokenrecord I had the dealer that I bought the cartridge from outside Boston, MA set it up for me. One thing I do notice is that albums sound more open when I’m not using a record mat on the platter. I have a Clearaudio Satisfy tonearm. I think there’s a set screw on the side of the plinth where I can adjust the arm. Thanks for the advise. |
The umami blue is the forward lively sounding model vs the warmer laid back umami red. That said it should not sound thin- have you verified that the headshell is perfectly level when resting on a stationary LP? how many hours on the cartridge? give it 25-50 hrs before it starts sounding smoother. what are your phono preamp load and gain settings? not saying it will be a warm sounding cart but it should sound better than you describe.
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