Vinyl Lovers-- Cartridges!!!! Do you have a daily driver?
About a decade ago, some kind soul told me that the phono preamp was ever so important and that I could keep spending here and there, but to get to Oz I'd need a good one. Since that time I've had a Manley Chinook and now Modwright's reference phono stage.
These pieces have allowed me to get deeper into vinyl. I have a lovely LTA Aero DAC (tubes and R2R), which I adore. Yet, nothing is the same as vinyl. Ok--maybe my reel-to-reel stuff but I only have about a half dozen albums.
At any rate, here's my dilemma. I'm finding cartridges just don't hold up that long. I keep a clean shop and my records are in very clean shape. I do not, however, have a laboratory clean room here. I run VTA generally at the middle of the spec. Still, cartridges are easy to run through--or so it seems to my ear.
I've had mixed results retipping moving coils. Sometimes it's fabulous!
I think I'm getting a little tired for buying cartridges only to wear them out. I've run through a Benz Micro LPS, Kiseki Purpleheart, Dynavector 20x something, Audio-Technica ART9, Ortofon 2M black, and a few others I cannot recall. The initial outlay doesn't bother me. What's getting me is they just seem to fade off. I doubt I'm getting more than 1000 hours before they sound raggedy. Yet, I've never counted.
I've noticed with a high quality phono preamp you can use a lower priced cartridge to amazing results. So, I just scooped up an $800 Nagaoka MP-500, hoping I could use it as a daily driver to spare my Goldring Ethos (fantastic cart by the way). I don't have the Nag yet to evaluate.
What are others doing? If you're someone who plows through lots of vinyl in their listening sessions, do you just pony up ever year for a new $2k, $5k cartridge? Do you run lower priced, value carts?
I have had my Koetsu Black for many years and it sounds good as new, but I listen to my vinyl only a few hours a week - I have about 3,000 LPs but my Esoteric K-01xs delivers, since that move vinyl time has declined. I did a bit of research and Nagaoka seem to have a following - for eaxmple https://www.hifinews.com/content/nagaoka-mp-500-cartridge and their styli are replaceable.
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My budget is more limited than many posters here. I don't listen to vinyl a lot, but I do keep two different MM cartridges mounted to alternate between. I also prefer the more laid back nature of the Goldring E3 on some LP's and the more detailed, slightly forward sound of the Shibata tipped AT 112 SX cartridge on other LP's. My phono preamp has MC capability. I am planning on upgrading to MC as money allows. |
I have a Jubilee for that purpose! And, @dmk_calgary , the londondecca.com shop is now working and taking orders. |
