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Cartridge selection

I have an Oracle Delphi with an ET-2 arm and am looking for a cartridge. The cartridge should be low to medium compliance and have at least 2.5mv output due to the fact that I'm planning on using a Bottlehead Foreplay phono preamp. I would like it to be a MC cartridge, I do not want to use a step-up device, and it should be capable of good performance listening to all types of music. I'm not sure how much I'm going to need to spend to make this worth my while. $500.00? $800.00?

I know my choices are limited, so I am actually wondering if I might be better off getting a MC phono preamp or selling my LS7 and getting a full function preamp. This would give me a lot more options as I would then be able to use a low output MC cartridge.

I would love to hear what some of you think about this.
ketchup
cmk
397 posts
 
If its HO MC carts, you should consider the Sumiko and Dynavector carts. I agree with Nsgarch, a low output mc would be best and there are lots of good low priced ones nowadays.
ketchup OP
702 posts
 
Would anyone care to comment on the effectiveness of using a .48mv cartridge with a phono preamp with 54db of gain and a linestage with 13db of gain?

Will this be enough gain?
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Ketchup -- that combo would be on the dividing line. If you have reasonably efficient speakers and the .48mV cartridge is spec'd with the JVC test record (3.54 cm) then it would be a definite yes. Otherwise, you might want a phono preamp with more like 60dB+ gain.

As for the gain of your main preamp, well its gain has to drive your amp/speakers properly, but it's not the place to compensate for low phono preamp gain or cartridge output. The object really, is to work with the output(s) of the front end sources (CD, tuner, phono, etc) so they all drive the preamp with roughly the same signal strength producing the same dB output at the speakers without adjusting the volume control between sources.

Secondly, you'd like for your customary listening level to occur with the volume control on the preamp at 12 o'clock +/- because that's where you get the optimum performance (gain vs. distortion) out of the preamp.
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