Analogue Synergy....Which is the best Cartridge?
Thank you for your recommendations. To be honest, I've never heard of the brand zyx (shows you how new I am back into the vinyl scene). I checked out the for sale items on audiogon and the prices of their cartridges are over 3x the prices of the ones models I indicated in my original post. So, unfortunately, it's unlikely I'm going to be getting a zyx anytime soon. There has been a great deal written about the Denon 103R, and every article I've read about the Denon states that it needs the right tonearm. I have no idea what the characteristics of my Linn Basic Plus are..low mass, high mass, what kind of bearing, etc? That's why I posted on here to see if anyone knew. I do plan on upgrading my turntable probably in the next couple years, but I don't want to pick up a cartridge that is a total mismatch for what I currently have. Audiofeil does have a good point as well. When I was a teenager reading about cartridges and stylii, I was told that Conical or round tipped stylii are not good for the record (elliptical was the way to go!). I suppose I cannot necessarily believe everything I read though.... calgarian |
Calgarian, You've made some good decisions and are asking good questions. First, my compliments on the thinking that lead you to the PS Audio phono stage. I haven't heard the GCPH, but having the foresight to acquire gain and loading flexibility to accommodate a wide array of cartridges was very wise. Second, your Basik Plus is a low mass tonearm. It was intended for cartridges like the K9 and the Shure V15 types, most of which are MM's. MM cartridges tend to be light and highly compliant, and such cartridges prefer a low mass arms. If you're going to move up to an MC, it should also be light and of medium to high compliance. This eliminates the Denon 103 or any Shelter, for instance. I'll let you research the characteristics of the other carts on your list. Teach a man to fish... :-) However, as one would expect in an arm intended for MM cartrides, your Basik Plus is a fairly entry level arm - as is the table it's mounted on. (That's why you're planning on moving up to a Scout.) IME it would be a step in the wrong direction to invest in an expensive cartridge for this rig. Some system upgrades can be done in any order, but this is not one of them. Putting a highly resolving cartridge (like a ZYX for example) on a less capable arm and/or table is usually a serious error. The cartridge reveals problems with the arm or table instead of revealing subtleties in the music. Unless your current cartridge is worn out or damaged, my advice is to upgrade your table and arm first. You'll probably be surprised at how much better that cartridge sounds on a better rig like the Scout. In addition, you then need only concern yourself with choosing a cartridge to match one rig, the new one, rather than choosing a cartridge that will work on two. Regards, Doug P.S. I thoroughly agree with the ZYX recommendations above, but not now. They are excellent cartridges. They are available both above AND below your price point. But buying one now would would put the cart before the horse. P.P.S. Assuming your phono stage has enough clean gain, the low output version of an MC will *usually* sound better than a higher output version of the same cartrdige. Higher outputs within a model line are *usually* achieved by increasing the number of coils. Since those coils are all attached to the cantilever, the moving mass and inertia of the cantilever is increased. This necessarily makes it slower to respond to rapid groove transients. Lower output models have better dynamics and retrieve lower levels of detail - as a rule. |
The round and eliptical diamond tips on them Denons are a cost cutting measure to sell at particular price points. The customer records' life span is shortened because of this (and in no short measure with a round). I mean, you even have an 'audio boutique' owner recommending such a stylus in this very thread! When I was in high school my Shure V15 III cartridge had a hyper-elliptical tip. As I got more informed I went on to better ( both sonically and vinyl wear retardant) stylus profiles, like Shibata, Stereohedron and Fritz Geiger. You just got to be more exact at installing it. I recently found a box with my beloved Audio Technica AT-15S and it's going to get a NOS Super Shibata tip. My modded Stanton Groovemaster's next tip will be a Super Stereohedron (similar to the SS ). My only moving coil is an Ortofon X5 and it has a Fritz Geiger tip, which mimics the shape of a mastering cutterhead. Almost thirty years after my first Technics turntable those very first records still sound clean & crisp. Your tonearm's mass tends toward the low side--don't know the effective weight but the Shure's will definitely work, so will the Audio Technica. I don't know if the Stanton 681EEE will work, being a medium compliance cartridge. This would be my first entry level choice to get the TT working and start *playing* records. I suggest you talk to Kevin of KAB electroacoustics. He's a very knowledgable, honest dealer who will not mislead you into buying something like the Denons. Although he sells low output movig coils he'll also tell you not to throw away your moving magnet cartridges. There's a reason for that... http://www.kabusa.com Almost thirty years later I have another Technics TT, but this one's on steroids--a KAB modded Technics 1200 that will give any $5K TT a run for its money. I did mention--records are meant to be *played*. Don't be conned into believing you need to change your TT in a hurry. I know of this guy who was a repair tech at a Linn dealer while studying electrical engineering. He still has his Linn Basik ( with some 'modifications' ) and a modified Sony receiver plus some B&W mini monitors in an acoustically engineered room. Word is the local high end dealers can't believe the sound!!! You grab a beefy, surplus DC power supply from eBay and install it outboard in that Linn unit and call me in the morning, dude. Don't believe me? This is what Van Alstine recently posted in his AudioCircle forum: Just because I am allowing this thread to run on here does not imply that I sanction any of these goofy grossly overpriced turntable designs. I don't. There's one guy here (Sedond) who's got an Oracle/Origin Live RB250 with a surplus Hewlett Packard lab grade power supply (about $1K new). I've heard the deck. Also in this forum, Alex Yakovlev is an EE and has a Technics 1200 rigged with an outboard industrial grade power supply. Like in school, connect the dots and use the crayons on your coloring book... With psychic power and primal intensity, |
