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low tracking force cartridge recommendations?

hey, i'm new here (and also relatively new to the audiophile analog world), so i could really use some advice on my "new" turntable, which will very likely end up being a Dual 1019. from all of my research and speaking with people, it would seem to me that Dual recommended using cartridges that have a low tracking force. my understanding of that is limited, but i do have some idea of what that means.

being my first turntable in many many years, i am not looking to spend a fortune on cartridges - i figured i could spend $100 to $200 at most, and have found many that fall into that price range. some have recommended an Ortofon Super OM 30 to me, others pointing towards a Shure M97 XE. the repair shop that is looking over the turntable was saying a decent Audio-Technica might just be the best route... there are so many choices that my head is spinning.

one thing i did learn is that i apparently should be using a Moving Magnet cartridge since I will be using this table through a Bellari VP129 pre-amp, which I also just purchased.

i will primarily be listening to jazz and old rock records on this unit on a not-particularly hi-fi setup, though having the tube preamp was important to me since i'd love to hear stuff through my Grado SR 125's.

so, knowing all of that, what sort of cartridges would you recommend? i'd be thrilled to find something for $50 that sounds good and won't harm my records, but as i said, would be willing to spend a bit more if that will get me something significantly better.

thank you!
tethead
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I had a Shure M95ED back in the '70s. You know what beat it all to hell? A Grado Z1+. I don't mean it edged it out; I mean it was Ghengis Khan overruning a tiny village. For a functional equivalent today, try something from the Grado Prestige series--a Red, Blue, Silver, or Gold.

I've had 4 Shure cartridges from a 1972 M93ED to a 2007 M97xE and they're all "safe," but dull as dishwater. If you want some pizzazz in your musical life in the $100-200 range, try the Grado or a Denon DL-110 or 160, an Audio Technica AT95 or AT440MLa, a Goldring Electra, Sumiko Pearl, Ortofon OM10/20/30, or Ortofon 2M Red or Blue.

Shure cartridges were so ubiquitous in the '70s and '80s, I can't help thinking that they contributed to the demise of the LP in favor of the CD. Their dull presentation no doubt propagated the myth that LPs were noisy and lacked dynamic range.
tethead OP
10 posts
 
thanks, i guess i just wanted "safe" because of the age of my turntable. with so many things that can go wrong with a 40 year old unit, i'd like to keep things as simple (and original) as possible really... introducing a Grado, with the possibility of that infamous "Grado hum", would likely frustrate me greatly. i did seriously consider an Ortofon, but the Super OM 30 i was looking at was a bit more than i wanted to spend as well. apparently Ortofon also discontinued that line and replaced it, anybody know anything about those?
john_z
178 posts
 
Hi, I'm by no means a vinyl expert here but... I mentioned to my local high-end shop a few years ago that I have an old '80s-era turntable and he recommended the inexpensive MM Grado. I bought the Grado prestige "black" P-mount cartridge for less than $50 and am very happy with it. I have it set at 1.5 grams tracking on my Technics SL-5 direct-drive linear-tracking table from 1982 and it sounds great. The sound is very smooth from top to bottom although a little darker sounding than my digital source (Arcam CD23), hardly a fair comparison, though. The Prestige series is also available in standard mount if your table requires it.

More refined sounding and smoother than the Audio Technica EP series cartridge it replaces. Very nice midrange and vocals. The "hum" problem apparently has been corrected with the newer (late '90's and newer) Prestige series according to one professional review I read online. I have experienced no hum in my system. A great-sounding cartridge and good value for money IMHO. -jz
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rauliruegas
13,121 posts
 
Dear tethead: According with your Dual operation manual the Dual people " say " that you can use any cartridge you want ( regarding VTF ) down to 0.5 VTF and they continue ( more or less ) that high compliance cartridges ( that normally work with low VTF ) are not the best with an automatic TT design like yours.

Now, reading that manual it seems to me that this TT was a very good on its time, it was a surprise to me finding that its tonearm is a dinamicaly balance one with a very low bearing friction!!!

I don't want to add anything because for what you ask you almost have the right answers about and you already take a choice.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
05-02-08: Tethead
thanks, i guess i just wanted "safe" because of the age of my turntable. with so many things that can go wrong with a 40 year old unit, i'd like to keep things as simple (and original) as possible really...
That's also a reason I recommended the Grado. The replacement stylii for the current Prestige series are also Grado's factory-recommended replacement stylii for some of the Grado cartridges from the '70s, so I figured it'd also be a period-correct solution. I doubt that the "Grado hum" was a problem back then, because by far most mid-fi turntables (BSR, Grado, Dual) were idler drive powering a machined aluminum platter. Grado was the ubiquitous giveaway cartridge back then, so if there had been a hum problem Grado would have never gotten the huge market share they had back then.

Also, since the Grado Prestige line traces its heritage back to about the same time as the Dual 1019, I figured it would be a good match in compliance and output. Rated output is 5mV, which should fit perfectly with your Bellari.

I hadn't heard that the Ortofon OM series is discontinued, but I was wondering if they would. With the new 2M series they now have 2 or 3 MM lines covering the same price and performance range. The reviews of the new 2M line are overwhelmingly positive, from the $99 Red all the way to the $599 Black. If you go that direction, there's probably not much reason to go beyond the entry-level Red or at most the nude-stylus Blue. This new series has a really high output, like 5.5 to 6.5 mV, which should make even the Bellari relax.

The Denon DL-110 and 160 I mentioned are a little too low in output for the Bellari.
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