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Technics SL1200MK2 Cartridge Discussion

Hi,

I'd like to have a thread on cartridges that work with the Technics SL1200MK series tables.

I want to buy a Technics SL1210MK2 (the new black version from Musicians Friend) and need a cartridge recommendation. I am using a Musical Fidelity A308CR preamp that has MM/MC capability. My amps are Bryston 7B ST's and I have a pair of B&W Signature 800's on the way to replace my N801's. The MF Preamp is rolled off on top and the system is very listenable for long lengths of time. I'd describe it as detailed, but not too bright.

I really want to try the Technics table as it is relaible and inexpensive ($400 shipped or less for a used table if I go the ebay route). Please do not try to talk me into a different table. I had a VPI Scout and Dynavector 20x (High output) that I sold because I just wasn't using it. I'd like to keep this cheap so that I have decent TT available when and if I want to use it.

What can you recommed for a cart? I'd like to keep $160 to $200 as a max and stay lower if possible. Here is what I am considering:

Denon 103 (not the R)
Denon 110
Denon 160

Audio Technica 440 MLa

Shure M97xe

I do not know what carts work well with the Technics tonearm. I know that it is light and some threads recommend a Sumiko headshell for the Denons. What do I need to know here before buying a table and cart.

Thanks.
tigerwoodkhorns
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I have had an SL1210 M5G for about a year now. I've used it with a Shure M97xE with occasional switches to an Ortofon OM10, followed by an upgrade to a Denon DL-160 mounted on a Sumiko shell. Three months later I added the KAB fluid damper and everything got that much better.

The Sumiko headshell is a good investment regardless. The extra weight improves the mass/compliance ratio with the Denon and most modern carts, it's more rigid and non-resonant, the lead wires and clips worth $20 alone, and it has adjustable azimuth, which helps dial in soundstage and imaging.

The Denons are noticeably better than the Shure M97xE--more linear, better frequency extension at both ends, tighter bass, cleaner treble, and smoother yet more dynamic everywhere. Add the KAB fluid damper and you can "hear the room." Denon+Sumiko headshell+fluid damper has turned my Technics into a 3D sonic virtual reality machine.

On top of all that, the Technics tonearm plus fluid damper will easily track a record with 1/2" warp fluctuations in the outer track. Nice to know if you're a thrift shop bottom feeder like me.

Concerning the rising prices on the AT440MLa, the sub-$100 price was a sale price on a $240 cart. LP gear still offers it at $99.95 athttp://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=ATC05&Category_Code=A3.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
02-27-08: Cytocycle
Skip the Shure it's a dud on the SL1200
Hear hear! Finally someone who agrees that the Shure is dull as dishwater. For $60-80 I'd rather have a Grado Black or Green. At $100 I'd look at the AT440MLa, the Ortofon 2M Red, the Grado Blue, the Sumiko Pearl.

At $140 and $180, the Denon DL-110/160 are really hard to beat.

Another thing I don't like about the Shure--I've seen a frequency graph on it, and it rises to a peak output at 100 Hz and then gradually trails off in amplitude from 100 Hz on up to its HF limit. You have to keep overall capacitance low (<150pF) to have much treble at all.

This corroborates my experience: The Shure is particularly sensitve to 100-150 Hz resonances, such as in-room footfalls and thumps transmitted up through the Technics' structure. In other words, the Shure magnifies one of the Technics' weak points--resonance control in the 100-150 Hz range. This also kills inner detail and overall clarity.
tigerwoodkhorns OP
130 posts
 
The AT 440 MLa is listed as out of stock on the lpgear website.

The Denon Dl-110 and 160 with a Sumiko headshell seem to be the way to go. What about the DL 103 that is available for about $150. Is the 110 or 160 superior?
perfectionist
197 posts
 


02-27-08: Johnnyb53
the Shure is dull as dishwater.

That is about the best description I've heard yet! I am said friend to Cytocycle, and I'm in total agreement. I personally think they should just stop manufacturing it, it sucks that bad. Kevin at KAB (who sold me this cart when I got back into vinyl) is a great guy and very knowledgable, but why he endorses this cart is beyond me. I am running the 440MLa on my 1210M5G in my main rig, and I'm here to tell you, at $100 bucks (give or take), it's a pretty decent cart. And my main rig is a fairly hi-rez system. IMO, the M97xE is not even in the same league with the 440MLa. About all it's good for is cleaning the grooves of a thrift store album...
johnss
569 posts
 
be sure to add the 199.00 benz micro, at what ever output level works.
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