What is the "best" cartridge a Technics 1210...

I don't have the broader experience that Zenblaster and Tonym211 have with cartridges. I've spent more of my effort on vibration control: I started with the SL1210 M5G with upgraded tonearm wire, use an LPGear ZuPreme headshell, the KAB fluid damper, which lowers the resonant peak, wrapped the tonearm, which quells a persistent upper midrange resonance in the tonearm, and I have other damping effects--sorbothane (not gel) mat, record grip, and a multi-layer isolation platform. Those vibration control efforts improve the inner clarity, dynamic range, and lower the noise floor regardless of the cartridge. And it should help get the most out of the better, more resolving cartridges. For example, I'm very satisfied with the bass tightness of the AT 150MLX on my well-damped rig.

Since my experience doesn't include high end cartridges on the SL12x0, I can only go by what I've heard from reviewers I trust. Tone Publications has been evaluating an SL1200 for some time, and with the original arm (but no fluid damper), they seemed to like the Zu103 the best. I have also heard from Positive Feedback reviewer and SL1200 booster Ed Kobesky that the $949 Denon DL-S1 (an LOMC) is a *really* good match. I suspect that that cart on an LPGear ZuPreme headshell with the KAB fluid damper would really rock.

i have also used the 199 Benz Micro MC, the Carnegie one MC, and a Monster Alpha genesis all with really good results on a KAB technics. Be sure you get the arm dampener and the arm re-wire; both are key to improved sonics. Make sure you add cardas headshell leads too to the technics headshell; much better than stock.

08-27-09: Johnss
... Make sure you add cardas headshell leads too to the technics headshell; much better than stock.

Very good suggestion. Another approach would be to get an LPGear ZuPreme headshell, which is about $2 more than the Cardas leads. The ZuPreme comes with improved headshell leads with gold plated tags; they appear to be just like the AudioQuest leads at about $20. The Cardas leads are most likely better, but the ZuPreme headshell is way better than the Technics. Best solution would be the ZuPreme headshell plus the Cardas leads.

Denon. Whatever one you can afford and matches the capabilities of your phono stage. The DL-110 and DL-160 are great for MM stages, but the DL-103 is an even better match if you have appropriate gain and loading. The DL-S1 is an amazing cartridge but it does require a very, very good phono stage or step-up transformer to hear it at its best. Quite frankly, the DL-103 performs in some ways as well as cartridges costing two or three times it price.

We can -- and have -- debated the Technics' weaknesses, but I think one that is fairly well established is that it can have a somewhat truncated lateral soundstage. The Denon cartridges are not only smooth sounding and great trackers, but they are renowned for their wide, deep soundstaging, which helps mitigate what is for me the only truly glaring weakness of the Technics.

I had used the Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge on my MkII and liked it very much but, itching to try something else, I bought a Zupreme headshell and added the Dynavector 10X5 which was even better. The Dynavector is a high output MC so is suitable using the phone stage's MM output. I tried it on MC but the MM had a lower noise floor.

My 'table has the KAB damping trough plus I'm using the TTweights copper mat as well as their 1 lb. record weight. The copper mat is placed on top of a stock 1/8" rubber mat which both damps the platter and provides VTA adjustment with "thinner" bodied cartridges.