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Cartridge recommendation

Hey everyone,
This is my first post and have already learned a great deal from the wealth of information on this site, but still had a question regarding a cartridge. I have a Rega Planar 3 on the way to me as well as a Cambridge 640p phono pre and was wondering if someone could recommend a good cartridge combination for these two. I also have a NAD c315bee on way if that makes a difference. I would like to keep it around 100.00 to 150.00, but would go as high as 200.00 if it made a big enough difference in sound quality. I am kind of a best bang for the buck shopper. I've been looking at the Denon 110 or 160 as well as the comparable options from Grado or AT but wasn't sure what would work well with the 640p as well as the RB300 arm. I appreciate in any advice.
thanks,
Kevin
photok
chazzbo
1,007 posts
 
Denon.Ortofon.Increase your budget for a Wood bodied Grado @$300 or maybe a Sumiko.You have a good entry level deck which has really fine arm.Digging deeper (considering what Lp's cost) would pay off.
Chazz
photok OP
18 posts
 
Thanks for the responses everyone, I really appreciate the advice. I am now leaning towards a Grado, I have a local dealer who seems like a decent guy and thought he might be able to play me a few different samples. Also the 2M Blue is on closeout at needle dr. for 159.00 so that is more appealing now. I think the Denon is out because it doesn't really seem like the optimum match for the 640p. The dynavector will probably be down the road when it eventually fits into a budget or comes up used and by then I'll probably be wanting to try an arm rewire, who knows. Thanks again, I'll let you know how it turns out.
transnova's avatar
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transnova
350 posts
 
The Blue will surprise you! It is very good!!!
transnova's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
transnova
350 posts
 
BTW,the 2M series are easy to mount,They are self threaded,like wood body cartridges.
bondmanp
1,816 posts
 
Although no longer in production, I am pretty happy with my Ortofon OM 30 Super. The OM line, like the current Ortofon 2M series, is a cool upgrade path, since you upgrade by swapping in better styli. I went from the OM 10 to the OM 30, and the difference was huge - much smoother highs, better tracking (tracks almost anything), better separation and more extended, smoother bass. Starting with a Red or Blue, you can eventually upgrade to the Black, which seems to have a lot of fans. So, yes, to answer your question, there are noticeable improvements as you move up the Ortofon MM stylus line.
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