I like Grado sound so I would go for Gold. Whether it would be the best match with your tonearm I don't think we can know. But that's what I would try first.
budget cart help
hey all, i'm new to the analog world and need a little help. i recently acquired a JVC QL-A75 turntable. the stylus on the cartridge that came with it is broken so i am in the market for a new cartridge. The local shop where i plan on having the cart installed has these in stock:
AT3600
Grado black, green, blue and gold
Shure M97XE
I am not looking to spend more than about $200, so my question is, which of these would be best? the cost to performance ratio is what i'm looking at. as in, i'm sure the Grado Gold is the best of the bunch but is it $100 better than the Shure? Or is there even a big difference among lower end carts?
I am not opposed to ordering something online and i was intrigued by the Ortofon's and have heard good things. so my last question is, what other carts are out there for less than $200 that would fit well with what i have? i was specifically looking at the Ortofon 2M Red or the OM10 or OM5E.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks
AT3600
Grado black, green, blue and gold
Shure M97XE
I am not looking to spend more than about $200, so my question is, which of these would be best? the cost to performance ratio is what i'm looking at. as in, i'm sure the Grado Gold is the best of the bunch but is it $100 better than the Shure? Or is there even a big difference among lower end carts?
I am not opposed to ordering something online and i was intrigued by the Ortofon's and have heard good things. so my last question is, what other carts are out there for less than $200 that would fit well with what i have? i was specifically looking at the Ortofon 2M Red or the OM10 or OM5E.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks
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- 9 posts total
A couple of comments: The straight tonearm is for high compliance (MM) carts weighing between 4-17 grams. The curved arm is for low compliance (MC) carts weighing between 8-34.5 grams. You'll find this in the Service Manual at Vinyl Engine. In short, your tonearm is very flexible and can probably accommodate any of the cartridges mentioned here. The modern way to match a cartridge and tonearm is to find the resonant frequency and try to land between 8 and 12 Hz. But the calculation can't be done if you don't know the effective mass of the tonearm or the compliance of the cartridge. No need to worry. Audiophiles got by for a long time without crunching these numbers. Some seasoned folks dismiss the exercise as a waste of time. JVC didn't list the effective mass of your tonearm, so there's no point in worrying about the equation. I just wanted to point it out because you asked. I stand by my recommendation for the Ortofon M20FL. It's an unheard of giant killer. Check out this forum: best cartridge under $500 |
Dear Maindenhel: I think that many of the advise cartridges here are very good ones but if I be " obligate " to choose between them I stay with Mingles advise: Ortofon M20FL Super, this is a lot lot better cartridge that what its price or " look " can tell you and like Mingles point out: if happen that you don't like it ( that I doubt it. ) then you can re-sale very fast and maybe at higher price that you buy it. Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
- 9 posts total