Suggestions on cartridge upgrade


Hi, I'm in the process of doing a few upgrades. I have an music hall MMF-7 table with the orignal goldring eroica cartridge. I also use a musical fidelity x-LPS phono stage.

I have mostly jazz, soft rock and some classical albums. I'm really enjoying my vinyl after a small hiatus.

So I've got a bit of upgrade-itis.

Any suggestions on a cartridge upgrade (say sub 1000) that would increase my enjoyment for the kinds of music i listen to.

Thanks,
Terri
theresamarie1
That's a tough question to answer. I do love the sound of vinyl, and i guess i'd like to keep that very sweet sound while getting better articulation/separation and placement of instruments, especially in classical music.
My current cartridge is moving coil, and I do like it's sound, will MM give me better articulation and separation of instruments? I guess I thought the moving coils were mostly farther down on the quality curve...
Terri; the high output moving coil cartridge you are currently using has a sound that is perhaps more like a moving magnet cartridge than a typical low output moving coil cartridge. That's a broad generalization, I know, but the Eroica H is more like Goldring's 1012GX (and other MM cartridges I've used) than either the AT33PTG or the DV-20XL or a Karat 17D3. That's with my setup anyway.

Moving coil cartridges occupy a very wide spectrum of price, quality, and sound characteristics. Generally, the more you spend, the better the cartridge. But there are certainly exceptions and broad benches on the way to the top.

It's easy to suggest a particular cartridge to someone but difficult to know if the recommendation is really what they are looking for. My advice is to do some homework and learn more about the cartridges being offered in the price range you're considering. Read reviews, read forum comments, and read manufacturer's descriptions to get a sense of what's out there and if they might have the characteristics you're after. Then you can ask for specific advice about how your choices might sound with your setup.

Tom