MC versus MM. Which to choose.

It's senseless to argue. Everyone should do what he or she likes. Just trying to help the OP. Marakanetz, I disagree with your sentiment, but more importantly you are not helping the OP by stating such a strong opinion with no backup information to support it. The rest of you guys can send me all your "boxy" sounding MM and MI cartridges; I will keep some of them. Probably I won't like some of them, either. This is to say that there are mediocre cartridges of every type. You guys have been successfully brainwashed by the audio establishment.

Lostbears, it seems you have a more substantial budget than I would have imagined. In that case, it probably IS wise to buy a very good phono stage with MC capability. Then you can decide at leisure whether or not the "MM/MI alternative" (as Raul likes to call it) should be so casually dismissed.

PH5 on OP list is capable of driving medium output MC cartridges down to .5mV. In this output range there are plenty MC carts that would outperform even pricey MM.

Raul,

How could you disagree with my statement? I merely stated a personal preference for low output moving coils while acknowledging that some prefer moving magnet/moving iron cartridges. I further suggested that the poster listen to both cartridge types to gain a personal understanding of which he liked better. A personal preference is simply a statement of choice-it is not a mathematical equation that has only one correct answer. I like single malt scotch (Ardbeg "Ungeadail" and Laphroaig "cast strength" are my current favorites), a good friend of mine hates scotch but loves good sipping rum-is one of us wrong? No, both of us have personal preferences that are in conflict. I would never force my friend to drink a glass of scotch because I respect his right to choose rum. LOMC and MM/MI have different qualities-some will like LOMC and some MM/MI-let's allow the poster make up his own mind.

IMO vinyl newbies should start with inexpensive but good MM carts. The 2M line-up from Ortofon are inexpensive, sound great and are easy to set-up. Why buy an expensive cart when you are just getting into vinyl...?

Marakanetz, There you go again. IMO, Nanbil has it about right. And I think Raul would agree. And Tbromgard more or less echoed my earlier post.