Which Mono Cartridge at around $1,300.00?

Thanks for the info Podeschi and thank you Jonathan for the recapitulation concerning the Ortofon SPU mono. The only hesitation I have about the Ortofon SPU however, is how well it is or isn't suited for my Thorens tonearm. The Grado cartridges seem attractive for the price as well but either way, I can then relax and begin saving for the Lyra Titan Mono and a new tonearm!

For anyone in the Dallas area, the LSAF is this weekend and I'll have a shilabe and a premium Be mounted up for some fun stereo vs. mono comparisons in a zero pressure tequilla fueled cinco de mayo environment. (will be there on siete de mayo too)

Local folks should at least be aware that a bunch of audio geeks are getting together even if they aren't vinyl junkies.

anyone silly enough to make a last minute road trip should understand the rest of the system will be about tubes, nickel and tone which is a perfect environment to transport you back to a smokey room in 1956.

dave

dave

It's interesting to note that some but clearly not all MC cartridges emphasize using a step up transformer. I in ways view using the transformers as something necessary in the past however not so much with today's cartridges. Anyway, this is a consideration when deciding which mono cartridge might be the best; should I spend money on a cartridge and a transformer too?

Goofy, MC cartridges are typically classified as "High Output" (HO) or "Low Output" (LO). LO is loosely defined as something less than 1.0mV at 5cm/sec. (This is not written in stone.) Most of the mono MCs under discussion here have an output somewhere between 0.3 and 0.8mV. If your phono stage has enough gain for a stereo cartridge with such an output voltage, then it will also work with a mono cartridge of that ilk. You need to find out what is the gain afforded via your phono stage in order to decide whether you need a step-up transformer (SUT). If the use of a SUT can be avoided, so much the better for both your wallet and your results. On the other hand, some would say that the net result of using a SUT with a phono stage of modest gain capability is to be preferred vs using a hi-gain phono stage that may not otherwise sound as good. There is endless debate on this subject; I have no dog in that fight. You don't HAVE to use a SUT if you don't need it. This is basic stuff.

' it will also work with a mono cartridge of that ilk.' I think ilk being the operative word in your statement as not all cartridges are created equal, which is the point of this discussion or so I thought.

To clarify things a bit more and maybe I should have done this earlier but here are the specifications from the ASR Website;

The ASR Mini Basis Phono preamp has the following features :
 The case is made from high-quality, lightly transparent acrylic glass
 Highly efficient, shielded 72 VA PM (Philbert Mantelschnitt) transformer
 High-quality magnetic sheet metal with a low magnetic field gives good dynamic
 Ultra fast Schottky-Rectifier, buffer 200,000 uF with Philips switchmode Elkos
 Very fast