Cartridge wars

My taste in music has been asked, and fortunately (or maybe not), I listen to just about everything. So for me, the cartridge with the best balance is what I'm after. I don't want a cartridge that performs exquisitely in one area and fails miserably in another. Rather, I'd like something well rounded rather than over the top or vivid per se.

It sounds like you want a cartridge that's easy to listen to over the long haul, understated rather than overstated. There's two that come to mind that are both off your projected budget by a bit: the Sumiko Celebration at $1500 and the Shure V15MRx5 at $300.

Don't scoff at the Shure: if you check TAS reviewer systems, many, if not most, use the Shure on their reference 'tables, regardless of price. I've compared it to many, and whenever I put it on as opposed to the rest of my cartridge collection, I simply spend hours listening to all of my records, and leave it set up for months. Cartridges that excel in certain areas tend to make you play only those records which are very well recorded, restricting your collection. Curiosity drives me to the rest of my cartridges, MCs and MMs, to see what I'm missing. And while the Shure is not the most detailed in the world (don't take this to mean it isn't, though), those instruments it captures, it captures perfectly so you think "Ah, so that's what it is!" This cartridge has incredible bass, is tonally accurate, and gets the rhythm right, so you just don't care, it sounds "right".

The Sumiko probably ups the ante. Otherwise, the Grado is very smooth, quite detailed, while being dynamic and never harsh (I own one of these as well), and excels in the midrange, but is still quite good at the frequency extremes. On the right 'table and system (unfortunately not mine: make sure you have an excellent MM phono stage), it is musically astonishing, makes the hairs stand up on your body, a very rare experience. Sumiko has their heart in the right place - music at a good price - it would be interesting to see how the Blackbird stacks up. All the other cartridges mentioned here sound good as well, and I will likely buy a Dynavector 17D MkII soon, to add to my collection. An embarrassment of riches, but I include the Shure because price isn't always an indicator of quality, and it may in fact be the best in the world at not interfering, and making everything sound equally good. Technicolour is fun, but gets tiring in the long haul (which is why I keep my Shure). If you go for the Blackbird, post a review/discussion!

My choice would be Allaerts MC1B. Jan Allaerts only makes 70 cartridges a year. MC1B is one of his lower models, much better than the base MC1 Eco. Waiting list is about 6 months. I've got mine now - fantastic. Better than my old Dynavector Karat Ruby, Decca Gold (Original Garrott Brothers).

Hard to find one to listen to though. I don't know who distributes Jan's cartridges in the USA.

I wonder how the Blackbird stacks up against the Glider M2 I currently use, because its price point and graphics (plus the 'nude' design, although the original Blue Point had that first) indicate to me that it's clearly intended to compete head-on in the marketplace. BTW, the Glider is certainly worthy of consideration - in no way hyped, but robustly full-bodied and 'liquid' with sufficient 'air' and 'depth', if not necessarily quite all the startling dynamics or imaging available in some (older) designs I've heard that might not be as tonally and harmonically truthful as the B-M. But I had to buy mine without benefit of being able to audition it against the current comparable leading contenders - sadly, too often the case with everything phono.

BTW, I have always found it odd (though unfortunately not atypically so) that Stereophile persists in rating this cart as 'Class C' in 'Recommended Components', despite Fremer's review of the updated Mk.2 version clearly stating it was superior to the original in every way and fully competitive at its price (in fact he hardly seemed to find fault with it), which is somewhat higher than other carts they've since classed as 'B' and even 'A'. As an owner and a subscriber, I don't know whether I ought to be glad or mad that their perniciously pervasive 'grade creep' seems not to be retroactive...

If memory serves, I think Stereophile was embarrased by the flack surrounding their original review of that cartrdige, which was a rave by a reviewer later accused of having insufficent experience with cartridges to know what he was talking about. They've been bending over backwards with the Glider ever since.