Do I Have the Wrong Cartridge?

Doug, regarding your view of HOMC carts,

HOMCs arguably bring you the worst of both designs, often at higher cost than an MM.

My experience has been very different, I replaced an Ortofon 2M blue with a high output Benz Glider and the difference was like night and day. Clearly these carts are not in the same class. The benefit may be due to the boron cantilever and stylus shape but I think it's unlikely.

HOMCs provide a good value by eliminating the need for a SUT or high gain phono stage.

@lowrider, I would like to say stay clear of the 2m blue, but at 200$ I am not sure that there is anything much better.

thanks Nick, it seems like the 2m Blue is very well reviewed.

I still have a lot of research to do, but I'm thinking my Axis is above an entry level TT especially after the rebuild, so I'm not going to "cheap out" on the cart.

"Knownothing...
I am using a Grado Reference Platinum 1 on an old Thorens 150mkII and my classical records sound wonderful."
My new budget should be about $350 which is in line with this Grado.

The issue w the Grados is that they are unshielded and depending on the TT, they can pick p hum from the motor. It's very system dependent.

Nick_sr,

I don't doubt your experience. I'd prefer a Benz Glider to an Ortofon 2m Blue myself. (Personally, no Ortofon below the A90 has ever sounded very good in my system.) However, one example doesn't prove that HOMCs necessarily outplay MMs. That simply isn't so IME. Some MMs give some HOMCs a viable challenge (system and listener dependent, as always).

It's certainly true that, "HOMCs provide a good value by eliminating the need for a SUT or high gain phono stage". So do MM's, and at much lower cost.

Your Glider retails for $2K, your 2m Blue for $225. At MM price points one can easily try a half dozen until you find one you like and still be hundreds of dollars ahead of buying an HOMC. Further, re-tipping costs are often negligible, since many MMs have user-replaceable styli.

You've found an HOMC you love, by all means enjoy it! But for a newbie on a tight budget, starting down the MC path without experience of many different cartridges would be a leap of faith with a pretty high financial entry point.

Lots of things are well reviewed that are POS .