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.
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.