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New cart for under 1K

I am looking to buy a new cartrdige for my setup. My current system consists of a VPI Scout II with a Black Knight platter and 10.5SE tonearm (the TT Michael Fremer demonstrated a cartridge setup at last years show in NYC), JM Focal 936's, Mac solid state power & pre, and a Dynavector P-75 phono pre-amp. The Focal's are very accurate and tend to be bright in the highs. Brightness is what I am trying to avoid. I've found the highs to be too harsh for my liking, especially with vocals. Sibilance is also an issue and something I have attempted to control with speaker placement, VTA, damping fluid, and the tone controls on my old Mac preamp. My current cart is a Grado Gold. I am hopeful that upgrading to a new cartridge helps eliminate some of the treble harshness and provides a sweeter overall sound. I'm interested in the Dynavector 20x2 so far. Any other suggestions for 1K or under, Benz, Ortofon, Sumiko (Blackbird, a little over 1K, but what the hell)?

Thanks for you assistance!
davidlillis
jjrenman
279 posts
 
"It might also be helped with a well-placed capacitor or resistor in the crossover to roll off the highs a bit."

Actually it would be an inductor in series with the tweeter with a resistor in parallel with the inductor. However it will not change the character of the highs just the quantity. IME you can not deal with resonance peaks in the crossover you have to deal with them physically. IE blocking the offensive resonance, stiffen the dome or use a different shape and or material.
davidlillis OP
27 posts
 
Johnnyb53,

I read that same review. I used to toe-in my Focal's and after tweaking inch by inch, straight forward is definitely best with these speakers.

All,

I've decided to put a hold on the cartridge and focus my energies and time to save up for a new pair of speakers. After reading all these incredibly insightful posts I'm definitely convinced that I simply do not like the way my speakers sound (bass is excellent, but that's it). One post stated not to upgrade the cart because that's where my budget is right now. I was looking for the quick fix because the harshness really annoys me. Patience will reap rewards, speakers are the next purchase. I'm thinking Harbeth, Dynaudio, Spendor, any thoughts on a nice pair of speakers without the harshness? Does anyone know anything about the Anthony Gallo 3.5's? They receive excellent accolades and are not all that expensive.

Thanks again to everyone for all the feedback. This has been truly informative.

David
jjrenman
279 posts
 
Do you have a price range in mind for new speakers or are you just getting ideas? Are you open to used as well as new?What type of music do you listen to? Do you listen loud? What other speakers have you heard that you liked? Is there anything other than the bass that you like in your JM's?
syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
Nagaoka
They run well in a wide range of Arms.
davidlillis OP
27 posts
 
Jjrenman,

Occasionally with some recordings the JM's sound fantastic! Typically it's with jazz or anything without vocals. Due to the sibilance issues and the harshness in the highs, all vocals are not enjoyable. Separation is also a nice trait of the JM's. I do listen loud occasionally, I have my moments where I just have to listen to some old Queesnryche or Iron Maiden! Most of what I listen to is indie rock, classic rock, jazz, and some chamber music. Some favorites are Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Miles Davis, Andreas Vollenweider, Neil Young, Stan Getz, Frank Zappa, I think you get the idea. My range is 4K-6K used or new. Of course I'd like to stay closer to the 4K range.
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