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Recommend a cartridge for my new TT

I'm finally getting back into vinyl, and I need some recommendations for the best $500 or less cartridge (new or used) to get for a Clearaudio Performance SE TT I'm buying. The table has the Satisfy Carbon Fiber arm. For now, I'll be running the table thru the phono stage (MM)on my Denon AVR-3300 until I see how things sound that way, but maybe get a separate phono stage later if it would make a noticable improvement. Speakers are Monitor Audio Silvers. I tend to listen to older music, all on CD, like Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Tina Turner, Garth Brooks, War, del Amitri, Patsy Cline, Robert Palmer...., well you probably get the idea where my tastes are, though some classical is appealing also.

Any suggestions as to what would work well with this setup?
duvallite
harold-not-the-barrel
895 posts
 
I very much agree with Johnnyb53 about top AT carts but THE BEST sub $1K is The SHURE ULTRA 500 with Micro Ridge stylus, at this very moment on eBay. For replacement styli the JICO/SAS (if needed), it´s even slightly better than the original Micro Ridge IMO.
Best of Luck
kiko65
279 posts
 
All great suggestions!
Personally my top 3 MM carts under $500.00:
DV10X5
Clearaudio Aurum Beta S
Linn Adikt
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
Go for an AT440mla, superb cartridge at a price around $185 on Amazon. I have an almost new one, along with vintage Shure, Pickering and Stantons that I have replaced styli on, as well as a new Grado Sonata Reference and Ortofon Black, and this AT is as good as any of them. Superb tracker, excellent bass dynamics and clarity, silky midrange without grain or glare. This is an amazing cart and you would not be disappointed. It is as good as any $500 catridge you will find. Plus it looks very cool blue.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Stevecham, how is it on instrumental separation ?
bpoletti
1,553 posts
 
I would normally recommend an Audio Technica cartridge and the AT "house sound" is my usual first choice. But since that seems like the consensus, I might suggest a Denon DL-110, just as an alternative. It's a good, but by no means spectacular, high output moving coil cartridge.
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