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RE: MM vs MC is MC THAT much better?

Posted by MannyE on December 29, 2016 at 19:08:48:
That is always part of the question. Diminishing returns.

I'm not going to spend much more than the cost of a good turntable, which I think we can all agree is in the 4k to 6k range (the world of Primes, SL1200G, Acoustic Signature Challenger 3...etc) and probably another 500 to 1k on a cart.

With that budget, I have to take pretty much whatever arm comes with the table and can't throw down another chunk for a fancy low mass arm. The more I read about moving coil carts, the more I am realizing that it may be too much for my budget.

It's not just the cart, it's the combination of cart, SUT and phono preamp then preamp that needs to be optimized. If I'm understanding the whole situation correctly, I would need the SUT between the cart and the phono preamp.

I already know how maddening it is to find a preamp/amp/speaker combination that plays well together. The thought of adding yet another layer of insanity to the mix isn't appealing considering my desire to just hear music rather than play with equipment.

Lately the only thing that kills that is when I can really hear a blatant issue, which can mean many different things to different people.

In my case, it's things like obviously worn out equipment (rubbbing VC on a speaker or failing or dirty electronics) and failings of "musicality" which is where it gets subjective but I mean when the guitar isn't "there" on a blues or folk song or I can't feel the slam of a kick drum if I'm in a metal mood... like that.

I don't do a lot of critical listening, but I do like to sit back with a glass of scotch and close my eyes and get lost in the music. I can't stand it when something causes me to drop out of the reverie. Lately that's been happening more often and I'm pretty sure it's because I'm outgrowing the equipment's ability to keep me engaged.

Which is why I'm suddenly interested in the MC world. Sigh...

After all this, I'm hoping a good MM cart will save me!