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So... I'm starting to find that my Shure V15 Type IV retipped with a Jico SAS stylus is a bit unsatisfactory for classical music listening. Somehow, I find that the music is presented in a... "smooth" (?) way. It's a nice sort of sound, and one that I finally settled as "best" on after ages spent fiddling with the VTA - pleasant and polite, but I want something a little drier, with a wider soundstage and some "air" around instruments. Something that does large scale orchestral and solo instruments (violin, harpsichord, organ) well. Something with a bit more "personality" and "bang".If anyone knows what a Stax earspeaker or the AKG k501 headphones sound like - that's the *exact* sort of sound I'm looking for. With a little more bass. ;)
There's a catch though - it has to pair with my Black Widow tonearm, so only something with a highish compliance will do. To summarise, I'm looking for something that is:
- a slightly "dry" sound with a massive soundstage and lots of "air"
- excellent dynamics, moderate-good detail
- never harsh, never sibilant
- excellent tracker
- high compliance (to work well with my low mass Black Widow)
- no preference for MM or MC (please recommend a stepup with a MC)
- budget $450 (not including stepup)
Follow Ups:
I'm using it very successfully with a Hadcock 228, a low mass arm for which a high compliance cartridge is usually recommended. The cartridge tracks well, has the characteristics you're looking for, is well within your budget, and is high output. It's a much better cartridge than the OM40 it replaced.
Thanks all for the replies.Of all recommendations so far, I think the only ones that I will be considering are the following. The rest are excluded due to compliance issues.
Audio Technica AT-150MLX
Audio Technica AT-33PTG
Denon DL-301IIDoes anyone have any impressions of the above cartridges to share?
tubesforever, yes - my BW *is* optioned with the fluid damping trough, but I would prefer to avoid Grados due to their reputed poor tracking. Preventing damage to my vinyl is of paramount importance to me.
I owned and played a DL-301II for a number of years and it is a good cartridge. More recently, I auditioned the AT33PTG in my present system for a month and it also sounded very nice. I could be happy with either one.Some differences:
The DL-301II has an elliptical stylus on a hollow aluminum cantilever. The AT33PTG has a very tiny micro-line stylus on a thin solid gold-plated boron cantilever. Both have about the same compliance, and both weigh about the same. Here are the specs:
I have no direct experience with the AT-150MLX but it has the same stylus and cantilever as the AT33PTG.
If you want high output then the Ref Master or Platinum Master.Does your BW have the silicone dampening? The Grado's seem to like a bit of dampening in a flexible tonearm wand.
It's been a few years since I had one and the table has been sold (Thorens TD-165), but I do remember it had all the attributes you're looking for. From what I remember it had some of the highest dynamic compliance figures I've seen. Had I not sold my OM-series I would love to see how they'd do in a better arm than the stock Thorens tonearm which came with the TD-165.I believe OM-40 is still available, within your budget, and since it's MM no step-up is necessary. However, one small caveat: What I had was the OM-40 Gold with the VDH stylus. I have no idea if the current OM-40 would sound the same, though someone in here told me the currently-available Gyger stylus for the OM-40 is the same.
For many years I used a V15 IV, and my comments about it would be similar to yours. I listen primarily to classical music as well. I moved on to a Dynavector 20XH and I think it performs as you describe your ideal cartridge. It is a great step up from the Shure in all the ways you are looking for. Below you will also find a recommendation for another excellent DV cartridge that is a bit less expensive, but if you afford it, the 20XH is worth the difference. By getting the "H" or high output version you save the expense of a SUT. Some say that the LO version is significantly better, but other people who I know who have heard both say they are not that far apart. In any event, the 20XH is a superb cartridge. It had one unexpected benefit for me. Nearly all of my records were bought used, as there aren't many classical records being made today, and this cartridge tracks them superbly. I never hear inner-groove or any other kinds of distortion, which makes me believe that it tracks a different part of the groove from where it got its wear over most of its life.One caveat: A new version of the 20XH has recently become available, but it is still called the exact same model number. It has a microline stylus and threaded mounting holes. I have not heard the new version. The only report I have heard of a direct comparison between the old and new versions indicated the new version may be a bit brighter and therefore "apparently" more detailed. How important this would be for you is another question. In any event, I don't think you can go wrong with either version of this cartridge for classical music- I've heard nothing significantly better for even two to three times the price. However, Its compliance is medium, and I don't know if this will be a problem for your arm.
nt
I think an Audio Technica AT33PTG might be a good one for your tonearm. It has between 20-cu and 26-cu compliance at resonance. You will need a step-up because it is a low output moving coil.
but the things you list sound like some people's descriptions of the Dynavector 10x5, a cartridge i've always wanted to try. I don't know what the compliance is on it though. I was under the impression that generally the MM cartridges are higher in compliance, and the MC ones are lower. The 10x5 is a higher output but I don't know if that has any bearing on the compliance of the cantilever. The AT440mla fits a lot of those traits but may sound 'harsh' to certain ears, not to mine. I am a big one for a smooth non-harsh sound and my 440 has been nice so far, still breaking it in. My Stanton 681eeeMK3 had sibilance though, couldn't listen to it.
a Denon DL-301/II with a CineMag SUT.
Henry
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