Anticipating a cartridge upgrade for my birthday. Help wanted

[JoelSim]

To go with my ProJect Debut III/Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 and the rest of my kit in my signature.

What should I look at. £100 ish unless there's a very good reason for spending more.

 

 

[chebby]

Anything around £100 will sound great so long as it is NOT a moving coil. (Even a high output one.)

Debut III, pressed magnetic steel platter etc.

Moving coils have much bigger magnets and will try (with dramatic consequences) to get as close to your platter as possible!

An Ortofon 2M Red (£65) is one I have enjoyed and can recommend. (The 2M Blue is £129 so just a bit out of range.)

Audio Technica's AT440MLa (£125 but check as it varies as much as the £ against the $) is reputedly a great tracker with a very detailed and bright sound...

http://www.at440mla.co.uk/

Assuming you are using the Ortofon OMB5E cartridge that comes as standard, then you could just upgrade the stylus to OM20 level for around £100. It will sound great and save you all the faffing around fitting and aligning a new cartridge.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd second the Ortofon 2M Red, or perhaps the Audio Technica AT120 though that can be a bit bright and bouncy with the wrong pressing. I'd think spending more would be overkill for the turntable, good though it is.

Juust saw Chebby's comment about the OM20. That's exactly what I did, albeit when prices were a lot lower. It's a refined -sounding cartridge which works (and tracks) well with the Debut.

 

[JoelSim]

That's an interesting one, the OM20.

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[the record spot]

I think the AT440MLa would be the upper limit of the Debut 3's ambitions - spending any more would be a bit risky. If you are interested, Mantra Audio in Selby may have some old priced stock (circa £90). Very detailed, very accurate tracker; fine trebls and bass, good mids - I can;t fault it to be fair, but you need to like upfront and in your face. Forget warm and fuzzy analogue sounding...!

Failing that Denon DL110, Goldring 1012GX, also their 1006GX, Nagaoka MP11, Glanz MFG-11T if you can still find one...Goldring Elektra, all decent, and at various prices up and down the budget. Starting from around £20.

 

[Anonymous]

Just like to point out that the Denon DL-110 (which the record spot suggested) is a moving coil cartridge, so should not be used if you've got a metal platter (as chebby suggested), Unless I'm mistaken it's not "even if it's high output", it's "especially if it's high output" as these will have even more powerful magnets than low output moving coil cartridges.

 

[Anonymous]

Not often mentioned on here, but maybe a Pickering XV-15? Tons of detail, warm and plenty of bass - could be worth a listen quote from Vickers Hi-Fi "if it's a secure, unfussy, powerful
and full bodied sound you are after,
don't forget to listen to the XV15-625E." currently £70 . . .

 

[JoelSim]

Thanks for all your help

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