New better Cart for a budget TT ?

[stereoman]

Hello. There is a suggestion that it is better to buy a better TT with cheaper cart than a cheaper TT with good cart. Is this true ? Will buying VM520EB from Audio Technica really improve for example my TEAC TN300 ( which I am very satisfised with ) ?

 

[Al ears]

Hello. There is a suggestion that it is better to buy a better TT with cheaper cart than a cheaper TT with good cart. Is this true ? Will buying VM520EB from Audio Technica really improve for example my TEAC TN300 ( which I am very satisfised with ) ?

First question is probably NO, you need to get things in proportion, no good sticking a really good cartridge on a cheap turntable with a cr@p tonearm for instance. Second question is yes but not if you are currently very satisfied with the sound.

 

[plastic penguin]

Concur with Al in the main. However some budget TTs respond to better carts than others.

 

[Al ears]

Concur with Al in the main. However some budget TTs respond to better carts than others.

I agree. Maybe I misworded that a bit. Considering most budget turntables have a reasonable tonearm they will of course take a cartridge upgrade or two, to a point.

That point can only be determined by the owner of said deck.

There's no point in strapping a Koetsu to a Pro-ject Debut for instance, and expecting miracles.

 

[plastic penguin]

All turntables have their limitations. Anyone looking at upgrading a cart on a budget deck needs to be realistic.

 

[Chris Munden]

It's horses for courses, a high quality cartridge on a cheap/ish arm will probably never realise its full potential, there will be limitations with the arms design, The TEAC TN300 is a great budget deck and it could possibly take a very modest upgrade cartridge but not by much

Having said that, my Audio Technica LP-5 which is fitted with a AT95EX cartridge as standard sounds great but I decided on a small up grade, so fitted a Nagaoka MP-110. The arm handled it well and my old Rega Planar 3 fitted with an Ortofon Red sounded no better, in fact it had more wow on inner tracks which the LP-5 never does. Any further mods done to my LP-5 or any budget decks will have the diminishing return on your money, in some cases quite severe, it would be better spent on a new upgrade turntable

 

[stereoman]

Thanx to all.

I'll stick with AT95EX, maybe try to upgrade up to 100$ cart but no more expensive as you suggest...Indeed these TEAC TN300, 550 series are great for budget.

 

[daytona600]

good budget decks easily respond to better cartridge Project , Rega etc

cheaper chinese decks limitation is the tonearm , but the AT cart fitted to the Teac you could fit a hyper elliptical ( HE ) or a Shibata stylus for better sound

 

[Frank Harvey]

From experience the TN300 needs consideration in terms of the cartridge being used due to the VTA of its arm. It would be better to go with another Audio Technica cartridge on tis deck imo.

 

[davidf]

My first turntable was a piece of JVC plastic during the early 80s, although that was back when plastic bodied TTs weren't as bad as they are now. Not knowing much back then, I bought an Ortofon MC cart as my amplifier had an MC input, and it sounded great compared to the cart that was on it, despite the cart being two thirds the cost of the deck.

When putting a better quality cartridge on a cheap deck, you will still hear certain benefits of that better cartridge - it's just that its full potential and certain benefits won't quite be realised. How much of the cart's potential that can be realised really depends on how good the deck is - and when I say how good the deck is, I don't mean how good it looks - it's how well engineered it is. Something like An Audio Technics AT-LP5 is a good budget deck that can handle a good cart.

 

[Gonepostal]

Hi Frankharvey and Davidf, just a quick question for you both if that’s ok.

I’m currently using the At95e cartridge but was wondering about an upgrade. For approx £140 I could buy something called a paratrace stylus for the cartridge or a AT120 be cartridge. It’s impossible to demo these so was wondering if you had ever heard either in your line of work. The TT I’m using is Teac tn400. Thanks for any help/knowledge.

 

[Al ears]

My first turntable was a piece of JVC plastic during the early 80s, although that was back when plastic bodied TTs weren't as bad as they are now. Not knowing much back then, I bought an Ortofon MC cart as my amplifier had an MC input, and it sounded great compared to the cart that was on it, despite the cart being two thirds the cost of the deck.

When putting a better quality cartridge on a cheap deck, you will still hear certain benefits of that better cartridge - it's just that its full potential and certain benefits won't quite be realised. How much of the cart's potential that can be realised really depends on how good the deck is - and when I say how good the deck is, I don't mean how good it looks - it's how well engineered it is. Something like An Audio Technics AT-LP5 is a good budget deck that can handle a good cart.

Quite so. Can you please give indications of what you consider to be a 'good' cartridge for a turntable of the AT type budget.

 

[Chris Munden]

Not sure if my Nagaoka MP-110 ( about £120 ) could be classed as a better cartridge than the AT95E or AT95EX, but my AT LP-5 arm certainly handles it well, I would not consider spending more on a cartridge for that deck,

 

[Gonepostal]

I’d be looking to buy a cartridge with the head shell as I’m not gonna try fitting a cartridge myself. And I’m not sure if the mp110 is with headshell is to heavy.

 

[Al ears]

I’d be looking to buy a cartridge with the head shell as I’m not gonna try fitting a cartridge myself. And I’m not sure if the mp110 is with headshell is to heavy.

You'll have to set the tracking force correctly whichever cartridge you upgrade to. Weight of MP110 shouldn't be an issue for tonearm.

 

[Gonepostal]

Setting the tracking weight isn’t a problem but I’ve been told that the mp110 supplied with the head shell is maybe to heavy for the Teac tonearm and I would need to attach a additional counterweight!!

 

[nopiano]

Setting the tracking weight isn’t a problem but I’ve been told that the mp110 supplied with the head shell is maybe to heavy for the Teac tonearm and I would need to attach a additional counterweight!!

If you can ascertain the total weight of headshell and cartridge you should be able to confirm one way or another with Teac. Within three or four grammes difference I’d expect you’d be ok. Beyond that I’d want to check first.

All that said, fitting a cartridge in a removable headshell is easy! It’s the fixed ones that are a pain.

 

[stereoman]

Setting the tracking weight isn’t a problem but I’ve been told that the mp110 supplied with the head shell is maybe to heavy for the Teac tonearm and I would need to attach a additional counterweight!!

If you can ascertain the total weight of headshell and cartridge you should be able to confirm one way or another with Teac. Within three or four grammes difference I’d expect you’d be ok. Beyond that I’d want to check first.

All that said, fitting a cartridge in a removable headshell is easy! It’s the fixed ones that are a pain.

Too heavy ? What do you mean ? It can be only a bit heavier than the original one TEAC comes with I guess. You can easily balance the weight at the end of the tonearm.

 

[Al ears]

Setting the tracking weight isn’t a problem but I’ve been told that the mp110 supplied with the head shell is maybe to heavy for the Teac tonearm and I would need to attach a additional counterweight!!

If you can ascertain the total weight of headshell and cartridge you should be able to confirm one way or another with Teac. Within three or four grammes difference I’d expect you’d be ok. Beyond that I’d want to check first.

All that said, fitting a cartridge in a removable headshell is easy! It’s the fixed ones that are a pain.

Too heavy ? What do you mean ? It can be only a bit heavier than the original one TEAC comes with I guess. You can easily balance the weight at the end of the tonearm.

Agree. Unless he is trying to fit a removable headshell that is a lot heavier than the one it is replacing then the difference in actual cartridge weights is negligible and should easily be able to be compensated for by the counterweight currently fitted to the Teac.

 

[Gonepostal]

I was referring to fitting the cartridge with the head shell already fitted. As previously stated I’m not competent enough to fit a cartridge, therefore any new cartridge would need to come already attached to a head shell.

With that in mind, it was pointed out to me that the mp-110 would probably be to heavy for the Teac tonearm.

Its no no big deal, I’m enjoying the sound from my budget set up, I m not foolish enough to fit an expensive cartridge etc to a budget TT, I’m also not foolish enough to fall down the rabbit hole of constantly trying to catch a rainbow. I was just looking to tweek the TT by fitting a better stylus/cartridge and then that’s me done.

 

[Gonepostal]

So, the Mp-110 cartridge with head shell weighs 6.5 g I think. In going to e Mail Teac to ask if the tonearm will take that weight.

 

[Al ears]

So, the Mp-110 cartridge with head shell weighs 6.5 g I think. In going to e Mail Teac to ask if the tonearm will take that weight.

I'd check those weights again if I were you. Where do you see cartridge and headshell weighing 6.5gm?

The AT95e with headshell will typically weigh around 10-12 g

 

[Gonepostal]

Interesting, on a website called snvinyl.co.uk it shows 6.5g. Perhaps it means the cartridge only.

 

[stereoman]

I was referring to fitting the cartridge with the head shell already fitted. As previously stated I’m not competent enough to fit a cartridge, therefore any new cartridge would need to come already attached to a head shell.

With that in mind, it was pointed out to me that the mp-110 would probably be to heavy for the Teac tonearm.

Its no no big deal, I’m enjoying the sound from my budget set up, I m not foolish enough to fit an expensive cartridge etc to a budget TT, I’m also not foolish enough to fall down the rabbit hole of constantly trying to catch a rainbow. I was just looking to tweek the TT by fitting a better stylus/cartridge and then that’s me done.

Yes - and this is exactly what I ( we ) meant. Placing cart together with a new shell - new shell cannot be so much heavier than the generic one already used in TEAC.

 

[daytona600]

Nagaoka MP

Weight: 6,5 g Cartridge + 9.5g Headshell Total 16gram

or Ortofon 2M PNP with built in headshell 20grams