New Cartridge

[Al ears]

Not really a group test , voted by owners
What's your favorite MC cartridge in the under $1000 price range?
Denon DL-103
22 vote(s) 7.4%
Denon DL-103R
13 vote(s) 4.4%
Denon DL-110
5 vote(s) 1.7%
Denon DL-301 MKII
17 vote(s) 5.7%
Ortofon Quintet Red
2 vote(s) 0.7%
Ortofon Quintet Blue
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Ortofon Quintet Bronze
4 vote(s) 1.3%
* Ortofon Quintet Black
21 vote(s) 7.0%
Sumiko Blue Point No. 3
5 vote(s) 1.7%
Hana EL/EH
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Hana SL/SH
38 vote(s) 12.8%
Audio-Technica AT33EV
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II
38 vote(s) 12.8%
Audio-Technica AT33Sa
12 vote(s) 4.0%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XEB 0 vote(s) 0.0%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XEN
2 vote(s) 0.7%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML
36 vote(s) 12.1%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XSH
2 vote(s) 0.7%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XSL
12 vote(s) 4.0%
Rega Ania
7 vote(s) 2.3%
Sumiko Songbird L/H
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Dynavector 10x5 Mk2
23 vote(s) 7.7%
Clearaudio Concept MC
2 voteH(s) 0.7%

and where exactly did that come from?
Far too much American bias !
And totally meaningless.
zero votes equals zero percent??voteH
although perhaps it does emphasise my point in that there is no point in buying an MC cartridge under £400.
If you are voting here, at this price level, then you obviously haven't tried many options.

 

[good_enough]

Not really a group test , voted by owners
What's your favorite MC cartridge in the under $1000 price range?
Denon DL-103
22 vote(s) 7.4%
Denon DL-103R
13 vote(s) 4.4%
Denon DL-110
5 vote(s) 1.7%
Denon DL-301 MKII
17 vote(s) 5.7%
Ortofon Quintet Red
2 vote(s) 0.7%
Ortofon Quintet Blue
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Ortofon Quintet Bronze
4 vote(s) 1.3%
* Ortofon Quintet Black
21 vote(s) 7.0%
Sumiko Blue Point No. 3
5 vote(s) 1.7%
Hana EL/EH
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Hana SL/SH
38 vote(s) 12.8%
Audio-Technica AT33EV
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II
38 vote(s) 12.8%
Audio-Technica AT33Sa
12 vote(s) 4.0%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XEB 0 vote(s) 0.0%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XEN
2 vote(s) 0.7%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML
36 vote(s) 12.1%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XSH
2 vote(s) 0.7%
Audio-Technica AT-OC9XSL
12 vote(s) 4.0%
Rega Ania
7 vote(s) 2.3%
Sumiko Songbird L/H
4 vote(s) 1.3%
Dynavector 10x5 Mk2
23 vote(s) 7.7%
Clearaudio Concept MC
2 vote(s) 0.7%

Which are your two favourite places to live?

1) Where I live now
2) That Spanish village where we had that really good holiday. You know... that one. Begins with A.

 

[good_enough]

And the price-identical Shibata tipped competition finally arrived. (That's First Take, from the late great Roberta Flack, spinning there).

• Think I'm hearing more but have to listen a bit - could be that more explicit positioning of instruments that's fooling me that there's more detail in each one - a possible

And the jury's in, yes a marked step up.

I'd go so far as to suggest if you're running a Hana 'S' of either flavour Mark 1, you should just drop everything and get this latest model.

 

[Rui]

The more recent cartridges i bought or heard are Hana and Sumiko , also Grado doesn´t stop surprising me allthough prices are even more surprising high , they were expensive in the past but not as today ,quality wise , i think all here had a record player in the 80´s or 90´s , the diference is huge in all cartridges, stylus (even more, due to litle time of use), Grado and hana no matter who makes them are good in my opinion before i would use AT, Ortofon, shure, pioneer, technics(Grado built), there were much more but this are enough to show my taste in cartridges and stylus, goldring i didn´t hear them for some time so not refering to those as some say they are the same as new AT ,as this goldnote reference to the topic of this discussion cartridge and stylus ,who no doubt is good, i myself use Hana cartridges being in my opinion the best as Grado , there are people who spend around 8.000€ in a cartridge and after hearing them i take them to my home and play the same record they all say it sounds really good but mine were cheap and old, like the EPS-205 or EPS-270 being the cheapest i use but also Ortofon and AT, but can´t think of stoping having access to them, also what here no one refers to is the turntable quality ,amplifier and it´s phono stage and more important the speakers, also today the pre-amplifier is important as new cartridges even expensive have very extreme low output sound, not even using a top of the line cassette deck monitor and it´s output level to make it sound higher isn´t enough and why have perfect phono stages they can´t be used by this new litle and expensive cartridges, like reading "this amplifier doesn´t even have phono stage" but why refer to it as none can be used or am i not looking to some secret place where amplifiers still have good Phono stages, i remenber thinking that thorens were a good turntables brand but recentelly ,hum! not anymore by far as ortofon meaned "quality assured" today ,never heard such a bad sound like in a ortofon cartridge, a brand that i use since i was 12 years old in a Revox turntable from 1977

 

[Rui]

andorra almeria, antes y depues de Cristo, not my favorite places as i prefered madrid in the 90´s, Ibiza in the 80´s and valencia also some nothern spain litle towns in Galegos region or long time ago torremolinos, but i´m in south of europe and the cartridges referded aren´t U.S. prefered, most of the japanese made

 

[Al ears]

andorra almeria, antes y depues de Cristo, not my favorite places as i prefered madrid in the 90´s, Ibiza in the 80´s and valencia also some nothern spain litle towns in Galegos region or long time ago torremolinos, but i´m in south of europe and the cartridges referded aren´t U.S. prefered, most of the japanese made

??

 

[Rui]

??

just a remark to other comment in the forum about location and cartridges in use, not meaning that either you´re in Europe or North America are the reason for the use of some cartridges refered to