Choice of Phono Cartridges

hi,

1st: your existing cartridge, with elliptical stylus, has some nice upgrade options. you can change your elliptical stylus to either a VMN60SLC (special line contact); or a VMN50SH (shibata,). 

click on the chart on this page about your cartridge for options

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-VM520EB-Elliptical-Turntable-Cartridge/dp/B01M27L6P5/ref=pd_lpo_23_t_0/134-4029388-9775825?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01M27L6P5&pd_rd_r=09484c80-213a-49a6-a390-bb0d442c0226&pd_rd_w=gkYeh&pd_rd_wg=FNlgt&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=A3K65EGGFK9ZM6WHNHNS&psc=1&refRID=A3K65EGGFK9ZM6WHNHNS 

Do you know about advanced stylus tip shapes? 

life of stylus: current elliptical estimated to last 300 hours. both the SLC and SH tip shapes make much more contact with the groove (a good thing indeed), and they are estimated to last 800 hrs (2.67 times longer life). So, you can pay more for an advanced stylus shape, it lasts much longer, it really does not cost more,if you do the math.

Either of those advanced stylus (I would pick the least costly of the two) will definitely improve your audible results, and less wear on your LP's grooves, win/win.
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to clarify, you posted the number of the replaceable stylus for your cartridge. AT adds an N (needle) in the cartridge number, so the cartridge is VM520EB, elliptical stylus is VMN520EB

the EB stands for Elliptical (stylus tip shape), and B for Bonded (glued).
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How are your cartridge alignment skills? No matter what you buy, if you don't have a few inexpensive tools and acquired alignment skills, you will need to have a friend do it, or carry your TT into a shop (mask on), have them do it. You are better off practicing with your elliptical stylus, get the tools and skills for life, then you get the best sound and avoid groove damage free for life
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Once you know the cost of an upgraded stylus for your existing cartridge, then check the features of new considerations.

a lot of cartridges in that price range have elliptical stylus, which is a lateral move regarding the tip. I would strongly advise moving up to advanced shape: LC line contact; ML microline; MR microridge; SAS; Shibata, all of which are designed for MORE surface contact (edge of stylus) against the edge of the groove.
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I just put myself thru torture researching a Moving Coil cartridge (MC). Today I ordered an Audio Technica AT-33PTG/2. It has a Line Contact stylus tip on a boron shaft.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00475S0BU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Having decided, I feel like I got out of jail.
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Do you know about MC? They have delicate weak signals that need to be pre-boosted up to the strength of Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges, like your existing MM cartridge.
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Your phono box is very nice and will handle either MM as now, or a new MC if you do that.

best of luck choosing
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my 2 recent torturous threads

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/mc-cartridge-elliptical-around-0-5mv-track-1-25-1-75-affordable?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audio-technica-at33ptg-ii-mc-cartridge-anyone-have-it-or-heard-it

Elliott

I have used the AT OC9III(discontinued, but still available) 
Not having compared specs in detail, it looks like the XML is similar, and with a threaded body, which the older versions lack.
Great cart for the money. There are plenty threads with satisfied users.

The Soundsmith Otello has a nicer mid/high presentation, but soft in the bass. Still a very nice cart in its price point. The SS web page points this deficit out. I use it as an emergency back up cart.

This naturally, is a subjective opinion-YMMV.

With that many albums, a more serious table setup and eventually, phonostage may be  something to consider.

Given the quality of your amps/speakers and size of record collection, I personally think you would get more enjoyment from your records by upgrading the whole turntable.

There are some great deals out there at the moment - for example Music Direct are specialling out the Rega RP8 for $1995 ( outgoing model, $1000 discount ) - brand new and ready to go. You can get a better front end second hand but why not avoid the hassle. Buy a Rega Exact and it is plug and play.

If you decide to upgrade the cartridge for now I would stick to MM/MI because they are less demanding of the tonearm ( which on the AT is not a world beater ). My recommendations in your price range would be

Soundsmith ( these are excellent at all price levels - very smooth, detailed and musical ).
Nagaoka 

I prefer these to both the Ortofon MM's and Sumiko's.
Whilst the AT MC's do perform well for the money, you wont get the best results with the AT arm.

+1 on dover's comment above

tt upgrade is best bet

try a well tempered labs or an oracle

Choosing a cartridge you must take in count an effective mass of your tonearm. Some cartridges will not work properly on your current tonearm because of the tonearm mass and cartridge compliance miss match.

Even if you can find inexpensive MC cartridge within your price range this is not final. You will have more problems with low output MC in a mediocre system. Another problem is a cost of factory re-tip (and you will have to ship your cartridge away for a long time).

Of course you can upgrade your turntable, but for every turntable you need a cartridge. You can easily start with a cartridge and if it’s a mid compliance cartridge then it is more or less universal for modern tonearms (they are mid mass).

In your situation I think MM or MI is a better choice within your price range. If you will add some NOS cartridges in your list you will get much more (such as exotic cantilevers for example) in the same price range. This is where some nice vintage MM are the best. I don’t know the mass of your tonearm (you have to check it) but a mid compliance MM cartridges from Japanese brand Victor in X1II series are superb and you will find a lot of great feedbacks from other users on audiogon about them!

Regarding new MM cartridge you can add Australian made Garrott Brothers p77i in the list.

I agree with others, stick with MM now so you can stick with mid or higher compliance cartridges for your existing arm, get a nice MM now, and later, when you move to a new TT, new arm, make sure the arm is good for mid/high compliance cartridge (likely).

sticking with MM, and Audio Technica

I have and love the sound of AT440ml microline stylus on aluminum shaft, currently using it every day on my office system.

AT540ml is the current version, microline/aluminum shaft/plastic body

IF you simply upgrade your existing cartridge’s stylus, it would be equivalent to 540ml

AT740ml is same as 540 except it is a cast aluminum body

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/cartridges/09079f798b312248/index.html

the next logical step is a lighter/stiffer shaft like boron, ....
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don't forget the improved traceability of advanced stylus shapes, follow and stay in the grooves.

How many MM cartridges even with Boron Rod cantilever anyone can find today and for what price? 

It's amazing that SONY made one with Boron Pipe (The XL-50 MM) long time ago in the 80's. 

Back in the days SONY established Sony Sound Tec Corporation to produce phono cartridges. Not every equipment manufacturer can make a phono cartridge, but the Sony Sound Tec Corp combining all the passion and knowledge has released some very interesting models in the early 80's. The XL-50 is one of two finest Moving Magnet cartridges from SONY.

Very special features are as follows:
The Jointless delta-type core;
Boron Pipe cantilever and nude Super Elliptical Diamond;
A screw holds the stylus holder firmly in place;
Distortion caused by flex is virtually eliminated;
Cup-shaped damper and tension wire!

This lightweight and high compliance cartridge is designed for low mass tonearms. Loading recommended by the manufacturer is from 47k Ohm to 100k Ohm. Cartridge output is 2.0 mV. Frequency response is pretty wide: 10Hz - 50000Hz! The price for XL-50 was ¥25000 in 1981.

Boron Pipe cantilever is nothing but a grown crystal of Pure Boron into a pipe configuration (wow). A tip mounting hole made using a laser beam. This technology is no longer available, instead of ultra lightweight PIPE configuration you can get only heavier Boron ROD configuration from cantilever manufacturers nowadays. Boron PIPE is associated ONLY with vintage High-End cartridges (MM or MC).  XL-50 and this is an excellent MM cartridge with exotic cantilever!  

chackster,

thanks for telling us about the difference between vintage Boron PIPE and currently produced Boron ROD.

your advice for deciding on modern cartridge?

advanced tip on aluminum, or go for advanced tip on advanced shaft material?

Having had beryllium and broken it (by breathing in it’s direction) I instinctively go for boron, not wanting anything more brittle and not wanting to pay more for something I will then worry too much about.

Unfortunately they are all fragile, even those short gemstone cantilevers (the most exoensive). 

According to cartridge designer (Mr. Reto Adrioli of the Bluelectric) the aluminum is the best to work with. Japanese school of cartridge designers is a proof of that when it comes to MC. 

Looking for relatively cheap MM cartridges with aluminum cantilever it would be great to have a "nude" line contact type of the diamond for better reproduction and longer stylus life (less record wear too). 

If a cartridge have not only great stylus shape (at least shibata) but also great cantilever (beryllium was great) then the whole moving mass system will be much lower, as the result - the sound will be refined too (also better tracking because if the higher compliance). 

However, Stanton/Pickering acheved amazing sound with aluminum cantilever and their patented Stereohedron stylus. Everything depends on particular cartridge design. 

At the same time Technics with their best MM and MC ended up with Boron Pipe after serious research: "Somewhere in the high frequencies, every cartridge has an undesirable resonance point where the frequency response curve climbs a sudden peak. If that peak is in the audible range, your records sound not as intended. That resonance frequency is determined by the total effective moving mass of the vibrating system - the summed masses of the diamond stylus and, most importantly, the cantilever and magnet, etc. To shift that harmful resonance frequency up into the high supersonics, the effective moving mass must be reduced to the lowest possible minimum. Also, too much effective moving mass increases the mechanical impedance, thereby negatively affecting the cartridge's tracing ability."

Wow, lot's of information for me to sort through and research. Thanks for all the input.  I'm going to continue working in both directions - that is looking at a new TT or keeping the AT and replacing the cartridge. We'll see how the math works out and how that equals better sounding vinyl playback.

Richard

FWIW, if lowest moving mass is the Holy Grail, then MI cartridges ( not MC types) are the road to Nirvana. And incidentally MI types typically produce higher signal voltage than LOMC. Easier for the phono stage. Grado and Soundsmith are modern sources of MI cartridges.

I remember Peter Ledermann (SoundSmith) has mentioned Walter Stanton MI design and some other cartridges when i asked him about clever design from the past. 

Regarding cartridge and tonearm systems resonance frequency, Richard, you have to read this: 

https://www.ortofon.com/support/support-hifi/resonance-frequency/

Dear @richmos : I think that rigth now you AT TT/tonearm combination is fine to stay with. The tonearm design looks as one of the best tonearm ever made that's the Technics EPA 100MK2, even your AT tonearm comes with the best VTA mechanism ever made where today 20K+ tonearms not even dreams with.
That VTA mechanism was designed by Technics in the very old times of analog audio. So for me stay with and before you change it ( if you do in the future. ) your choice for a better wuality cartridge is spot on.

I agree with the gentleman that recomended Nagaoka cartridges that's like AT or Ortofon manufacturers an " old " way experimented manufacturer too.

You must try this one and I'm sure you can't go wrong with:

https://www.lpgear.com/product/NAGAOKAMP300.html

Due that the AT tonearm designs is a removable headshell design you can match the cartridge with the tonearm for improved quality performance levels.
You can use a different headshells than the stock AT, you can choose for magnesium build material to wood one or even headshells of blended materials. 
With different headshells the kind of sound you will listen is different too.
Even if you don't want to test with other headshells you can improve the sound changing the headshell stock wires for better quality wires.

Anyway, as you posted: "  lot's of information for me to sort through and research .""


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I have had both Sumiko cartridges, and currently have both a Hana EL and Ortofon 2M Bronze. IMO, the Hana and Ortofon are superior to the Blue Points.  The 2M Bronze is more dynamic, and has more detail than Hana. The Hana is smoother overall, and is possibly more refined. Like them both. Am also using an AT ART9, and thinking of acquiring a Kiseki Blue or Hana ML. Have 3 TTs in use, and a spare Clearaudio Concept tt with concept MC cartridge. So I’m a bit over stocked on analogue stuff right now.

Nice to read that OP’s tonearm is so good. Easy and finely adjustable VTA is something I didn’t have until last year, so upgrading the cartridge is a good idea I agree.

I think an advanced tip (beyond elliptical) will give better results. And that stylus will last over 2-1/2 times the life of an elliptical.

I did this, I put a new advanced SAS tip made by Jico in my existing Shure V15VxMR body and could not be happier.

That is why I got excited about OP’s option to upgrade his stylus type in his existing AT body

possible to change your elliptical stylus to either a VMN60SLC (special line contact); or a VMN50SH (shibata,).

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I got excited learning about the supposed advantages of Moving Iron, MI, until I went thru the specs, finding the separation and channel balance were not very good until you get to the very pricey ones.

Someone said that is not as important as I think, however, I have owned/listened to many a cartridge, for imaging, for balance, in my main and office system, I value both.