Price range?
New SL1210GR enroute. Need cart recommendations
I'm getting ready to send my Fluance RT85 back. It has the Ortofon 2M Blue. I've been using their preamp but I have a Vincent PHO-300 on the way. Amp is a Willsenton R8. Speakers are Joseph Audio RM25XL.
What should I be looking at for a cartridge? Who or where should I be looking as a vendor?
I don't listen to Rap or Classical but everything else is on the table. I'm sending the Fluance back because I had a new album (Amos Lee 45 master from Acoustic Sounds) with sibilance on two tracks. As I read about the possible causes of sibilance, it led to to different tables. The 1210GR seemed to be well regarded.
Thanks for any help.
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CONGRATS ON A TOP TIER IF. NOT THE. BEST MOST RELIABLE TT MONEY CAN GET. DEPENDING ON USE every 1-2 years remove platter and plastic piece below (if new models have this) remove spindle assemble, remove scrip pin, remove spindle, clean off any old oil w clean rag, add 2-3 drops on spindle and any moving parts. wipe down everything and use compressed air for rest. Assemble. Bam good for another 2 years. I recommend shell rotella synthetic. 1 quart will last you 20 years.
Ortofon Nightclub. Its been upgraded. The sound is tight bass with great mid and natural highs. Thats what i use on my sl-1200mkii concorde. Night club mk ii. Excellent soundalso use stanton d6800 el ortofon Arkiv concorde for highs boost and fecording my LPs to hd then cd. audio technica atp-2 from time to time. | ||
Before I looked up those just mentioned, I was going to say, up to $700 or so. Those mentioned are less than $200. Why are the Ortofon M line so expensive? I wasn't expecting to see any love for anything under $1000, let alone under $100. Now I'm worried that sending back the Fluance with the 2M Blue is going to be a mistake... | ||
KEEP THE 2M
More money, brass and teak wood, African gangle wood, electrobiohazard coating with ferrofluid filled ofc wires,…
u don’t need to go nuts for a great deep sound. when I hooked up the Concorde nightclub II, aaahhhhh, Malmsteen came to life imstill use my old ADC shoes on a headshell once in a while. I love my concorde headshells, high output, rich not boomy bass, nice mids, and awesome highs. I know they have upgraded the nightclub to an even higher level than the few years old ones I use. They are very good carts! buy one, if you don’t like it return it. the Arkiv is,not,made anymore, I don’t think,….works wonders for highs when recording to hd, then ran through audiolab 3.0 then burned to a nice cd. | ||
@arcticdeth the carts you’re reccomending are coming up as DJ carts. They look strange with a long nose. Are they meant to be mounted to the headshell? @knotscott I’ll check it out. I’ve never heard of CDJapan. | ||
They slip right on, 1 turn of your tonearm , and good and tight, ready for skate calibration, leveling, and your off. give 1 a try, if you don’t say “WOW, that is great!” After a couple lps to break in the cart, I will be amazed! plus they are not as easily skipped, or flying to the label if lightly bumped give one a try, they sound great! Especially the new upgraded night club with better sound geared toward the audio enthusiast/phile. | ||
@knotscott I’m using Joseph Audio RM25XL’s. I just ordered the MP500. Came to $660 with shipping. Unfortunately, it’s on backorder CDJapan and won’t ship for 2-4 weeks. I guess I’ll have something to look forward to! @arcticdeth I’m going to pick up one of your reccomended carts as well. I’ve never set up a new cartridge. The 2M Blue came at up and just needed screwed onto the arm. What tools do you guys recommend that I pick up? I'd hate to screw something up... Also, any recommendations for a second headshell? | ||
Stock headshells are descent. the concorde just slips on the tonearm, and you righty tightly the screw on the headshell to tighten the cartridge on tonearm. Easy Peazy it will take you a little time to set up your tonearm for height, weight, get level, set anti skate, etc.
enjoy, keep us informed
🍺🍺 | ||
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I've had my SL-1210GR for a few weeks now. You DO NOT have to oil the spindle every few years. And the reason people buy the GR and the G is that they are very reliable. Anyway, to answer your question: the AT- 33ptg/2 or the AT33Sa are great cartridges in the $600-769 price range. Those are the 2 I have personal experience with. | ||
In my opinion, at that level of turntable and cartridge it is worth having someone with experience install and properly align your cartridge. Also, if your collection requires a mono cartridge I would suggest purchasing a second Technics headshell to facilitate switching cartridges without having to worry about alignment; the only necessary adjustment should be the counterweight. Also, personally, I wouldn't bother with the DJ style cartridge if you simply play and listen to records. The Nagaoka you have ordered is generally considered to be far superior. The DJ cartridge is designed more for robustness than anything else. | ||
I couldn't find the nightclub mkii in stock so I settled for a goldring E3 until my other "high dollar cart" arrives. I received the new turntable on Monday. I like it. I received a replacement album for the one with sibilance. It's still there with this cart. At this time, I presume it's a pressing issue although, this is the first cart I've set up... | ||
nightclub mkII discontinued. so is the Arkiv.
That Elite is supposed to be something special, im waiting, and will probably grab one for just "hearing" my LPs' they sound better than even my nightclub, they have redesigned many of these, the sound should better, per Ortofon sales pitch ? :)~ Im waiting for this Elite to come........to papa !
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I finally received my Nagaoka MP500 from CDJapan. I ended up getting one already attached to a head shell. I haven’t tried it out yet. I’ve just ordered a new integrated amp, a Denon A110 that should be here within two weeks. I plan on using its internal phono stage and trying out the new cart when it arrives. | ||
mooster1223 OP
"I finally received my Nagaoka MP500 from CDJapan. I ended up getting one already attached to a head shell". That does NOT mean it is properly aligned for your model turntable. How much skill do you have mounting and aligning a cartrridge? Do you have the few inexpensive tools to align it? ................................................... I put this together in another discussion. Not meant to scare you, or anyone starting out, just to encourage everyone to learn, bit by bit, and acquire the simple tools and skills to change/align your cartridges after the first one is worn, (typically elliptical, avg. 250 hours play time. If you get hooked on vinyl, which I suspect is a high probability: .............................................
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