Ortofon Super OM10 or Sumiko Pearl cartridge?

A-goner Ferrari had really nice things to say about the Pearl over in the Reviews section.

Another possibility: Why not go with the new Ortofon 2M series? The 2M Red is at your budget max and represents the next generation in Ortofon's development.

And then there's the Audio Technica AT440MLa, commonly available below $100 in the last half of 2007, but is hard to find at that price now. If you could, though, it'd be worth it for features you never see at this price--nude square shank Microline stylus and single-crystal OCC internal wiring. In fact, that would easily make it worth the $150 available through Amazon.

I will say this: I limited myself to sub $100 cartridges for the first 6 months after getting back into vinyl (Shure M97xE and Ortofon OM10). Then I got the $180 Denon DL-160. My feeling now is that life is too short to not have at least a Denon DL-110 or DL-160. Every once in awhile (including yesterday) I'll remount one of the other cartridges for a sanity check (it's not a big deal--I have detachable universal headshells for each cart), and it's just no contest. The DL-160 is better in every possible way--tracking, frequency extension, linearity, dynamic resolution, smoothness, and transparency. You don't even really know what's going on in the bass with anything less.

Well, maybe the Pearl; I have no experience, but read Ferrari's review. There are also reviews over there of the Denon DL-110 and DL-160, Grado Black, Goldring Electra, and Shure M97xE.

I upgraded to the Grado Black/Green from the Ortofon Super OM10 and have been really happy with it - then again, I'm a complete sucker for the things the Grado does well. I like Sumiko's cartridges but the Oyster just didn't do "it" for me, whatever "it" is.

I've also been curious about the Ortofon 2M series, in fact I made a thread about them that hasn't gotten any replies yet.

...although given how glowing that Sumiko Pearl review is, I might have to give it another shot - especially since now that I think about it, I might be thinking of the Oyster.

Dear Marntz4me : IMHO the way to go is along the Sumiko Pearl ( that I own ), this cartridge is a way lot better that what its price " say " specially loaded at 100kOhms.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

03-15-08: Patrick_odonnell
...although given how glowing that Sumiko Pearl review is, I might have to give it another shot - especially since now that I think about it, I might be thinking of the Oyster.

If you read the whole Pearl thread, you'll see a comment that places the Oyster and Pearl in entirely different categories.

But if you read the DL-110 and DL-160 reviews, you'll see that these Denon HOMCs absolutely run away from the $100 pack. To me they're easily worth the higher cost, even to the point of going without records for another 2-4 wks to save up the additional money.

What about the DL-160 vs. the AT440MLa?

03-15-08: Patrick_odonnell
What about the DL-160 vs. the AT440MLa?

I personally have no direct comparison experience, but Ed Kobesky, who wrote the A'gone review of the Denon DL-160, had this to say:

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve liked other cartridges, too. The Audio-Technica 440ML is the greatest $99 cartridge in analog today, with a natural sound, sophisticated dual-moving magnet design and a competition-crushing MicroLine stylus. The Benz Micro MC20E2 is another bargain at $175, with effortless musicality but without the Denon’s fine stylus. And the Grado Green, at just $60, has probably opened more minds to quality analog than any other cartridge. But of all the cartridges I’ve tried, the Denon is the one that packs the most musical punch for the buck.

That settles it, I think my next cartridge will be the DL-160. Now I just need to finish my taxes and wait for my rebate to come in.

After listening to what everyone has said, I have ruled out going back to the Ortofon OM10. As for the Denon or the Benz Micro cartridges, I am limited to moving magnet types because of my Bellari preamp. I play rock on my turntable; so it would be nice to find a cartridge that empasizes more base. After looking at the specs on the Pearl, it appears like it should do well in the base department.

Someone else also suggested the Goldring Elektra and after reading a couple of reviews I think I have narrowed it down to these two cartridges.

03-16-08: Marntz4me
...As for the Denon or the Benz Micro cartridges, I am limited to moving magnet types because of my Bellari preamp. I play rock on my turntable; so it would be nice to find a cartridge that empasizes more bass....

The new Ortofon 2M series carts (including the $99 Red) are known for strong, tight bass.

Also, before dismissing the Denon DL-110/160, remember that these are high output moving coil carts; they typically put out about 2.2mV. I plug mine directly into the MM input of my preamp with good results. Different preamps demand different outputs, however. I recommend you call a Bellari or Denon vendor to see if 30dB gain is sufficient for the DL-110/160 output, because otherwise, it's the perfect cartridge for what you're looking for. The bass clarity, extension, and linearity is well beyond what I expected for $180, and I enjoy listening to rock more than I did before. It's also superb on electro-acoustic folk/rock/country and jazz, whether acoustic or electric fusion.

In addition to the Sumiko Pearl, I would suggest any of these cartridges in the $100 price range: Shure M97XE, Ortofon 2M Red, Grado Blue Prestige, or Stanton EEE Mk III. I recently purchased the Grado Blue and find it a clear step up from the Black that I owned previously in terms of broader overall frequency range and tighter bass. Both cartridges track like a champ at about 1.5 grams. The Denon's are supposed to perform very well, but cost more too.

Thanks for all your input. I took a second look at my Bellari and found out it had a bad channel. Not a total loss because I have a lot of ideas for my next cartridge. Don't know whether I am relieved or dissapointed because now I no longer have an excuse to buy a new cartridge.

Thanks again!

So... if you get the Bellari fixed and it means your cartridge is all right, when it's time to upgrade you'll get the biggest performance improvement for the least hassle & cost by replacing the stylus with an OM20 stylus.

or OM30 or even OM40. At those prices though, they certainly have competition but at least you're only paying for a new stylus.

Also, I've had good luck in pairing off the plastic guide for the stylus on the Pearl and Oyster for more transparency.

Thanks Again! Just quick note for anybody whois is a fan of Ortofon cartridges. I tried a OM20 equivalent by LPGear? The OM20 equivalent stylus was $79.99 and the 30 stylus was $99.99. The 20 stylus seem to make a bit of a difference. Just thought you would like to know!