What cartridge for MMF-7?

You must have been reading my mind, Stuart. I have been contemplating this same question and would be interested to see what suggestions get posted here. I currently have a mmf-7 with a shure v15vxmr that the previous owner had chosen. I believe it is about the same price as the Eroica. After tweaking the vta and tracking force I have been pretty happy with the sound stage and music details that this setup provides. I am getting the sounds I remembered vinyl being capable of. But, I know I'll get used to this and want to get more!

Your selection of phono stage will have alot to do with what cartridge you can use. You need to have the proper amount of gain for the cartridge. I think that if you are going to use a low cost phono stage, that you would be better with a good quality MM cartridge. Possibly the Goldring 1042. Another possibility would be the high output MC like the Eroica or a Dynavector 10x4. But remember the phono stage is an important part of the analog system, and should not be skimped on. Reduced performance of a phono stage will lower the performance of your whole analog rig.

The problem is, is that my budget is really tight and even the TT is a stretch. I was hoping, in the substitution solution, to get a used cartridge for now. The same with going cheap on the phono stage. I am just overwhelmed by the sheer #'s of choices and the effects of output, weight, MC vs MM.
Twl: Is the recomendation of MM because of the output? (btw, nice system)

Stuart, thanks. Yes I recommended MM becuase of the output. With low output MC, there is more gain needed, and inexpensive phono stages aren't known for doing that very well.

Here's what I'd recommend. Go the inexpensive route on the phono stage and the cartridge, with the idea of upgrading both when you can. A rule that I generally go by is to never spend more on your cartridge than on your table. If the cartridge costs more than your table, you can get better sound by upgrading the table, than upgrading the cartridge. The Goldring MM cartridges are surprisingly good for the money. If you want a good low priced phono stage, take a look at the Gram Slee line. They have a good one that will do MM for low bucks, and it sounds good. Also you might check out the Hagerman Bugle for $125.

Sage advice. Thanks, and I will look into those phono stages. The good thing about the Sumiko, I believe, is that its usable for both MM and MC. I have been on the DIY room treatment kick for awhile, measuring spl's and moving things and constructing bass traps. Any advice for curing a 6-7dB jump for the 40hz and 50hz warble tones?

About your frequency response hump at 40-50Hz, that is probably a room interaction. It may depend on where you are standing when you take the measurement. It may be quite different in different spots in the room. If you are doing it at your chair, you may even consider a change in chair position, or a change in speaker position. Sometimes getting the speakers off the floor onto a low stand with an open front can smooth out a bass hump a little. It may even be inherent in your speakers. That is not unusual.

Tom,

Would you recommend a low output MC cartridge for the Project 9 arm and is there a tube phono stage that does a really good job with both MM and MC? I am scouting an upgrade path and it would be nice to get the phono stage now and latter upgrade to the low output MC cartridge with a step up transformer to boost gain if needed. Another idea I had is to upgrade the arm to something based on the Rega arms, such as the Origin Live line. Sure the arm would be worth as much as the table, but that arm could also be used when I upgrade the table in the future.

Sure you could do that on the Project 9. Try a Denon Dl103R or a Ortofon X5-MC. An EAR 834P is a good tube phono stage at a reasonable price.