Which material is best for a cartridge body?

jade, onyx, briar and rosewood.....or nothin' at all. -kelly

I agree with Kelly, the top manufacturers have almost all chosen one of the woods he mentioned, or gone "nude" for their line.

I actually had the opportunity to compare the two Koetsu cartridges at the top of the heap. The Rosewood Signature Platinum against the Onyx Platinum. I preferred slightly warmer presentation of the Rosewood.

Thanks guys. I'm just looking at cartridges in the $200-400 range (I've got a modified Technics 1200). One thing it's for sure: must be shielded. I'm using a Grado right now and it doesn't cut it...too much hum. It sounds really nice for the money. Very musical.

I love the way my Koetsu RSP sounds. I was blown away by how quiet it was in my system with an ALL-TUBE phono stage.

The guys at needledoctor are recommending to me the Ortofon MC 15 Super MK II low output MC cartridge with Noryl body ($215.00). That is, for my Technics SL-1200 MKII (which happens to be a favorite there) and for listening to ALL types of music. They say Noryl is less bright than aluminum...that it would be a better match for my TT dollar for dollar...

I'm open to any other suggestions in the $200-$400 range...

Personally, I would be very carefull about making a decision based on the material used for the cartridge body. Sure, the material used affects the sound, everything does; but there are many more things to consider, especially in the $200-$400 range. Seems to me that beneficial use of exotic body material will probably be found in much more expensive cartridges.

The only low output MC that I would recommend, based on experience, is a used Benz Glider. Otherwise, I would stay away from inexpensive MC's altogethter; especially when you have the Shure VMR and Grados available. Since you are looking for a low output MC, I trust that you have a suitable high gain phono section in your pre; don't use it for a high output Grado, use the low gain setting or too much hum will result. Good luck and keep us posted.

Frogman, I've got a vintage Biotronics Gestalt low output MC preamp (and am going to have an Absolute Power Cord hooked to it next week). Modified 1200s can handle Benz Micro Gliders, no problem. The problem is my wallet!

My man at Needledoctor suggested the new Benz ACE or the Ortofon Kontrapunkt A if I wanted to step up...that basically the $215 MC15 Super MKII was nonetheless the overall best buy...

I'm still wondering about those 2.5 gram tracking forces...

Psychicanimal, there are as we "speak" at least two used Gliders for sale on this site for $400 or less. I know first hand, how precarious bying a used cartridge can be; however, it is possible to arrange for some sort of guarantee as you test drive it, or have it inspected; assuming you're dealing with a reasonable seller. A lot of hassle and potential problems, but if you land a good deal, as is usually the case, what you'll have IMO is a far superior cartridge. How about that Rosewood for $275? Now there's a potential deal! Worth at least an e-mail and definitely worth trying. On the other hand, the security of knowing that your cartridge is new is certainly worth a whole lot. By the way, I would not give up on trying to solve the hum problem with the Grado. Good luck.

The cartridge purchase has been aborted, folks! I took my car to the radiator man yesterday and it was $125 (cool). He then told me the fan is not working! Today I took the car for an oil change, tire rotation and fixing a flat tire...well the bill turned out to be $646!!! Complete brake job!!! My Proton amp is being shipped Monday (+/- $90).

When it rains it pours...

Thanks to all.