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First Moving Coil (MC) Cartridge Acquisition

I have been listening to MM carts my whole life. I am interested in dipping my toes into the MC stream to see what sonic improvements can be had. I am looking for recommendations in the $1K range. Currently, I am running an Ortofon 2M Black and Shure JICO MM. Turntable is a Merrill Super 12 Polytable, Jelco 750 tonearm, into a Herron VTPH-2A phono stage and Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2 integrated.

I would appreciate any recommendations. I am entertaining Hana MC carts or something with .5mV or higher as I don’t want to get a SUT. Please provide any feedback on the Hana that A’goners have employed.
arturos73
arturos73 OP
37 posts
 
noromance: I hear ya on the 850, but need to get the cart right first.
big_greg
6,554 posts
 
I haven't owned any Ortofon cartridges, so can't say how they compare to Hana, however I do own the Shure V15 Type IV and M97XE, both with Jico SAS. The Hana SL is much smoother top to bottom and detailed but without any glare. It's better than some of the higher end MM carts I have like the Nagaoka MP500 and Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood. I think it's very close to my Kiseki Blue NS and Van Den Hul MC Two, both of which are more than double the price of the Hana SL. Not a "giant killer" but a great value at the asking price. 
jmolsberg's avatar
jmolsberg
467 posts
 
You have some nice gear! I’ve been using a dynavector 20x2L with a Herron vtph-2a and have no desire to make any changes. The 64db is plenty of gain in my setup, exactly as Keith recommended. Besides the dynavector being a great sounding cart, it is easy to set up, quite rugged, and very long lasting. Dynavector also offers a rebuild path. 
soundwatts
221 posts
 
I went from a koetsu black gold line to ortofon cadenza bronze to a soundsmith and couldn’t be happier 
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Good to hear. No complaints with my Koetsu. I'm in no hurry to replace it after just one year. Its not high, but its on the list. But not because of the Koetsu, but because of the Hyperion. I just get the feeling its in another league. 
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