2. analog
  3. 154498-117192

Moving coil VS moving magnet/iron

I have an interchangeable  Nagaoka MP500 and a Goldring 2500 on an SME3009R, mounted on a Linn Sondek LP12. These drive a Schiit Mani, Cambridge Azur 651P or a Project S2 Ultra as phono preamps. They all sound very good to my ears.

Is it really worth getting a Moving COIL cartridge AROUND THE SAME PRICE RANGE ? I was thinking some of the Audio Technicas like OC9III and the like. The prices of these are about the same. I listen almost exclusively to smooth jazz (hardly any vocals) and am mostly looking for very tight punchy bass.

Opinions ?

Thanks

128x128cakyol
lewm
12,481 posts
 
Mijo, all that you say makes sense, yet I do find more excellent MM and MI cartridges than MC types, among the 20 or so cartridges in my collection. Still, I’m loathe to make a categorical judgement because there are many very high end MCs I have not heard. I receive great pleasure from much less costly MM and MI types.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,201 posts
 
No arguement lewm. It is a subjective matter but when it comes down to the scientific details I like to see a fair and even presentation. When I see a skewed one my BS antenna goes up.
I guess I am lucky. Currently my least expensive cartridge is the Ortofon Windfeld Ti. I have not evaluated cartridges at the lower end of the price range in a while. The Last one was the Ortofon 2M Black which I have to admit was excellent. There is certainly a point of extremely diminishing returns and that point (I'm guessing) is about $1K . I can certainly say that a Clearaudio Goldfinger is in no way $10,000 better than the Windfeld Ti.
It is all about what you can afford and what you like the sound of. The problem is that auditioning cartridges is difficult and many of us have bought cartridges we wind up not liking. 

lewm
12,481 posts
 
I have on hand a Koetsu Urushi, ZYX UNiverse (1st version), Ortofon MC7500, Ortofon MC2000, Audio Technica ART7, and Dynavector 17D3.  The UNI, MC2000, and ART7 are my current favorite MCs, but they are not always preferred to my Acutex LPM320, B&O MMC1, Stanton 981LZS, or even my SS re-tipped Grace Ruby.  Some days I think it has as much to do with the state of my ears as to the cartridge, tonearm, turntable combo.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,201 posts
 
I never held on to cartridges I didn't think I would use any more. Fortunately, the urge to buy another one has not struck yet. 
Your ears are rather simple devices. It is actually the state of your mind. Your psychological state changes the way you perceive, pain , hearing , sight, all of it. In other words, one day you are in the mood for this another for that. It is always nice to have a choice:)
lewm
12,481 posts
 
Yes, "ears" was used by me as a metaphor for all the other stuff you list.
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