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Need some help picking my first MC Cartridge

I have recently purchased an Icon PS1 Mk II tube Phono Preamp. and was thinking of purchasing a seperate MC cartridge and head to interchange with my Nagoaka MP 300 MM cartridge, which I am very happy with. This is my first MC Cartridge so this is more of a chance to compare MC versus MM Cartridges. Some suggestions have been Denon 103 or the Hana Red, The Icon Preamp has a fixed MC load setting of 100 ohms. The Sansui SR 525 Direct Drive Turntable that I will be using has an interchangeable cartridge head, so VTA height, tracking weight, anti-skating adjustments may be required for each cartridge but should not take more than 20 minutes to adjust. I have read that some low output cartridges may be preferable to high output, but I am not sure how this matches up with the Icon Preamp. I am a little in the weeds here with the technical information when it comes to cartridges so be gentle.

My listening preference is more to the musical / warm vinyl side. Gear: Tube preamp, Class "A" amp , alternating with a tube Integrated, Wilson Benesch Square 2 Speakers, Rel Subs (x2). I split my listening about 50/50 Vinyl/Digital.

My Budget is up to $1500.00

128x128pooch2
williewonka
3,072 posts
 

One thing about the Denon 103 that is not discussed above - tweaking !

I started with the 103-conical stylus and loved it over the other MM/MI carts I had tried

But @jasonbourne71 is right about the Shibata stylus - it recovers more details

I had my 103 tweaked by Sounssmith - Ruby cantilever with the O.C. Contact Line stylus - so it still had the same warm characteristics, but the details were amazing

When I have it retipped in future I will go with the Shibata, because the O.C. contact Line requires extremely precise setup with the mirror protractor and a young pair of eyes - the Shibata is a little more forgiving and provides more detail than the original Conical Stylus

Another option is the Zu verion of this cartridge, which comes in an aluminum headshell for better performance

Regards - Steve

lewm
12,610 posts
 

All well and good for DL103 lovers, but not for the OP with his Icon phono stage.

mbmi's avatar
mbmi
478 posts
 

Josephina @ E.A.T. has a phenominal MC cart called the JO.5....It looks like a gigantic M&M Peanut...very unique looking....Rave reviews...I'm taking a serious look at an upgrade with this cart and a new E.A.T. Table.

wspohn's avatar
wspohn
582 posts
 

I use a Goldring Eroica LX in a third system and have found it to be quite nice.  It is within your price range.

pooch2's avatar
pooch2 OP
74 posts
 

I had a chance to research most of the excellent recommendations including: the Denon 103 and variants, Lyra Delos which sounds very good, Various Dynovector options, Audio Technica Art9, Benz Micro Glider SL and a few others. I will add the Goldring Eroica LX to my research list. Most are very good options and have given me a short list of options to pursue in the future. Some are over my budget for this first MC but look very interesting for future investments. 

I am glad to have decided to make a further investment in my Vinyl musical option, I was sitting on the fence for a while, trying to decide whether to sell my Vinyl and concentrate on my digital side or to make further investment into my analogue side of the musical equation. So here we go down the rabbit hole once more!

First the new (to me) tube Phono Preamp, now I have decided to try the HANA ML, which was recommended by a number of folks here and by other I trust as my first MC Cartridge. It is at the top of my budget (a little bit over) and I feel confident the Sansui SR 525 can get the most from it, although .... a turntable upgrade may be next!

Many thanks to all the information and advise received.

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