Still looking for a new Moving Coil Cartridge
I noticed that Music Direct has 20% off cartridge sale on select cartridges. I am still using a ZU/Denon DL103 MC cartridge Series 1 with the cartridges tightest tolerances. I purchased it here from “Audiofiel” back in 2010 and have used it sparingly since. I had been using a Dynavector DV20XL cartridge which I bought a couple of years ago but my 6 yo nephew destroyed it (that’s another story) so I am back to the ZU/Denon.
My table is a Technics SL1200G which I truly love. I have been looking at the Hana Low out put MC cartridges. I am interested in the low output “S” series as the $600.00 price is right where I want to be. Now, the million dollar questions: I listen to 95% 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Rock and want whatever cartridge I purchase to make the records sound good without excessive surface noise. Will the Hana S be up to the task? My Mac C2500 tube preamp has cartridge loading from 50 ohms up to 1000 ohms so I should be ok. I just want to be sure this cartridge will be very musical and full bodied sound. I do no want a thin sound. So there you have it, yay or neigh?
roadcyklerOP says using the ZU/Denon sparingly (for 13 years _____?) Using Dynavector for a couple of years. If OP is thinking about a new cartridge, I PRESUME he listens enough to ask for help. Thus I mentioned stylus life, OP knows the answer, not me. I gave the link for the whole article, and a blip of info Everything's relative, multiply them all by 4, the difference of +250 hrs becomes +1,000 hours. |
crustycoot Does anyone have experience with buying a headshell with pre-aligned cartridge? ......................................... I could not ’trust’ a pre-alignment, I simply couldn’t do it. Not to mention, personally getting it ’right’ is part of the enjoyment every time you drop the needle. And, of course, the proliferation of TT with arms with fixed cartridges opens pandora’s box for so many. I vote for acquiring a few inexpensive tools and learning how to get it ’right’. Sets you up for the rest of your life. |
I have a Zu Denon DL103 that came with a turntable I bought. It sounded awful and I was going to throw it away, but decided to send it to Andy Kim to see if he could bring it back to life. Boy, did he ever! I have a Hana SL and it's a very nice cartridge, but the Zu has more detail and is more lively, if a little less "refined" than the Hana. The Hana is a fine cartridge and would be different, but to my ears, not "better". If you like a warmish to neutral sound and if the Zu is a bit too wild and wooly for you, the Hana might be a good choice. I suggest reaching out to Andy and see if there's a way to tailor the sound of the Zu more to your taste. That would be the best "bang for the buck" option in my opinion. |
