Kleos is a good choice. I have an AT20, which is also a good choice. Not sure which would win a shoot out, but generally Audio Technica hits way above it’s weight so it would be my guess that you would have to spend 2x-3x with any of the boutique Japanese cartridge makers to equal their offerings at any price point. Also, Elliott has suggested some MM cartridges to you that you should give serious consideration to. Any of them might be your best option. Several years ago Mikey Fremer posted a blind sound track test on YouTube with both MM and MC cartridges at several price points and asked people to listen and to vote for the one they liked the best. The winner by a considerable margin was an AT750ANV no longer available, but similar to ones Elliott suggested to your attention. As I recall it cost like $750 at the time and was preferred to a $10,000 Ortoforn MC. As to arms, I see tablejockey suggested you consider the Triplanar. It is almost the inverse of your G: Whereas the G is the easiest of all arms to set up, the Triplanar is perhaps if not the trickiest, it is on the short list. It does perform well and those who love them will have no other, but frankly it really does nothing better than a lot of arms that are much easier to set up. My advice is to stick with your G arm.
Recommended a highly resolving cartridge
Hi all, all tube system that is warm with a good midrange presence inherently. I’m looking for a cartridge that offers high detail / resolution and wide / deep soundstage. This is on a stock SL-1200G TT. On a side note, if anyone has experience “upgrading” the stock tonearm on a G please chime in. I’ve read conflicting reports of the merits of such a move, and while I’m very happy with the tone of my TT and am not looking to move off of it, I am curious about a tonearm swap (must allow for headshell swapping).
- ...
- 163 posts total
Lyra Delos is a good cart. But maybe save your money and get the slightly better (IMO) AT ART9XA. Or really nice AT-OC9XML. I have been using Lyra carts for decades. Recently picked up an AT-OC9XML that surprised me. Better tonal balance that the Lyras I had, soundstage, imaging, depth, detail.... All equal or better than my latest Skala. Not like the early OC9s that were a bit dry. The OC(XML has to be the absolute best cart for the money and hard to differentiate from carts 5X its price. |
Lots of good options suggestions here. I am personally a fan of Hana. Great cartridges at all price points. The Hana SL MkII is steal at the price. You can go higher to the Umami line if you have the budget. Can't go wrong and great resale value if you get tired of it or prefer to upgrade at some point. Good luck and keep us posted. |
AT160ML, no bidders, just relisted https://auc.aleado.com/yahoo/lot?auctionID=1201473404 Shipping will eventually resume, |
Well, I did A LOT of research and have decided on the AT-ART20. I was settled on the Kleos but I don’t want the warmth some reviews say it has. The AT seems to nail the tone I’m after, plus it’s a great price point for what you get as per usual with AT. I found an "open box" deal so it's ordered, I'll chime in once I've got some hours on it thanks again everyone, I'm feeling very good about this decision! |
- 163 posts total