Cartridge Upgrade Advice:
Hi all — I’d love some guidance from this community on choosing my next cartridge upgrade. I am looking for a “reference” cartridge that can “take it up a notch”. Thinking $5k max range,
My current system:
- Turntable: VPI Classic Signature HW with 12” tonearm
- Phono stage: Manley Chinook (tube)
- Preamplifier: McIntosh C2800 (tube)
- Amps: McIntosh MC611 mono blocks (600 wpc)
- Speakers: Revel Salon 2
- Current cartridges: Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC ES, Denon 103 (beater), Miyajima Zero (mono)
Upgrade candidates I’m considering:
- Kiseki Purple Heart
- Soundsmith Sussurro Mk II
- Lyra Kleos
- Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
- Hana Umami Red
Priorities: I listen to a lot of jazz vocals and large-scale orchestral, with some classic rock. I want resolution and refinement but without harshness, grain, or fatiguing sibilance. Musicality is just as important to me as detail retrieval.
👉 I’ve set up a short poll to keep things organized. Please vote and add your reasoning/experience: [insert link here]
Thank you in advance — your experience will help me (and likely others) make a more informed choice.
Q1. Which cartridge would you recommend for my setup?
- Kiseki Purple Heart
- Soundsmith Sussurro Mk II
- Lyra Kleos
- Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
- Hana Umami Red
- Other (please specify)
Q2. Why did you choose this one?
Q3. What speakers/amp/TT do you run, and what kind of music do you mostly listen to?
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- 33 posts total
I can’t really vote because the only cartridge I have experience with is the cadenza bronze, which I own. based on your description of what you want, it seems that it would be a good match. It provides detail and resolutions, but also a touch of warmth. More warm than the cadenza black, for example. Good cart for acoustic and female vocals. Typical Ortofon build quality. |
Keith listens to Audio Technica cartridges on his VPI tables. I have used all the above brands and most of the same models listed above. I love the Miyajima cartridges and since found a lot of listening joy with the EMT cartridges. I have not cared much for the Ortofon’s unless they are SPU G or A type with Replicant 100 stylus. I took a flier on the Ana Mighty Sound from France cartridges and thought very highly highly of them as well, I value the traditional analog definition of sound vs the highly detailed treble tipped sound of some of the brands listed above. The VPI tables with the right cartridge can have a nice weighty dynamic sound to them paired with the Herron phono. Good luck with the search… |
@ulcerdoc My Hyperion is an ES MkII, as I couldn't stretch to the MR version. I have heard many people say good things about the Sussurro Gold, too. It's a Sussurro with an MR stylus. |
@ulcerdoc I don’t have experience with any but one of those cartridges and no direct experience with your gear, but I can tell you my Lyra Kleos in my system meets your criteria. It demands painstaking setup, but once dialed in, there’s less sibilant distortion than any other cartridge I’ve used over the last 50 years, and it’s very musical. I have upgraded Apogee Duetta II full-ribbon speakers powered by vintage Classé Audio electronics with a SOTA Star Sapphire TT, and Eminent Technology ET2 tonearm. I listen to roughly equal parts classical, classic rock and ambient/electronic space music and also various kinds of jazz. I’ve made numerous comparisons of the Kleos with high-res streaming and CDs, and I think it’s fairly neutral with a touch more warmth in the lower midrange than my digital sources. |
- 33 posts total