what cartridge?


I am relatively new to returning to vinyl. I was lucky enough to purchase a Music Hall mmf-7 here on audiogon several months ago in great condition at a great price with a goldring eroica H installed. Unfortunately, I broke the cantilever a couple days ago and am already missing my daily vinyl "fix." Complicating matters (other than my obsessiveness) is the divergence of information I get from different sources. Salespeople at even the most rputable of sources seem to have their own agenda - N*********** pushes Ortofon, G**** pushed Benz, A**** A****** pushes clearaudio, etc giving me the feeling perhaps that the mark-up may be different at the different vendors - or perhaps I am just skeptical?

In any case, I am getting a headache trying to sort out my best options and look to you all, who have served me well thus far in my audio journey, to help navigate.

My current system:

Music Hall mmf-7
Jolida JD9 phono pre-amp (which I love)
Benchmark DAC1pre
Parasound Halo A21 power amp (occasionally switched out with my Jolida 302 tube integrated)
Snell b minor speakers (of which I have become quite fond)

Options thus far considered:

Trade in damaged Goldring Eroica for either another H or, more likely LX (either would be new - $288)

Repair Goldring through soundsmith ($150 - $350 depending upon repair/mod)

AT95E with a "Shibata" tip ($130) which I have heard will strongly resemble the clearaudio virtuoso (of course without the wood body) due to the fact that the virtuoso body is based upon the AT95 body.

Clearaudio virtuoso (around $450 used)

Benz line - I have looked at all from the Micro MC-20e2-L ($215) to the Glider-S ($600 factory rebuilt) The lower priced MC20e2 is intriguing not only because of its price but because of some of the wonderful reviews.

Currently, I am leaning toward the AT150MLX because of a couple raving (and seemingly objective) reviews and its impressive specs at the price point ($300 with boron cantilever and microline stylus)

I am willing to pay up to $600 or so - but see no reason to pay that much if there is not a significant bump in quality.

I listen to all music (except rap, "easy listening" or country) but primarily jazz and classical. A rich tone, clarity, dynamic range and a wide soundstage are thus important to me.

Thanks for your help!! I look forward to your responses,

A new "vinyl junkie".
erfmd
Thanks to everyone who has responded. I genuinely appreciate all the advice.

I ended up purchasing a Benz ACE from a local dealer who was going out of business at a price I could not pass up. I installed it a couple evenings ago and was OK with it (but did not have time that evening to properly align,etc.)

I have since aligned and adjusted and proper installation certainly makes a huge difference! So far I am pleased - an improvement over the goldring for sure. Waiting for it to fully break in and make further "fine tunes" to adjustments.

Thanks again!!

BTW, what do you all think of the Hi-Fi News Test Record. Is it a worthwhile investment?

A newbie vinyl junkie.
The mmf-7 and JD9 combination is a good one. (I used that combo for years.) And the Ace should compliment it well. (It's one I considered.) If you want a great cartridge alignment protractor to use, try Conrad Hoffman's "TemplateGen" arc protractor. It can be downloaded and printed onto a good quality heavy matte or photo paper. It's versatile and easy to use. And free. Be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully and you can't go wrong. The webpage is:

http://www.conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm

Have fun!

Tom
So far, after everything adjusted, I am very happy with the Benz Ace. Much superior to the Goldring. Thanks to all for your suggestions.