2. analog
  3. 1099627789

Budget MC Suggestions?

I've been back into vinyl for over a year now, enjoying it all immensely. I have a Thorens TD-320 with Shure V15VxMR playing through a Gram Amp 2 SE phono stage and I do love the sound. But I've been reading so much about the superior sonic quality of low output MC that I've gotten very curious. To the best of my knowledge, in 35 years of listening to records I've never heard an MC cart. So, I'm wondering two things. First, is it possible on a shoestring budget (say $300 for cartridge and phono stage or transformer, used is fine) to find an MC set-up that will sound better than my present MM set-up? If so, what preamp and cart do you recommend? If it's not possible on that budget, how much does one have to invest in MC to outperform the V15-Gram Amp 2SE set-up? Second, what exactly are the sonic improvements I should expect to hear? Thanks, Rich
winegasman
winegasman OP
100 posts
 
Thanks so far. I guess I'm going to keep my eye out for a used DL-103 or a used AT-OC9ML/II and get whichever comes along at a reasonable price first.

Now, as far as a preamp for an MC, it seems to me to make more sense to get a stand-alone phono preamp rather than a DIY stepup transformer kit. Does anyone have any experience with either of these 2 preamps (Musical Fidelity X-LP or Rotel RQ-970BX), which both handle MC and which are both available used right now? Thanks for your help, Rich
c123666
871 posts
 
denon dl160 is a very nice cartridge and high output, too..less than 200 landed from audio cubes...not as good as the 103 (and its variants) but it also does not require a transformer
c123666
871 posts
 
new dl103 is 199 I think new from audio cubes
wwwspooky1234efaa
4 posts
 
conicals make contact with more of the record groove while elliticals and others touch less of the groove giving them more detail. so an extra gram isn't going to cause more wear since the weight is spread out and not as concentrated as an ellitical.
More to discover