MM cartridges

I'm listening to a Signet TK100LC right now. Incredible cartridge. Consider returning to MM with a vintage/new production hybrid-- an ebayed Grace F9 body with a Soundsmith turnkey OCL Ruby stylus assembly. Gets close to TOTL MM for around $600 in all.

A point to keep in mind in connection with both the AT-150MLX and the Aida is that their recommended load capacitance is 100 to 200 pf. That is low enough to be problematical with some combinations of phono stages and phono cables, especially if the phono cable needs to be longish. I recall at least one of our particularly experienced members here reporting that going from 250 pf to 150 pf or thereabouts made a considerable difference for the better with his 150MLX.

Also, in my experience a Grace F9E rebuilt by Soundsmith with his $250 "ruby single crystal cantilever/nude contact line diamond" option handily outperformed the original version of the Grado Reference Sonata.

Finally, be aware that the Grados will hum in some turntables, due to the lack of shielding in their wooden bodies.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Let's start Raul's thread all over again :))

I'm currently running a 150MLX alongside TK9E, TK7SU, and Ortofon 2M Bronze.
Sounds like you're on the right track. Good luck.

Grado hum -

That can be a problem with their plastic bodies as well, not just the wooden ones Al mentions. Possibly other cartridges can have this problem too but Grados seem to be best known for this potential.

In my experience when hum occurs it is a function of the location of the motor. Tables with the motor under the platter mean it is in closer proximity to the cartridge than those outside the platter so more likely to induce hum.