Benefit of low output moving-iron Grado ?

Nickyt, i was asking myself the same question you are. i am also considering moving up cart ladder from reference sonata. because i love my ref. sonata i have decided not to open the can of worms that i anticipated moving to LO versions of grado. i am not looking for a bank account draining system changing headache just incremental improvement in detail, bass tautness, and isolation of instruments when things get cooking. with those changes in mind and loving what I have and im sticking with grado for now and see nothing wrong in your case or mine of putting that master on your similar priced table. a totl statement would be another story obviously. one thing id like to add is before i purchased my speakers i auditioned the vand sig2s and thought they were not for me. too polite, warm and paired with grado might be too much of a good thing depending on other gear and what your looking for. so i might suggest a similar priced HO moving coil(dyna 10x5?)to what youd pay to upgrade for a master. that paired with the inexpensive mc phono board could yield great results with all other system synergy being equal.

Thanks to both Atmasphere and Fourwinds. Atmasphere: in another universe I would be a proud owner of your equipment, from phonograph down through amplifiers. Alas, it cannot be! I am thinking of asking Acoustic Sounds (where I bought my turntable) to set up the new cartridge when the time comes. Perhaps they might be able to fiddle with the loading on my preamp at their discretion.
Fourwinds: thanks for the heads up on Dynavector... I've been meaning to look into their stuff. The 20x2 looks good, and is advertised to work with "most" MM phono stages. Is this accurate?
If others are still reading: what about these cartridges from London Decca? The "Maroon" is in my price range, and with some saving, even the "Gold". They are both 5mv output, which makes me happy. I just don't know how reliable they are. Anyone care to weigh in on London Decca vs. Dynavector vs. Grado? (p.s. NOT getting rid of my not-so-polite Vandersteens anytime soon!)

For Deccas to work well, you must get the proper arm. You're opening yourself up for problems. Stick to the Dyna, or Grado MY opinion is that although Vandersteen speakers are very good across their range, they might not be a good combination with the Grado (which has a similar "non-sparkling" presentation. I am running Vandersteen 5A's and didn't like my Grado Sonata at all...too muddy in my setup. I suspect the Dyna would be a very good match.

Advice noted. I will ask my dealer if I would need a MC preamp for the Dyna, but hopefully it is robust enough for my MM phonocard. I guess I do have to admit the "sparkle-lacking" qualities of the Vandersteens; it's funny how I lack objectivity in direct proportion to the amount of money I spend on something!

I have both Grado Sonata's, the 5mv and the .5mv versions. Same year even. I prefer the low output version hands down. So do all of my friends. The only hitch is you need a fairly high gain preamp to enjoy it.
The 0.5mv version is quieter, more dynamic, has more nuance, and is very responsive.
It's amazing what can be put on a piece of vinyl....downright spooky sometimes.