A not too expensive MC cartridge for classical music

[mscili]

Good evening everyone,

I'm new here, this is my first post after the presentation ones. I'm a classical musician myself and I listen (on LPs) almost only to classical music, with lots of piano and chamber music, but also "big" symphonic and (a little less) opera repertoire. Over time I've found that, before any considerations about tonal colour, the cartridge I use must have absolutely excellent tracking up to the inner grooves, and it must be able to keep a good transparency when the music is complex. I don't need big impact, I look much more for details, even when the music is "big" - I find life in the details, not in the "groove".

Last year I had the chance to get a Townshend Rock Reference with the Excalibur tonearm, and I'm very happy about how it made a humble Technics P22 cartridge (on a p-mount adapter...) sound much better then any other turntable I tried it on. Now it's time to go for something better: maybe my first MC, to go into the MC preamp of the ION Obelisk 3x.

The subject "Hana SL vs AT-33PTG/II" has been already discussed here, but I'd be happy to ask about it again, taking into account the destination as a "classical music" cartridge. I can listen to the Hana (maybe even in my system, as a final check before buying it), but I have no chance to listen to the AT (which is also some 20-25% cheaper and has slightly better specifications). I may also go a bit higher with the budget and consider a ZXY R50, a Benz ACE, Dynavector 20X or an Ortofon Quintet Black... If from general experience this would be an obviously wiser choice.

I'd be happy to get some suggestions from the community here, to help to take a good decision and somehow to share a bit the process of deciding...

Thanks to everyone, and I hope I'll soon be able to contribute more myself to the discussion in the forum!

Marco

[walpurgis]

Hi Marco. Nice to see you getting involved here.

I have had many MCs, but not used the Hana or AT-33.

I have owned a couple of ZYX R50 Bloom cartridges and they do classical music superbly. The scale and depth is outstanding and there is genuine transparency, with fine imaging, allowing you to pinpoint various instruments in the soundstage. Very impressive and certainly a bargain at the price in my opinion.

I still have an R50, but was impressed enough to invest in three more ZYX MCs costing rather more and they are great. But the funny thing is, the R50 is as enjoyable as any through its sheer 'musicality'.

If you can get a demo anywhere, I'm sure you would be impressed.

[petrat]

IME, an AT-33PTG/II would fit your requirements well ... refined and detailed. It's also pretty 'normal' in its requirements re. arm and phonostage. I think you'd need to go to something like an Ortofon Cadenza Black to get a significant improvement over it.

If you're open to sticking with a moving magnet, the Ortofon 2M Black would also be a good choice for your musical preferences, and your requirement for good detail retrieval. Although it ain't exactly beer-money, I would rate it better than most mid-price moving coils, and the replacable stylus might help with long-term running costs if you listen a lot.

[CageyH]

I have both, and prefer the AT33PTG/II - as did another forum member on my recent visit.
To be honest, you would probably be happy with either.

[hifi_dave]

Hana, without a doubt. Excellent value for money. They could put a fancy label on the front, pack in a funky box and they could get away with charging double.

[carruthersesq]

Another vote for the AT33ptg, fab cartridge. I have tried several others but returned to it.

[julesd68]

I listen to a lot of classical music on vinyl and use the AT33PTG/II.

I find it superb - it's a very honest cart that reveals the different 'house sounds' of HMV / DG / Decca etc like no other cartridge I have had before.
It will only sound harsh if the recording is made that way.

Can't recommend it enough for that kind of money. I use mine with a Fidelity Research SUT which is a great partner.

[rubber duck]

If you want tonal colour and tracking I would recommend the Hana. I use an SH and this has tracked the inner grooves of my classical piano LPs cleanly, and these are around 30min long sides. Not heard the AT33 under controlled conditions so can't comment on this. Another cart I was impressed with is the Ortofon Quintet Blue, especially if you listen mainly to classical. Scott Nangle on this forum offers a good deal on this.

[DSJR]

Aren't the AT33 series rather expensive? I thought the OP (welcome by the way) wanted an inexpensive one?

The ONE thing that will limit any cartridge I'm afraid is the Ion amp and that's the thing I'd consider changing myself, as memories of these amps were of a rather hard and ringing tone - maybe they changed, but we couldn't sell them...

The AT's seem to track well, but the Hana has hidden pedigree and will be ignored here purely because nobody's tried one and distrusts the brand. The SAE? designs that preceded the current Hana range were well liked I recall...

[rubber duck]

the Hana has hidden pedigree and will be ignored here purely because nobody's tried one and distrusts the brand

hmm, several forum members already use this and the reviews have all been positive.