Cartridge recomendations please

[oceanobsession]

Lol - did I say that the AT-33PTG sounded lean and bright? No, so shut it, daftee!

An OC-9, though, would be a different ball game.... That *is* lean and bright.

Every cartridge has its own sonic signature, including the PTG, although it is more neutral sounding than most. However, given Phil's sonic proclivities, I'd recommend the PTG, or the AT33EV you mentioned, as I think those would be the best bets for him

Marco.

Hi marco, thanks for all your help, im still waiting for my pioneer pl71 to arrive

from the usa, i think the denon 103 would suit this tt with sumiko headshell

ive been reading many of your posts about an sut which i think is a step up

transformer my phono stage mc specs are Mc sensitivity 100uV

Impedance 100ohms

Distortion -80dB

would i need a sut or are the specs suitable for the denon 103 maybe pro or

even r spec or does the step up transformer make these cartridges sing what do they add ive no idea about sutch things cheers phil

[DSJR]

I do hope the PL71 has survived the trip intact.

Make sure the tonearm doesn't have excessive play in the bearings. The Rega 200 version does have some play in the lateral ones, but Rega claimed the bearings were tapered and the weight of the arm/shell and countweight loaded the bearings properly. No tracking/tracing problems with the Decca at all in my case

Marco's recommendations are spot on and the EV stylus "should" be kinder on old vinyl too

[Reid Malenfant]

about an sut which i think is a step up

transformer my phono stage mc specs are Mc sensitivity 100uV

Impedance 100ohms

Distortion -80dB

would i need a sut or are the specs suitable for the denon 103 maybe pro or

even r spec or does the step up transformer make these cartridges sing what do they add ive no idea about sutch things cheers phil

Hi, 100uV is a pretty sensitive MC stage to say the least The output of the DL-103 is approximately 300uV so you'll not need to use a step up transformer.

If you fancied using the moving magnet input then yes, you'd need to use a step up transformer to boost the 300uV to approximately 3mV.

Hope that helps

[anthonyTD]

The PL71 tonearm, if as close to the Rega R200 as I reckon it is (maybe even better), can take almost anything you like, from medium compliance mm's to Deccas without complaint.

How much do you wish to spend? I personally dislike "organic" or dull sounding cartridges like the standard Grado's, so would suggest an AT120e as a minimum and go from there to an

AT440ML

a, a £200 ish Ortofon with Sumiko headshell and there to Sumiko BPS, Dynavector 10XV and so on to a Denon 103SA or AT OC9 mk3...

Not very helpful there am I? That's why we ask for info in the Welcome section so we can best recommend things for your tastes in music and equipment...

What have you used before and why did you feel the need to change?

i agree with dave on the 440ML, i have one fitted to my cranfield rock turntable, it can be a bit forward sounding for some set ups but it tracks like the best around and is very rewarding in the right system.
anthony,TD...

[DSJR]

I should have said (?) 440MLa - the "a" indicating treble refinements I believe...