Getting back into vinyl - advice needed

[westsidejon]

I've made the decision rather than sell off all my old vinyl and original Roksan Xerxes with Tabriz, I'm going to keep it all and rediscover my music from my youth. I had the Xerxes serviced recently and had the deck lifted (common Xerxes problem).

In the last year I've gone active with some Audiovector Si3 discreets which includes an analogue to digital converter. I've invested in a really good digital front end (SOTM SMS-200 Ultra and Mutec USB converter) and am curious how this will compare to vinyl now. I've just purchased a Rothwell Rialto and am not sure which cartridge to buy. My phono stage will be feeding my actives and therefore the analogue signal will be converted into digital.

My budget for a MM cartridge initially is around £100-150. What have people tried and would recommend. At the moment I'm leaning toward a new Nagaoka MP 110 as I'm a bit reticent buying a second hand cartridge.

Thanks

Jonathan

[montesquieu]

Nagaoka is a good choice on that arm - hard to see past it on that budget.

[westsidejon]

I'm not sure how much vinyl magic will be lost because of the digital conversion and therefore would a much better cartridge be a waste of time?

[montesquieu]

I'm not sure how much vinyl magic will be lost because of the digital conversion and therefore would a much better cartridge be a waste of time?

Don't know about the specifics of this system but most ADC-DAC processing tends to be pretty transparent. If you want to up your budget the Tabriz will be happy with a much higher quality cartridge, the digital conversion is no reason to cut back in my opinion.

[westsidejon]

what about upto £250 budget?

[montesquieu]

Tons of viable options:

I'd probably go for an Audio Note IQ1 or Goldring 1042, but other options available include an Ortofon 2m Bronze, or if you prefer a Moving Coil cartridge, an Ortofon Quintet Red or Audio Technica AT-F7, either of which will work nicely with the Rialto on the MC setting.

Many here would no doubt recommend the Denon DL-103 but there's a lot involved in getting the best out of it and personally I'm not the biggest fan.

Having said that my personal preference would be for vintage cartridges, MM or MC, much more for the money but there is undoubtedly a degree of risk and some can be quirky in terms of output, compliance, or setup.

[Svend N]

Tons of viable options:

I'd probably go for an Audio Note IQ1 or Goldring 1042, but other options available include an Ortofon 2m Bronze, or if you prefer a Moving Coil cartridge, an Ortofon Quintet Red or Audio Technica AT-F7, either of which will work nicely with the Rialto on the MC setting.

Many here would no doubt recommend the Denon DL-103 but there's a lot involved in getting the best out of it and personally I'm not the biggest fan.

Having said that my personal preference would be for vintage cartridges, MM or MC, much more for the money but there is undoubtedly a degree of risk and some can be quirky in terms of output, compliance, or setup.

+1 to the Goldring and 2M Bronze recommendation. I own both and they are both very, very good. Quite a different sound between the two. The Goldring is more dynamic, punchy, full-bodied...rounder more fluid sounding. The Bronze is more detailed and airy, sounds quicker and more agile, delicate....but still very musical. The Bronze is, I think, a bit more picky about tonearm matching -- I tried it on an RB300 (11.5g eff. mass) and liked it but wasn't wowed; then moved it to an R200 (16g eff. mass) and it really came alive - wonderful. The Goldring sounded terrific on the RB300, by the way, so will work well on a lighter arm.

Hope this helps... Personal choice may come down to the type of music you listen to and which will suit that style the best.

Svend

[cre009]

I'm not sure how much vinyl magic will be lost because of the digital conversion and therefore would a much better cartridge be a waste of time?

I assume you already have a cartridge running on the deck. Was it worn out or do you just fancy a change?

[westsidejon]

Yes I have a very old AT 110e which needs replacing. I will mainly be listening to rock, punk and electro music if that influences cartridge recommendations.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Jonathan

[alphaGT]

I ran a Grado Gold, which is exactly the same as the Grado Silver, and it rocked pretty well. Also I’ve heard very good things about the Sumiko Pearl. I’ve got a higher priced Sumiko that also rocks to my satisfaction. There are just tons of cartridges available in your range, the Ortofon 2M Red is highly acclaimed. And there are lots of used cartridges in your price range, because people start where you are, and upgrade soon after, putting a lot of barely used cartridges on the market. Perhaps you can find a $300 cart for $100 in the used market? I understand that cartridges are not something one likes to buy used, they are so easily damaged and hard to see if it’s worn out. But if you find a respectable seller with good feedback, you should be fairly safe with a used cartridge.

Russell

[westsidejon]

Well I finally connected my old Roksan Xerxes up to my Audiovector actives today, after I received an adapter I needed to convert RCA into a 3.5mm connector. To my relief my vinyl sounded really good, albeit a bit crackly after being used to Tidal streaming. I was really happy with my digital front end (SOTM sms-200 ultra and Mutec MC3 USB) which retails for over £2k, but it is beaten by my deck. Digital is clearer and more precise where as vinyl has more body, authority and warmth.

So I'm scrapping my idea of selling off all my vinyl and am now looking for a lightly used second hand cartridge for between £130-200ish, which I'm sure will elevate my vinyl even further! I'm looking forward to discovering all my old vinyl of music that isn't available on Tidal.

[montesquieu]

Nice one. :champagne:

[topoxforddoc]

Jonathan.

Budget also for a wet vacuum record cleaning machine. You'll find it the best value for money upgrade for any record playing system. A cheap Moth, Okki Nokki, Project etc will do absolutely fine. Cleaning fluid works out very cheap - (all proportions by volume) 20-25% isopropyl alcohol, 75-80% distilled water, 5 ml per litre of fluid of photographic wetting agent (e.g. Kodak Photoflo, Ilford Ilfotol). 1 L will clean 150 records.

http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/kodak-photo-flo-16oz-470ml-592-p.asp

[Audio Al]

but it is beaten by my deck. Digital is clearer and more precise where as vinyl has more body, authority and warmth.

Woo Hoo another one saved from digital disappointment :D

[alphaGT]

It sounds like you’ve got a plan! Happy to hear it has worked out so well for you. And I second the idea of getting a second hand record cleaning machine, it made the largest leap of difference in my vinyl playback. I hesitated for 20 years, they are pricey, but now cannot live without one. It will clean up the Pops and ticks closer to digital cleanliness.

Russell