MC...is it worth the spend to move from MM?

[Phil Lawton]

Just moved up to a Clearaudio TT and very pleased with it, both sonically and aesthetically.

My tech chap tells me that upgrades to consider include moving to a MC cartridge.

This would, of course, involve changing my phono stage (currently a Graham Slee) for a suitable MC stage.

I know both camps have their proponents, but is the difference in performance between MM and MC that big?

[speedracer]

I think it is worth it yes, but that isn't to say there aren't some fine sounding MM cartridges because there are, & plenty of them. You wouldn't necessarily need to change your phono stage either, you could just add a step up transformer or head amp. There is only yourself that can decide if MC is the way to go for you, try & get to a bake off or two if there are any in your area, or even start your own & request people bring their own MC cart. I appreciate it is tricky with regards to setting up but it is certainly doable.

[STD305M]

You could always keep the Graham Slee and add a sut or headamp

Regards Steve

[topoxforddoc]

A good MM may often be better than a cheaper MC and PC phono set up. Depends a lot on your other equipment and your room. But there are many classic MM cartridges, which sound fabulous. If you have plenty of time. read this thread posted by Railiregas on Audiogon - almost 13000 posts and over 20 million reads.

Some of his MM suggestions are really top class.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/who-needs-a-mm-cartridge-type-when-we-have-mc

[Phil Lawton]

Thanks, chaps.

It’s nothing i’ll be rushing into after splashing out on the Clearaudio, but i’ll certainly go and read other threads on the subject.

This place is always a goldmine of knowledge and information

[Barry]

A good MM may often be better than a cheaper MC and PC phono set up. Depends a lot on your other equipment and your room. But there are many classic MM cartridges, which sound fabulous. If you have plenty of time. read this thread posted by Railiregas on Audiogon - almost 13000 posts and over 20 million reads.

Some of his MM suggestions are really top class.

Would concur with the recommendation of the AKG P8ES and the B&O MMC20 series (EN and above: the CN and CL). Would also recommend the ADC 25/26 (or 27 if you don't want to worry about super high compliances (> 50cu), for which replacement stylii are readily available.

I couldn't be bothered wading through the thousands of replys so I don't know if the Audio Technika 'Signet' series were mentioned.

Finally the Deccas, which although a law unto themselves, can be breathtaking in capturing the 'air', dynamics and imparting some of the excitment that only live music can provide. In that respect no MC that I have heard has come close. But they are pernickety buggers, which until the advent of the 'London Reference' were subject to sloppy workmanship and enormous sample-to-sample variation.


I was intrigued by the suggestion that 100K is better loading than the industry standard of 47K. Has anyone else found the same?

[magiccarpetride]

Just moved up to a Clearaudio TT and very pleased with it, both sonically and aesthetically.

My tech chap tells me that upgrades to consider include moving to a MC cartridge.

This would, of course, involve changing my phono stage (currently a Graham Slee) for a suitable MC stage.

I know both camps have their proponents, but is the difference in performance between MM and MC that big?

You wouldn't necessarily have to swap your phono stage. I was using Denon DL-103 MC with Denon AU-310 SUT into the MM stage and it sounded really good.

However, I've since moved to Ortofon OM20 MM cartridge, and the sound improved. This, I believe, is due to the upgrade in the stylus -- Ortofon is nude elliptical, while Denon is spherical. In my experience, spherical seems to fail in its ability to retrieve finer details from the grooves.

So bottom line, I'd think that stylus plays bigger role in sound quality than the cart body and its internals. That's just my own totally uninformed opinion.

[Barry]

...............

So bottom line, I'd think that stylus plays bigger role in sound quality than the cart body and its internals. That's just my own totally uninformed opinion.

True, that is why replacement stylii cost a large proportion of the cost of the cartridge. And the more sophisticated the stylus profile, the higher the proportion.

[RobbieGong]

Indeed Barry, Stylus profile plays a huge part in terms of detail / info retrieval from those grooves http://www.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/different-types-styluses-and-what-they-mean-your-turntable/