SL-1210/Jelco SA750D - cartridge choices?

[AlexM]

Hi All,

First post on AoS, and I'd appreciate the input of those with a similar setup.

I'm looking at alternatives in the £250-400 range for a new cartridge that will work well with the SL-1210/Jelco SA750-D.

My preamp is a Conrad-Johnson PV-15 with Phono input card (very pleased indeed with this new acquisition BTW..) so medium/low output cartridges can be accommodated.

I like neutral, transparent sound with good bass reproduction and treble extension. Music tastes are R&B, Jazz, Blues and some classic rock.

Thoughts?

Alex

[Marco]

Hi Alex,

I use the same turntable and tonearm as you, and so will offer a recommendation based on considerable experience in this area, which I'm confident will give you the biggest 'bang for your buck', and leave you gob-smacked at the results!

The Jelco tonearm is a superb piece of engineering, and IMO, one of the best sounding tonearms under a grand. However, the stock headshell, whilst good, isn't quite up to the construction standards of the rest of the arm, and therefore acts as somewhat of a sonic bottleneck, no matter what cartridge you use.

Therefore, take my advice and spend a good chunk of your budget on one which will transform the performance of your tonearm overall, ensuring that in future you get the most from any cartridge you use. And in that respect, I would recommend the superb Oyaide:





Available from: http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/o...ver-Wires.html

More info here: http://www.oyaide.com/e_audio/audio_...cf_hsr-ag.html

David will give you 10% AoS member discount. Therefore, it'll cost you £207. The Jelco headshell can always be kept as a spare to use at a later date with another cartridge.

The Oyaide headshell will optimise the tonal response of any cartridge used, through effectively controlling resonances, which adversely affect how a cartridge performs, sonically - and the superb (supplied) silver lead wires, will add detail and clarity to the sound. Also, it looks as sexy as hell!

Cartridge-wise, I'd combine the Oyaide with a DL-103, which possesses all of the traits you mentioned are of value to you (and will suit the type of music you like really well), and with Oyaide headshell, the DL-103 will sound simply wonderful. Furthermore, the Jelco SA-750D and DL-103 are a match made in heaven.

The best and cheapest place in the UK to buy a DL-103 is currently Harrow Audio, who are selling it for £107.50, inc VAT, see here:

http://www.harrowaudiohifi.co.uk/search.aspx

Finally, I would add an ISOkinetik cartridge stabiliser, as it will provide a little extra mass for the Oyaide headshell, which the 103 likes, and will aid rigid coupling to the headshell, thus enhancing performance further, for £11.99. See here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ISOkinetik-CAR...item27a89fb050

Therefore, all in all, this comes to a total of £326.49, which is within your budget, and leaves you with some change for records!

Later, when funds permit, you can upgrade the cartridge to one of the better DL-103s (such as the 'SA', which is awesome), or whatever you want, knowing that you've got all the right ingredients in place that will allow you to realise the maximum performance from whatever cartridge you choose.

I would be very confident that, if you go this route, it'll be the best way of spending your money, and will allow you to hear your favourite music like never before. My recommendation is intended as a long-term solution, which tackles issues you may not otherwise have considered.

It's taken years of experimenting and trial and error to gain the knowledge I have in this area, so you may as well benefit from it, and hopefully save yourself a lot of heartache (and money) in the process!

Hope this helps

Marco.

[DSJR]

+1, to someone who has spent loads of time and money doing your research for you

Seriously, enough of "us" are using the stock headshell (or the Sumiko equivalent) for it's "bottleneck" not to be too severe (), although I wouldn't doubt for one second that the Oyaide is better for the denon at least

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

It's simply a case of 'source first'.

Experience tells me that, with the Jelco, when upgrading, you get more music by spending more money on a better headshell, and less on a better cartridge, than simply using the stock headshell and spending all the money on a cartridge, especially when a 103 is involved.

Quite simply, the Oyaide headshell turns an already very good arm, into something quite special, with the right cartridge. And in this context, the 'right' cartridge is a DL-103

Marco.

[DSJR]

...And you telling me about source first - ME of all people, indoctrinated into the Linnfest back in 1976.........

All good advice, and thankfully the DL103 is still reasonably priced..

[MCRU]

Nice post Marco, still waiting for my 103 to arrive, will report on results when it does.

Here are a few pics of my Oyaide headshell and Jelco arm again with the famous pice of fluff attached to the cartridge:-

[AlexM]

Hmmm.. interesting. I had thought that the DL103 would be something of a 'side-grade' from mc Benz-Micro MC Silver. I think I will wait and see how it sounds when I get the Jelco onto my turntable.

I am also slightly scared of the DL103's conical stylus from a record wear POV, although long-term use by many others suggests that this isn't the case.

Point is well made about the headshell upgrade - is the Jelco's magnesium headshell really that poor? How does it compare to the Technics headshell. The Oyaide item does look very nice though...

Regards,
Alex

[DSJR]

The Oyaide shell seems to be made of a multi-layered plastc/carbon fibre composite which is claimef to have good vibration-absorbing qualities... The stock shell is fine for higher compliance pickups I think.

[Marco]

Hi Alex,

Hmmm.. interesting. I had thought that the DL103 would be something of a 'side-grade' from mc Benz-Micro MC Silver.

Ah... I didn't know you had a Benz-Micro Silver. You never said (at least not in your opening post on this thread)!

In that case, the 103 would definitely be a 'side-grade', although I suspect it would result in some gains, sonically (particularly in the bass area) which may appeal to your tastes......

I think I will wait and see how it sounds when I get the Jelco onto my turntable.

Good idea!

I am also slightly scared of the DL103's conical stylus from a record wear POV, although long-term use by many others suggests that this isn't the case.

No need whatsoever to worry about that. I own around 2500 records, most of which have been played at length at some point with a DL-103, and there is no excessive wear or any damage on them whatsoever.

Excessive record wear, due to the use of conical styli and/or high tracking forces, is a total fallacy! You're more likely to get groove damage from a cartridge tracking too lightly, and skipping all over the place, than a nice 'fat' conical stylus tracking grooves snugly and securely at 2.5g.

So, worry not!

Point is well made about the headshell upgrade - is the Jelco's magnesium headshell really that poor? How does it compare to the Technics headshell. The Oyaide item does look very nice though...

The Oyaide is simply beautiful and a marvel of Japanese engineering at its best. Aesthetically, it also compliments the Jelco perfectly. All Oyaide products are finished to the highest possible standard.

I'd therefore strongly recommend that you upgrade to the Oyaide headshell, and first of all try it with your Benz-Micro Silver (the performance of which it should improve quite considerably), and then decide if you even need to buy another cartridge!

However, the Denon will add some weight and authority, together with a cavernously wide soundstage, and addictive midrange alacrity, which is almost 'valve-like', at the expense of a teensy bit of (ultimate) high-frequency extension.

The decision is yours, so have fun!

Marco.

[Beobloke]

Of course an even easier solution would be to keep the standard headshell and bolt a Goldring 2500 into it. The 2500 can be a bit finicky about arm matching but I have never heard it sound better than in the Jelco.

Better still would be an Ortofon 2M Black but you might struggle to find one that slips into your budget.