New cartridge advice - Ortofon 2M bronze

[Mikeandvan]

how about a denon 103r ?
the 2m black is a very good cartridge but takes time to set up,dont worry about the shape of it as its always best to align the cantilever with the protractor rather than the cartridge body.
i bought a space mat for my lp12 a while ago,it didn't do much for me plus it didn't fit,if you want it your welcome to it.

Can't afford to spend £500 on a cart, so the Black is out, I think I already have the spacemat, the dark grey light spongy one? The 103r? I'll look into that, thanks.

[hifi_dave]

Unfortunately, Beefheart never sounds great on any system. You can't base your choice on his recordings.

IMO, the 2M range is on the thin side of neutral and become more analytical as you go up the range. I prefer carts with a bit more body like a high output Hana or if you have a MC input, the Rega Ania or one of the great value Audio Technicas.

[DSJR]

Yeah, but vinyl's so soft toned to start with

The really good thing about NAS decks as a breed is that the bass is never overblown, so a beefier toned cartridge doesn't become a stodge as it can on some other decks. The 'power' should come through well without exaggeration.

Sorry about the 'two Dave's tag team' here.. Only trying to help...


P.S. the old Nakamichi 'Stasis based' power amps are very good and I especially liked the PA7 (both versions) and the PA5mk2 which I owned for a couple of years after the squeezed out Linn LK280 which some love but I didn't - ever! Only downside is the horrendous time taken to 'warm up' which wouldn't occur with modern transistors (you wouldn't need ten output devices per channel these days). The preamps both had good phono stages in them, but the line stages seemed to take the 'air' out I remember.

Harshness at higher volumes is the Nait complaining and later Nait 5's do exactly the same I recall!

[hifi_dave]

Can't have too many Daves.

[walpurgis]

Can't have too many Daves.

That's a matter of opinion.

[Mikeandvan]

Unfortunately, Beefheart never sounds great on any system. You can't base your choice on his recordings.

IMO, the 2M range is on the thin side of neutral and become more analytical as you go up the range. I prefer carts with a bit more body like a high output Hana or if you have a MC input, the Rega Ania or one of the great value Audio Technicas.

Thanks Dave, are there any Hanas in the £200 range? I had an AT cart once, it cost me £400 and lasted only 2 days, due to hay fever I broke it, which is why I now only limit myself to spending £200 - may'be a touch higher.

[Mikeandvan]

Yeah, but vinyl's so soft toned to start with

The really good thing about NAS decks as a breed is that the bass is never overblown, so a beefier toned cartridge doesn't become a stodge as it can on some other decks. The 'power' should come through well without exaggeration.

Sorry about the 'two Dave's tag team' here.. Only trying to help...


P.S. the old Nakamichi 'Stasis based' power amps are very good and I especially liked the PA7 (both versions) and the PA5mk2 which I owned for a couple of years after the squeezed out Linn LK280 which some love but I didn't - ever! Only downside is the horrendous time taken to 'warm up' which wouldn't occur with modern transistors (you wouldn't need ten output devices per channel these days). The preamps both had good phono stages in them, but the line stages seemed to take the 'air' out I remember.

Harshness at higher volumes is the Nait complaining and later Nait 5's do exactly the same I recall!

Thanks Dave, I'm not sure the Nait is the problem here, I think my styluses are nearing their life cycle, or my set up of them is not perfect. The problem exists at all listening levels.

[Phil Bishop]

Unfortunately, Beefheart never sounds great on any system. You can't base your choice on his recordings.

IMO, the 2M range is on the thin side of neutral and become more analytical as you go up the range. I prefer carts with a bit more body like a high output Hana or if you have a MC input, the Rega Ania or one of the great value Audio Technicas.

Could not agree more - after many years of trying Rega, Ortofon, Nagaoka, etc, MM offerings myself and a friend are coming to the conclusion that it's the Audio Technicas that hit the sweet spot. I'm currently using an AT95EX on my Techie and it sounds very well balanced with no discernible nasties. Also have an AT-F7 MC on one of my Regas which sounds excellent too.

Cheers

Phil

[Mikeandvan]

Well I got me nice new Jelco hs25 headshell, so I've got 2 now, can compare easily, what cart shall I get?? £250 max.

[Mikeandvan]

Emm, Goldring 1042 looking like the one, Juno records have them cheap - £250, anybody any experience of them - Juno? Would hate to buy a so called new cart only for it to be seconds or something. Richer sounds have them for £275, seems reasonable.