MM Cartridge life

[Mikeandvan]

Thinking about the cost of carts, the mp500 is £611 (cheapest price on Ebay) direct from Japan, whilst the replacement stylus is £225, I thought the expense of making carts was in the production of the stylus. So that's about £400 for a bit of plastic Are we audiophiles getting ripped off rotten?

[Mikeandvan]

Great that the Hudson vta/azimuth tool helped get it spot on, you should get improved stylus wear as well as it should be hitting the groove walls were it was intended to. Have you resolved what the was causing the top end harshness in you system?

Cheers

Adrian

Emm, well the harshness has improved now on vinyl replay, not sure about cd, as I haven't played it in a while. I tried the Van damme hifi series speaker cables, liked them at first then put the QED back and preferred the greater resolution they seemed to bring, will swap back again though soon. Still haven't done done enough listening to decide, but I did swap out my Croft for the little bear passive, put the croft back and preferred it. I think in general I am still seeking a more open sound.

[AJSki2fly]

Emm, well the harshness has improved now on vinyl replay, not sure about cd, as I haven't played it in a while. I tried the Van damme hifi series speaker cables, liked them at first then put the QED back and preferred the greater resolution they seemed to bring, will swap back again though soon. Still haven't done done enough listening to decide, but I did swap out my Croft for the little bear passive, put the croft back and preferred it. I think in general I am still seeking a more open sound.

Not sure how your cartridge compares but you may want to consider trying a MC like:-

https://www.analogueseduction.net/ca...cartridge.html

or

https://www.analogueseduction.net/ca...cartridge.html

Both should work with your Graham Slee Era V which can take 2mV to 10mV, and load impedance of 47k Ohms which matches the Era V input, both are highly respected MC cartridges.

Reviews

http://www.audioreview.com/product/a...mc-silver.html

https://www.dagogo.com/hana-eh-movin...tridge-review/

https://theaudiophileman.com/hana-si...il-cartridges/

I suspect either would give you what you are looking for but if it was me I would go for the the very well liked Hana EH, Hana cartridges are generally extremely good, I have myself having listened to the Hana ML which is superb, but it is 3 times the price, although they do a high output 2.0mV version.

[Mikeandvan]

I suspect either would give you what you are looking for but if it was me I would go for the the very well liked Hana EH, Hana cartridges are generally extremely good, I have myself having listened to the Hana ML which is superb, but it is 3 times the price, although they do a high output 2.0mV version.

Thanks Adrian, might give one of those a try at some point in the next year, I must say though I did once try a mc and thought it too clinical, an AT one, the 440? It cost around £400 and I broke it within a few days as I was drowsy due to hayfever, not a good day.

[STD305M]

Hi Mike
The at440 is a mm cartridge they did a 440mlb and 440mla

[AJSki2fly]

Thanks Adrian, might give one of those a try at some point in the next year, I must say though I did once try a mc and thought it too clinical, an AT one, the 440? It cost around £400 and I broke it within a few days as I was drowsy due to hayfever, not a good day.

The 440's were moving magnet, so maybe it was another one. Sorry to hear you had the accident, but that doesn't mean you would do it again. I find making sure the arm is clipped in the holder when changing a record and always using the arm lift is the best way to stop any accidents. I also have a small flexible LED light clipped to the TT shelf so that I can see better at night or on poor light days.

[Mikeandvan]

Hi Mike
The at440 is a mm cartridge they did a 440mlb and 440mla

I probably got the model wrong.