Shure, Audio Technica, or Ortofon Carts?

What you end up doing is picking one to start with, and then over time try other cartridges to see which ones you prefer. Some folks love AT cartridges and some find them too bright (nobody finds them dull) Only your ears can decide what's going to work for you. I'd recommend trying the most expensive Ortofon you can afford. Good luck.

 

Most likely, when this thread has run its course and everyone has made their suggestions, you will find yourself still having to pick one of the cartridges you originally mentioned, with no clear favorite.

 

I have had a 2M Blue, DL110, Shure M91ED with JICO SAS and am now using an AT440MLa. If you have a phone stage with adjustable capacitance then I'd recommend the AT; it tracks like buggery and is super detailed without being too brash at the top end. I think this is because my kit is taming the top end, and couldn't guarantee that you'd get the same results with yours.

If not, buy the 2M Blue. You can get a good deal on secondhand as there are so many about, and it just works straight out of the box.

 

Actually it sounds to me like Ortofon is the consensus winner.

 

OP appears to have a small budget so would suggest the AT95 as a starter cartridge. It doesn't have serious IGD problems is cheap and any brightness should compliment a vintage Technics DD. Can upgrade later with no serious loss of money.

 

Grados don't play well with Technics arms, and you're describing the classic symptoms of the mismatch. An exception is when I added a KAB fluid dampener to the SL-1200 I used to have; my Grados were completely transformed after that, springing to life with vivid colors and depth.

 

I have the Shure M97xe but I replaced the stylus with the Vivid for an additional $75. Found I prefer the Vivid ( or Vividline I think) over the original stylus. Tried the Jico SAS but didn't like it as it was very unforgiving.

As an aside: just got the Ortofon OM 5e cartridge--anyone suggest an upgrade to that stylus???

 

1- Shure/Ortofon

2- AT......meh

 

When I found myself asking similar questions, I had the luxury of enough disposable income to sample a few different brands and get a feel for their house sounds. Its a difficult proposition to ask the internet which cartridge you'll prefer. I still have quite a few cartridges being mentioned in this thread (OM20, M44, various Grados) left over from my days of owning tonearms that weigh less then I do, and would be happy to let you borrow a couple once you get the table.

 

I wouldn't judge a cartridge by its looks. Most "high-end" cartridges (and turntables) are butt-ugly (to me).

 

I haven't heard the LP-60 turntable so I wouldn't know how the Shure M44-7 would compare to the stock cartridge on that. I believe the stock cartridge also uses a conical stylus like the Shure. Even so, my best guess is that the Shure would do better than the stock cart when it comes to sibilance. But something like the Ortofon 2M Blue would be much better than either. You said the 2M Blue is an option and your budget is up to $150. So if you can get one for that price, I'd say go for it.

Audio-Technica cartridges can be very bright depending on your turntable and tonearm cable capacitance, phono stage capacitance, etc. Generally, the Audio-Technica 440MLa/b are a little brighter than the 120E/T or Eb. They all have big soundstages. The 440's MicroLine stylus will resolve more information during inner groove play than less refined styli. The 95E is probably the least bright of the bunch but it has a smaller soundstage. It's a great budget cartridge but it's still a budget cartridge.

 

I love my AT-150mlx and it's a far better match for my Yamaha PF-800 than my Ortofon 2M Bronze ever was, especially for taming unwelcome IGD. I found that tweaking the VTA slightly tail down balanced out the brightness and bass. That being said it sounds as though the op might be happiest with Ortofon.

 

A family member has a 1980s Pioneer DD turntable, and uses an Ortofon cart (looks like it's from the OM family) and another Ortofon cart from the 1980s (VMS-10E I believe), and even has a few MFSL albums. That's where I get my "audiophile-ness" from, and he is quite pleased with Ortofon products. In fact, my current audio setup (reciever and speakers) is what he used to own as well. And I have been thinking about narrowing the "fight" between the 2M Blue and M97xE (and possibly buying the M44-7 anyways, for records I own that are almost completely wrecked, or need some bass). I like a well balanced but lively sound with excellent bass detail and instrument/stereo separation. What do you think is the best (under $150-200) Ortofon has?

 

A friend of mine was gifted a nice Pioneer PL-112 (I think it's a 112...) by his dad and the cantilever collapsed on the original AT that came with it. Distraught he asked me what to get and I told him a 2M Blue but he opted for the more economical 2M Red and honestly it sounds really good. Personally I would still go for a 2M Blue if you have the funds. In my experience the only way to beat IGD and/or upper groove wear is with a microline stylus but admittedly I'm not a pro with alignment though I am going to work on that since I just got a printer at home. I think Ortofon's overall approach to pitch and tone is pretty solid and definitely more forgiving than some other companies.

 

I could just buy the 2M Red (which is already a nice cart) and after its stylus has conked out, just buy a 2M Blue stylus?

 

Wow. Why would you put a Shure M44-7 in a comparison with those other carts? It's kinda like comparing a Chrysler-Fiat in the same group as a Rolls-Royce, Mercedes or BMW.
A Shure M44-7 would fit nicely with the music you play, but a much better choice would be the Shure M97Xe. It would be a better fit with the group of carts you are comparing. I use several different carts depending on what I am playing, but my best all-around cart is the M97Xe. It will faithfully reproduce anything it plays and the best thing is it costs a heck of a lot less than the others in your group. The Shure M44 cart is best suited for commercial type uses. They were used in jukeboxes from the 70's. The conical stylus is best suited for playing the records of the 50's through 70's. You want an elliptical for the audiophile re-issues which we get now.

 

Haha...now you sound like my friend...but seriously the 2M Red is a solid place to start with minimal upfront cost but the 2M Blue stylus alone is $204 on Amazon so it's not that far off from the price of a full 2M Blue cart ($249) and a real sonic upgrade over the Red.

 

After spinnin' vinyl for a couple more hours yesterday on my ORTOFON 2M Red, I continually am amazed at the depth of sound it digs out of my vintage record collection's grooves. The actual records I played were (some in their entirety and some played various tracks):

Fleetwood Mac (1975) (Warm Ways made me just close my eyes and melt my soul with crystal-clear ambiance and Christine's voice)



Reckless-Bryan Adams (The sonics of One Night Love Affair leaped out of my speakers, grabbed me by the collar & shook me as the dynamics thumped me in the chest like being right in the studio. Tone controls flat, BTW)



Dirt, Silver, Gold-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Man-o-man did Ripplin' Water shine!)



Timeless-John Abercrombie (One of ECM Record's best of the 1970's)



Aerial Boundaries-Michael Hedges (Acoustic heaven....)



Isn't it time to quit talkin' round here & get the ORTOFON 2M Red installed? Save the $$$$ and do something constructive with the extra $150, like saving it, or investing the funds into some quality records that will excite you.

Keep us posted on your decision and further experiences...

GT

 

Hi Fi World review of the 2m Red vs Blue

https://system.netsuite.com/core/me...jK2lOqO&cktime=140546&addrcountry=US&gc=clear


Tech Spec chart

https://system.netsuite.com/core/me...jK2lOqO&cktime=140546&addrcountry=US&gc=clear

 

Here's some guidance within the text. The OM is a really nice cart, and there are some upgrade styli choices listed here.

Ortofon OM 5E Phono Cartridge »

 

The 2M Blue is far from ruthlessly revealing. While it is true it is, by a wide margin, more detailed the the Red and the Nag it was compared to in that article. If you want to hear ruthlessly revealing try a fine line AT cartridge. Most fine line cartridges are more revealing then the Blue. The Red also has more problems with IGD on albums that are particularly prone to it. The Blue is a notable improvement but like the OP says, you can swap in a Blue stylus onto the Red body later.

You can still find OM20s out there for just under 200.00 if you look. That might be an option.

 

I am thinking about going down the Ortofon route, but I am still unsure about whether to go down the OM series route or the 2M route. I could also get an OM10 and upgrade the stylus to a 20, couldn't I? Which one is better with getting rid of IGD, separation, and bringing liveliness to worn albums? I would have went for the 440MLb, but it's just way too bright for my liking, despite having all I'm looking for in a cart, but it's just too expensive as well.

 

Also, after reading what @Gramps Tom sent me links to, wouldn't the 2M Red be better for less than perfect records?

 

How can you call this ugly??

 

Ortofon 2M series.