Suggest warm mm cartridges

Hi. Im new to this site and to vinyl collecting. I started collecting one year ago. I have an entry level tt by uturn orbit, one day i hope to have a vpi. The cart on my table is the Grado black. I think it sounds good but i want to upgrade, like i said i have had this table for one year now. My amp is the Onkyo A-9010 and my speakers are also by onkyo. I got the skf-4800. I started off with the Rolls vp29 and some old Creative labs computer speakers. Id say my sytem is coming along now. I am looking for a mm cartridge that produces warm detailed sound with nice tight punchy bass. I mostly listen to rock music but am starting to venture into jazz. I listen to loads of Grateful dead, Leonard Cohen, Cocteau Twins, alternative music. Yes, i do have a budget. I would like to remain within $200. I hope to hear from you guys and your suggestions.

 

Ortofon 2M Red
Ortofon OM DJ S
Shure M97xe
Stanton/Pickering cartridges

 

I think these old cartrgs , with their compliance

• Shure 95 ED 30 good for light arm

• Shure 97 XE 25 good for light arm

• Stanton 681 EE 22

• Shure 75 ED 20

 

Upgrade your Grado Black with an 8MZ stylus.
Grado Black With 8MZ Stylus | Audiokarma Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums »

 

Grado wood body Reference Platinum. $350 I know its more than your budget but you wont be sorry.

 

Nagaoka MP110

 

Budget MM manufacturer 'house signatures' based on my experience:

Shure, Nagaoka & Goldring - warmer, which can sometimes be less 'exciting' on initial listen.
Ortofon & Audio Technica - more neutral sounding with a tendency toward brightness if not set up accurately.

All are generalisations of course, higher end cartridges with more exotic stylus shapes have cleaner, deeper bass & sweeter treble.

 

Audio Technica AT 7V. It needs a medium weight arm. A bit of an outlier for AT, a little warmer, silkier.

 

I'd caution that Stanton moving iron cartridges are "warm-ish" (eg. Stanton 681EEE). If one grabs a Stanton moving magnet cartridge (eg. 881S or 890 series), I don't think one would find them "warm", rather detailed, in a good way; but, not "warm". IIRC Pickering has equivalents to it's Stanton brethren.

 

For $150 from The Needle Doctor, this seems like a no brainer to me.

 

+1. Problem solved. End of discussion!

 

Next up:

World peace.

 

Nagaoka MP110 or MP200 for better resolution.....The 110 is a bit warmer, both track like a panther in the night.

 

What a fabulous turn of phrase. Absolute love it

 

+2 on the 8MZ upgrade for your Grado Black. It made a WORLD of difference

 

+2 on the 8MZ upgrade for your Grado Black. It made a WORLD of difference to my Green. Let us know what you think.

 

You might want to consider something like a Goldring 1012GX or the 1042GX. A little too cosy for my tastes but I prefer a slightly clearer sound.

 

Never heard a warm Ortofon moving magnet cartridge. Stanton made a couple warm cartridges. So did Pickering. The majority of them were neutral or bright. Shure M97xE, yes. Warm cartridge.

 

These are not warm cartridges. They have up-tilted highs.

 

Also not a warm cartridge.

 

Shure M75ED Type 2 approaches warm. M97xE is fairly warm. M95ED, not at all. Same with Stanton 681 EE.

 

And make it less warm? How is that a solution?

 

A few common modern cartridges in your price range that are warm and/or warmish:
Shure M97xE (try w/ N35X stylus)
Shure SC35C w/ N35X stylus
Sumiko Pearl/Black Pearl
Pickering 625 DJ

A few common vintage cartridges in your price range that are warm or warmish:
Pickering V15 (original beige or sky blue body)
Shure M7D (early version with flat pins)
Empire EXL 20 (with conical stylus)
Shure M44 (original white body version) w/ N44G stylus

The darkest/fullest/richest/boldest/warmest sounding cartridge ever made was the Stanton 380/Pickering U38. The downside is that they don't track very well, but I'm very picky about that. Many people are extremely happy with this cartridge. It will also accept Pickering V15 styli. It looks a little funny, but they do work, make the sound even smoother, and tracking improves.

There may be truly warm sounding cartridges I don't yet know about. I'm always on the hunt.

 

My vote goes for keeping your current cart, which you seem to be enjoying, and leave the cart upgrade for when you upgrade your TT. But if you HAVE to, and in spite I personally hate ¨warm¨carts :

Shure M97xe