I'm sure I am overthinking it Turntable is staying for now, cartridge is staying for now, but my phono stage, I'm going to play around with a little more. Nothing over the top, set a budget of about $400. If/when the Uturn gives me any issues or I don't like what I'm hearing, then I'll upgrade.
Actually I find buying (and playing!) new vinyl more fun than buying nuanced hifi gear. Well, if I had a bigger budget, that would be a tough call. But buying some new guitar gear today was fun, something that has been ignored a bit with the hifi bug.
I know the feeling. I settled down with my system for the moment and started spending in my drum kit instead.
Cyclone, how would you compare an Ortofon 2m blue and an AT VM540ml, those are both in the same price range $200-250?
That's the cart I was going to get on the Mk7 before I cancelled my order. Once I got a RCM, I've had ZERO issues with any tracking, IGD etc on my 2m blue. I also slightly adjusted the tracking, but I give most of the credit to a good rcm that just makes playing records a joy.
I like the Blue, which I find to be pleasing/easy to listen to and pretty well-balanced. It has good detail without sounding 'etched' or fatiguing. It seems to do everything 'pretty good' (though nothing great), except for the high treble, which is rolled off. Pretty good all-arounder, and a lot better than the Red. For the AT, I haven't heard the VM540ML near as much as its predecessor, the 440MLb... which I did not like. The 440 apparently was just a cheapie AT cart in all ways except for its microline stylus, and it definitely proved that simply slapping an advanced-shape stylus onto an otherwise mediocre cart (coils, magnet, suspension, body, etc) is not a magic bullet. The 440 had atrocious balance, with a very-tipped up treble providing a lot of 'false detail' that the cart couldn't provide in an honest way. It sounds good for the first couple of minutes, and then you start to notice that everything is lacking in real detail, and that vocals and instruments sound strangely flat and uninvolving. It makes music sound bright and one-dimensional. The 540ML, in the (caveat) limited listening I've had of it, seems to solve a lot of those problems, i.e. perhaps AT heard the criticisms. The balance seems considerably better, and it's a lot more enjoyable and natural to listen to than the 440 ever was. I wonder if there's a tiny bit of midrange suckout still, but overall, I think it, like the Blue, is pretty good, and you definitely would not be hating life with either one. Would still take a Nagaoka MP150 over either, though. .
I'm thinking around $500-$600. Prefer a neutral sound I guess? Not really sure, tbh. I just like a pure sound. My last cart was a Zephyr on a VPI Classic and I loved the sound of that.
Whoa, you had a Classic and a Zephyr, and now you're wondering what to pair with a Mk7? Is this a second system, or are you coming back to vinyl?? (oh, and I haven't heard a Zephyr or Classic, sorry). For good $500-600 carts w/a Mk7, I'm gonna assume the Mk7 sounds a lot like the Mk2/3/5, i.e. it provides a 'clean', detailed-sounding platform. So, I wouldn't go with an extremely analytical cart (2M Black?), rather, something neutral to a bit romantic/musical. Lots of good contenders, though maybe I'd go up a hair on your budget, given what you've had before... the Goldring 2500, Nagaoka MP-300 or MP-500 (500 is a bit more analytical, but possibly less musical), and Zu Denon 103/103R (MC) would be my faves, but there's a LOT of good competition at or near your price range. Try not to fall into 'paralysis by analysis'. Happy Hunting. Tell us how it goes. .
It’s still quite musical, but a bit less so than other Nagas, IMO. Or put another way, you tend to notice its other strengths a bit more. .
I know enough about cartridges to know they sound different, some track better than others, and some pick up more detail than others. That's the rub, since they do sound different, the inclination is to wonder if the cartridge bought could be bettered by a more expensive one. I don't have the discretionary income to experiment with carts to make that determination but I have not had the desire to experiment since my Shure V15V-MR fitted with a JICO SAS Boron seems to deliver a performance exceeding my expectations in all parameters: tracking, detail, and pleasing sound from all genres of music. The point being, buying a cartridge today is a convoluted process which does not have universally accepted conclusions about what's best.
If anyone is interested, there are finally some generic 15% off Guitar Center coupons that should apply. They will not work if trying to buy online unless you start a chat (will automatically prompt chat when trying to apply) but rep said it should work in store and he was wanting me to purchase right then and there. I told him I was just verifying that the coupon would work and I was going to purchase at a local store to avoid shipping.
You don’t even need a coupon. At the Guitar Center I went to the cashier said, we can give you 15% off of that. It’s a special order, none on location, and would only be 3-5 business days to store. He laughed and said No when I asked if they would ever have one in store
Yeah, it looks like the store that had it in stock most recently in Austin is now out of stock. The closest store that actually has one in store is Houston.
If you can swing it buy it. I really like mine. At least you know you are getting a quality product when you spend the money. I am lucky I live about 3 miles from Guitar Center. From what I see they don't really carry many turntables in the store most of them are shipped to your house or ship to store, which I like. Mine does have a used MK 2 on sale however.
Weird, so did mine. They wanted $450 for the Mk2, but the plinth was pretty beat up. Looked like DJ used
The one I saw looked pretty clean. Wanted $432. I have a really scratched up DJ model from a pawn shop which was about $150. Paid $300 for a whole new tonearm assembly and it works great. I don’t think it will die lol. The only thing is that screw by the power switch that holds the plinth to the rubber base (front left side) is stripped but for home use it is not an issue. The good thing about the 1200 is that there are after market DJ repair places on line that sell parts and make repairs. I think that in general a basket case 1200 usually just needs a new tonearm because the motors tend to last.
Coming back to vinyl. Looking for something less fancy this time around. I had a Nagaoka MP-something on my old Rega P1 and it was great. Might look into getting another one from them.