Cartridge recommendation in the $300-$400 range?

I repaired some cable problems on my friend’s Thorens turntable (hum caused by incorrect ground wiring and the photo cables being tangled up with a bunch of power cords). That part was pretty straight ahead but his stylus is shot (massive distortion) and he’d like to replace the entire cartridge.

I haven’t shopped for a photo cartridge in decades and am not sure where to start. He wants to go with a moving magnet type and would like to spend around $300-$400. If the stylus on the new cartridge is easily replaceable so he can do it himself in the future, that would be a plus. Overall his system is a little on the bright side, so a cartridge that is a little more warm than bright might be helpful.

I’d like to give him a few candidates, and then he’ll read reviews and decide which one seems best. I’ll install and adjust it. His TT has a Grace arm and head shell. He has a collection of older LP’s and is an occasional vinyl listener

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

In USD300-400 range cartridges, we have so many choices in good MM ( in France we are lucky, I don't know in Thailand though ).
Just to begin with brands like Audiotechnica, Ortofon, Goldring, Grado, and so on.

I use happily AT VM520EB (Moving Magnet Cartridges | Phono Cartridges Singapore - Audio-Technica (S.E.A.) )
Ortofon 2M ( Ortofon HiFi phono cartridges

 

What is the effective mass of the toenarm? What is the input capacitance of the phono preamp? What cartridge does this person have now? It may be possible to get a replacement stylus. Need more info .

 

P3ESRXD, thanks for the ideas. I'll check them out. My friend is in the U.S. and I am there now also.

patient_ot, he has a G.A.S. Thaedra preamp but I can't find detailed specs anywhere. I have a capacitance meter, so I can probably just measure it myself next time I'm over there, but it might be a week or so. He has an Ortofon MM cartridge now but doesn't want to keep it, even if the stylus can be replaced. I don't know the effective mass of the Grace tonearm and am not sure how to find that spec because I don't see any model number on the arm. Sorry I don't have better answers at the moment.

 

Depending on music style, I use after learning to know their behaviors many cartridges.
still learning everyday.

My simplified rule of thumb...
With classical solo or small group, I'd use MC cartridges, AT 33PTG/II, Ortofon Quintet Blue, Hana SL, Lyra Delos this last one shines on large group Classical.
With modern music, MM cartridges are great for me, I use Grado, Goldring, AT, Ortofon, Shure.

Arnaud

 

For a warm sound, I would suggest a Grado, such as the Prestige Gold3. The Grados are not sensitive to load capacitance, so that may be an advantage, but they do come with other baggage - they hum (faintly) on some turntables and also I don't think the styli are particularly easy to replace.

Another suggestion for a warm sound is a Sumiko. I have the Olympia which is quite nice but this is under budget, so the Moonstone may be the one to go for. Sumiko advise a low load capacitance though.

For warmth, you should probably avoid Audio Technica and Ortofon, although the Ortofon OM30 is fairly warm (but not the Super-OM30).

None of the above suggestions would be suitable for a high-mass arm.

 

Maybe try to get some pics of the arm and other gear when you get a chance and post them here.

 

OM40 Ortofon

 

A little under $300 VM540ML. In your price range VM740ML. Compare here:

The technical similarity between the Audio-Technica VM740ML and the smaller 540ML is great - it's just the same needle slot with the elaborate and comparatively sharp MicroLine cut. All the more astonishing is the discernible sound difference. The 740 is the cultured, unobtrusive variant to the livelier 540. There are certainly some situations in which the more restrained gameplay of the 740s is the better alternative. But with linear chains - and with a largely neutral room acoustics - we definitely have to recommend the VM540ML."

Here is a link to the test and the graphs. It is just to enable Google translate:
Test Audio-Technica VM740ML: die noble Art zu Hören - LowBeats

 

Given the OPs request for a cart on the warmer side, the SH variant might be a better fit.
Capacitance and the arms effective mass are pretty important factors to consider and are not yet known.

 

Ya know, I've heard some say that before, but if you look at the response plots, below from the Dec 2017 Hi-Fi World test of the three, there doesn't really look to be any difference between the ML and SH, surely not enough to warrant calling one warmer than the other, but maybe something else is going on?

In any case, I don't think the OP's friend is looking for the AT sound, I don't think many people would describe it as even a little warm, except on maybe the VM95 series.

 

I have to admit my post was rather lazy, I don't even own a SH, I just have anecdotal memory of people remarking that the Shibata is not as tipped up as the ML.
Their plots do look similar, as you say maybe something else is going on?
I guess my better thought on the matter is to avoid Grado -they really are a bear to replace the stylus on, typically the one coming out gets wrecked.

Edit: Maybe the Goldring 1042 would be good, it has a very nice sound and the compliance is not as high as earlier iterations were (apparently they changed the compliance a few years ago), it has replaceable styli and the last time I checked can be had for under $400 (you have to look around-maybe Thakker?). The bonus here would be that if times are tight you can replace with the cheaper 1012 or 1022 tips.

 

Well, the reviewer tended to like the SH best too, though not because it was warmer, he just felt it was slightly better balanced than the ML. The SLC is obviously brighter, that easy to see on the plots. But I never know for sure what to make of these stylus shape comparison listening tests, there is so much potential for variation in stylus assemblies, would two samples of the SH even sound the same? I've seen another comparison of the same stylus assembles where the panel by far preferred the SLC.

Part of the text from the Dec 2017 Hi-Fi World review below..

Of the three, the 750SH ultimately struck the best balance I felt. It has less bite and top end presence than the 760SLC but wasn’t less insightful. I heard no smearing or softening, just a slightly easier delivery with a less forceful top end. The de-emphasis of highs allowed lows to make their presence better known; my ear being less distracted. Bass lines now caught my attention, sounding firm and tight, if not large and fulsome. And what of the VM740ML, the cheapy of the group? It had all the basic goodness of its more expensive stablemates but with the very merest trifle of a little softness, affecting delineation between instruments on the soundstage and events in the time domain. But this hardly mattered and was in some ways a salve; the 740ML was the easiest of the three, yet still far ahead in its resolution of high-frequency information than a typical moving magnet cartridge. I can recommend it as ‘best value’, because the price difference hardly reflects its small loss of quality against the 750SH and 760SLC.

And the conclusion ...
They track well, produce far less distortion than all rivals and sound sparklingly clean, clear and forthright. Differences between them are, surprisingly, minimal – being only tip profile, which in use introduces subtle sound quality differences best spotted by aficionados. That makes the least expensive ’740ML easily best value. The ’750SH had a tad more ability and would be my choice, whilst the ’760SLC is more for those that want its top end brightness – but it doesn't justify its price differential.

 

I can see why, my OC9XSL is truly exceptional I can honestly say after having put about 140 hrs on it. In the Tone Poet thread there was a huge discussion about a hot cut (Andrew Hill's Passing Ships) where a certain passage caused drum (I think) distortion, so I listened intently to that section and had no issues whatsoever.
It was eventually determined to just be a hot cut and the SLC sailed right through it.

I don't really get this at all, but again I'm using the OC9 version and not the 760, it is just well balanced and not bright at all. It also has a Boron cantilever so maybe that also plays a part.

 

I use a 750SH on my basement system, and also turn it into a 740ML by swapping the stylus from time to time. It runs on a Moth 220 arm, and also a Technics SL-1500c. I have not used it as a 760 (I'm dying too, but not really wanting to spend the cash on it.....yet).

I'd agree with the reviewer with liking the 750 a tad more. But I'd question the graphs. On both arms, the 750 presents itself in a much warmer sound than the 740 does. A bit fuller through the low midrange, and a tad less peaky up top. Both are unquestionably nice cartridges, but the 750SH in my system (!) is quite a deal for it's price.

Also agree with those that suggest a Grado Gold. If it doesn't hum, it might be a nice cartridge for a somewhat bright system.

 

I don't think the OC9 versions are directly comparable to the same extent, there is a lot more going on than just the stylus shapes, moreso than in the 700 series.

 

Nagaoka MP-150. A great cartridge for the money.

 

Goldring 1042.

 

AT750SH and Sumiko Moonstone would be my top choices.

 

I like and use Ortofon. They make cartridges in many different price ranges. They are dynamic, punchy, and clear in their lower end products and become more refined as you go up in price.

 

Another vote for the AT750SH. I run one on a Thorens TT and it gets as much play, if not more, than my much higher priced MCs on other tables. A great cartridge that sounds wonderful on everything I throw at it.

 

Agreed. It has MC detail and light touch without sounding dainty and precious.

 

Another option for smooth non-bright is Nagaoka MP-200. I do not believe the MP-150 is enough cartridge and MP-110 is so ordinary and boring (VM540ML kills it). MP-200 is $35 above your budget on sale at Amazon.

 

I've had my eye on the MP200 for a while. Sounds like it's a huge jump up from the 110? I like the warmth of the 110, but I agree it's a bit uninteresting/flat sounding.

 

MP-200 is in a completely different league vs the MP-110.