My setup: Pioneer PL 518, factory tone arm etc. Adcom amp and tuner Vandersteen speakers Currently running a Grace FL 9 cart but i think its finally run its course. Thinking about an Ortofon bronze but wanted to see if there were any other recs out there for something in the $300 - $450 price range. Thanks for any suggestions!
Huge recommendation for this or the VM740ML which I have. The one caveat is it requires a low capacitance setup (TT to phono preamp cable and phono preamp input capacitance ~100pF or lower).
I’m running an AT150SA on my ProJect table - older line of AT cartridges but they are still around and can be had in your budget. Awesome cartridge. I see the Nagaoka 200 mentioned a lot at this price point as well, might be worth checking out. I’ve read really good things about the Hana cartridges too - the EH should work without a SUT or headamp and is just over your price range, might also be worth considering.
The AT will have a fairly bright sound in your rig. The Ortofon Bronze is my pick of the two. A Dynavector 10x5 is an even warmer option. -Bill
Because I've owned or at least had extensive opportunity to listen to a lot of AT cartridges and Adcom preamps. I owned his preamp briefly, years ago. I have also installed a lot of Ortofon cartridges as well as others. I just installed a 2m Bronze yesterday. -Bill
If I had a Grace f9 I'd be looking into this rather than a new cartridge: Grace F9 Replacement Stylus | Soundsmith
Bought the MP-200, can't give a review yet, but they have one left. $300 great deal ! NAGAOKA MP-200 STEREO CARTRIDGE FROM JAPAN w/ TRACKING FREE SHIPPING | eBay Just noticed they have 10$ off code "TAKETEN" .. this can be had for $286 .. wished I used it.
I think you got me wrong. I'm not asking why you're saying that. I assumed it was due to your experience. I'm asking why it would sound fairly bright. Capacitance perhaps? The new VM series seem to be less bright and less sensitive to capacitance comparing to other AT MMs, at least according to some reviews. What are the reasons why it would sound bright with that system?
Very cool, i'm not much of a technical person so don't trust myself to install it. All four of those listed would fit in my current Grace cart?
I would contact Soundsmith to be sure. Changing the stylus should be pretty easy. Or you could send the cart to them and let them do it for you.
I had a Grace F9 Ruby Red 6-7 years ago and had Soundsmith retip it. It was worth it. Prior to the Grace, I owned a 2M Bronze. To me, the Grace was better.
I prefer the 2m Bronze to the Grace F9E myself, but the Grace was very nice. I have used the Grace F9E on both a Grace G-707 arm and a Rega RB250 arm. I just sold a Grace arm a few months ago. It is a bit light for most modern cartridges but I managed to get nice sound from it still from a DV cartridge. The 2m Bronze has better tracking than the OP's cartridge and is a better compliance fit for the OP's tonearm. Overall, it'll deliver lower distortion and wider bandwidth. The Grace had great midrange, but the Ortofon will expand upon that. -Bill