For years now , I have bought 2nd hand turntables when they come up at affordable prices . Inevitably they come with cartridges , moving magnet or moving iron . I then over time source replacement needles for these ( I normally try different sources , so-as to get variety ).
I have learnt that even the worst MM cart with bonded spherical , can sound fantastic on the right tonearm . I've also learnt that some vintage carts can sound absolutely fantastic with excellent stylus profiles . These days I try acquiring only nude mount styli , whether they be elliptical , hyper-elliptical , fine-line etc. I have many turntables and tonearms , so I can always match the setup to ideal dynamic compliance , either by calculating or by hit and miss , ie try on a number of arms till you find the "One" .
Some of my favourite MM/MI carts are :
1. Empire 1000Z/EX ( various styli aquired from Fleabay , turntableneedles and thevoiceofmusic ) High compliance , likes the lowest eff mass arms and tracks at 1g and under
2. ADC 660XE MI( various styli - various sources ) Med compliance I find , tracking 1.5 - 2g
3. Piezo YM308 MI( various styli - various sources )
4. Audio Technica AT450 p-mount ( nude ellipitical )
Empire 1000Z/EX
Piezo YM308
Audio Technica AT450
Also lots of others that are very good , Audio Technica's AT140 , AT130 , AT120 , AT110 ; Ortofon SME30H , OM30 , VMS20 , FF15XE mk2 , 300 series and more ; various Shures V15 , M95 , M92 , M75 , M70 , M55 , M44 ; Goldring , Grado , JVC - many of these are exceptional carts given good styli . There are many more , but let's move on ....
As you can see , I have quite a vested interest in MM/MI , considering that for many of the individual carts I have up to 5 different styli .
There are many threads on the various "usual suspect" forums debating MC vs MM/MI , go read them and see .
As you can imagine , the MC thing has been biting at the back of my mind for years now , many times I've almost pushed the "buy" button , but hesitated and stopped . I always reckoned that an entry level MC could not stand up to some of the best MM/MI's .
Finally , about a month ago , whilst researching current popular SUT , I left a message for Geary who was at the end of the 3rd group buy for Cinemag CM1254 transformers on diyaudio.com . Geary contacted me and said that a pair of CM1254 were available for purchase . I asked if he perhaps had a 2nd hand MC for sale too ? Yes ! He had a Fidelity Research FR1 Mk2 , re-tipped by Soundsmith with nude fine-line on ruby cantilever with suspension setup medium compliance . Now that sounds alot more interesting than entry-level regular MC !
While waiting and finalizing , something else came up . [member=19995]hope[/member] offered to loan me his Denon DL103R and Llundahl SUT for my 1st experience , what a guy ! Thank you kindly Ian !
The Denon and Llundahl SUT arrived 1st this week , followed shortly by the FR1 mk2 and Cinemags . What a week ! I work 14 hour days Mon-Fri , so let' have the Denon DL103R 1st . Possibly the most popular choice of MC cartridge around the world (the non-R version 1st and then this slightly improved version) .
Just look at my fluffy little cloud of fun received from Ian - I love the packaging !
Yes I have removed as much of the fluff as possible ;D
Llundahl SUT
Denon DL103R specs
I decided to fit the DL103R to a late model oil bearing Garrard 301 and SME S2 effective mass 12g arm , fitted to slightly heavier than SME headshell that allowed forward and backward movement to allow perfect setup . Setup - Stevenson protractor , will print Baerwald later this coming week . First tried Geco MM stage with SUT , and then Creek OBH15 mk2 with integrated headamp . I read various opinions on loading options , including those by Rothwell . Settled on 60dB gain , 100ohm , 1100pF on the Creek without SUT . Other gear is Wim Bouwman 12BH7 pre , Geco T-Rex and 3way DIY speakers .
For now , I'm a bit tired of writing , will fit FR1 next weekend , but a quick summary of impressions with Denon DL103R :
Do I want a Denon DL103R ? Yes ! What a a fun , full sounding , easy-listening cart(musical) . Good solid bass . I want one !
Will I be running out and selling all my MM/MI ? Certainly not ! I love 'em all ;D Besides , re-tipping is not too easy a task here from the southern-most tip of Africa .
I have learnt that even the worst MM cart with bonded spherical , can sound fantastic on the right tonearm . I've also learnt that some vintage carts can sound absolutely fantastic with excellent stylus profiles . These days I try acquiring only nude mount styli , whether they be elliptical , hyper-elliptical , fine-line etc. I have many turntables and tonearms , so I can always match the setup to ideal dynamic compliance , either by calculating or by hit and miss , ie try on a number of arms till you find the "One" .
Some of my favourite MM/MI carts are :
1. Empire 1000Z/EX ( various styli aquired from Fleabay , turntableneedles and thevoiceofmusic ) High compliance , likes the lowest eff mass arms and tracks at 1g and under
2. ADC 660XE MI( various styli - various sources ) Med compliance I find , tracking 1.5 - 2g
3. Piezo YM308 MI( various styli - various sources )
4. Audio Technica AT450 p-mount ( nude ellipitical )
Empire 1000Z/EX
Piezo YM308
Audio Technica AT450
Also lots of others that are very good , Audio Technica's AT140 , AT130 , AT120 , AT110 ; Ortofon SME30H , OM30 , VMS20 , FF15XE mk2 , 300 series and more ; various Shures V15 , M95 , M92 , M75 , M70 , M55 , M44 ; Goldring , Grado , JVC - many of these are exceptional carts given good styli . There are many more , but let's move on ....
As you can see , I have quite a vested interest in MM/MI , considering that for many of the individual carts I have up to 5 different styli .
There are many threads on the various "usual suspect" forums debating MC vs MM/MI , go read them and see .
As you can imagine , the MC thing has been biting at the back of my mind for years now , many times I've almost pushed the "buy" button , but hesitated and stopped . I always reckoned that an entry level MC could not stand up to some of the best MM/MI's .
Finally , about a month ago , whilst researching current popular SUT , I left a message for Geary who was at the end of the 3rd group buy for Cinemag CM1254 transformers on diyaudio.com . Geary contacted me and said that a pair of CM1254 were available for purchase . I asked if he perhaps had a 2nd hand MC for sale too ? Yes ! He had a Fidelity Research FR1 Mk2 , re-tipped by Soundsmith with nude fine-line on ruby cantilever with suspension setup medium compliance . Now that sounds alot more interesting than entry-level regular MC !
While waiting and finalizing , something else came up . [member=19995]hope[/member] offered to loan me his Denon DL103R and Llundahl SUT for my 1st experience , what a guy ! Thank you kindly Ian !
The Denon and Llundahl SUT arrived 1st this week , followed shortly by the FR1 mk2 and Cinemags . What a week ! I work 14 hour days Mon-Fri , so let' have the Denon DL103R 1st . Possibly the most popular choice of MC cartridge around the world (the non-R version 1st and then this slightly improved version) .
Just look at my fluffy little cloud of fun received from Ian - I love the packaging !
Yes I have removed as much of the fluff as possible ;D
Llundahl SUT
Denon DL103R specs
I decided to fit the DL103R to a late model oil bearing Garrard 301 and SME S2 effective mass 12g arm , fitted to slightly heavier than SME headshell that allowed forward and backward movement to allow perfect setup . Setup - Stevenson protractor , will print Baerwald later this coming week . First tried Geco MM stage with SUT , and then Creek OBH15 mk2 with integrated headamp . I read various opinions on loading options , including those by Rothwell . Settled on 60dB gain , 100ohm , 1100pF on the Creek without SUT . Other gear is Wim Bouwman 12BH7 pre , Geco T-Rex and 3way DIY speakers .
For now , I'm a bit tired of writing , will fit FR1 next weekend , but a quick summary of impressions with Denon DL103R :
Do I want a Denon DL103R ? Yes ! What a a fun , full sounding , easy-listening cart(musical) . Good solid bass . I want one !
Will I be running out and selling all my MM/MI ? Certainly not ! I love 'em all ;D Besides , re-tipping is not too easy a task here from the southern-most tip of Africa .
