[joaor100]

So far the best I had was (still is) a linn troika retipped by VDH.
Close second was a goldring elite.

[sktn77a]

My first 3 cartridges were Shures (M3D, M75E and V15/III).  OK but nothing to write home about.  My next two cartridges were a Denon DL103D and Linn Asaka.  Both were fabulous cartridges - I only replaced them because they wore out.  Since then I've had Lyras (Argo and Argo i).  Excellent cartridges but a little on the analytical (as opposed to euphonic) side.  I would get a Koetsu if they weren't so darned expensive!

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Ortofon Red- bright, grainy, noisy but lively.

Ortofon Blue-similar sound to the Red but smoother and more detailed. Still bright sounding.

Nagaoka MP-200- Musical, slightly warm, detailed, deep punchy bass.  Somewhat forgiving of poor recordings.  Has good tone and texture.  Has a lush midrange.  Needs 30 hours to break in.  The first 10 hours are pretty rough.

Nagaoka MP-150- Similar to the MP-200, maybe not as much detail.  It  is  somewhat warmer and a little more forgiving of bright  recordings.  A great cartridge for a semi low budget cartridge.  Needs break in like the MP-200.

[jrtrent]

Interesting thread to read.  I've had several cartridges over the years that I liked tremendously, ones I would have been happy to use the rest of my life had they not been discontinued.  They've been turntable-specific:

For my LP12/Ittok, I would include the Stanton 981LZ Mk IIs, but also the cheaper 681EEE Mk III.  The LP12 made everything sound at least good, and I used a Shure M97xE when Stanton stopped supporting the 681, but the Stantons were my favorites on the Linn.

On a Well Tempered Record Player, my favorite turned out to be the Grado Statement Platinum1 running through Grado's own phono stage (PH-1).  Sadly, both phono stage and cartridge are gone.  The new Platinum3 Timbre series might be good, too, but I haven't heard one, and it's quite different from the previous model in being both physically heavier and tracking heavier.  Besides, I no longer own the WTRP, so lack a really good platform for Grados.

On a Rega RP3, I fell in love with the Shure M97xE, liking it more on this 'table than I did on the LP12.  I had planned on just buying new styli for that cartridge until I was in my grave, but since its discontinuation I haven't yet found a comparably-perfect match for my Rega among the cartridges I've tried.

A surprisingly good match at a budget level has been the AT-LP120XUSB turntable (that I bought mainly for 78's) matched with the Sumiko Oyster cartridge (the entry-level $79 model).  The stock AT-VM95 body on a separate headshell has been kept for 78's, but the Oyster that I happened to have in a drawer (after limited use on the RP3 six years ago) proved to significantly increase my pleasure with lp's on the LP120XUSB.  I can listen to this cheap combination for hours on end, record after record, and always with eager anticipation of the next album to be played.  Pretty cheap entertainment with those $39 replacement styli (which will hopefully continue to be available!).

[findog3103]

Has anyone used the Zu Audio Denon 103?

I have. Good cart, works well with all of my turntables at one time or another - PLX-1000, VPI Traveler, VPI Prime. Not as detailed and punchy as the Ortofon Bronze Cadenza, but a lot cheaper.

[Audiosaurusrex]

Umami Red, Could not pass on this deal.

[forky]

Umami Red, Could not pass on this deal.

How do you like it? I just ordered one tonight.

I have a Dynavector 20x2 that is very good but not great.

I bought a used VDH Crimson about 5-6 weeks ago and that cartridge is fantastic, incredible to my ears.  But....I had a mishap here a few days ago and the cantilever is gone.  I'll be shipping it to AJ on Saturday but will probably be gone for 6 weeks.

I decided I can't go that long without hearing a cart at or near it's level so I purchased a Umami Red today with 15% off from Upscale (bought the last one).

Will be interesting to see how it compares to the Crimson. Will be selling the Dynavector as soon as I get around to it.

[jtsnead]

Well this is the new tech from DS Audio the DS 003 optical cartridge system very promising the first night, also trying the Ionizer

[RonP]

Well this is the new tech from DS Audio the DS 003 optical cartridge system very promising the first night, also trying the Ionizer

please keep us posted on it's performance

[jsaliga]

Lol, I forgot that I posted in this thread in 2009!  So here are some updates:

Lyra Delos - Probably my favorite cartridge.  It could retrieve gobs of detail without coming off stodgy and overly analytic.  I bought it with a Nottingham Analog Space 294 turntable that had a Ace Space 12" tonearm on it.  This may well have been the best sounding vinyl rig I have ever owned.

Audio-Technica AT-OC9/III - Probably gets laughed out of audiophile circles but this cartridge punches way above its $539 price point.  Used one on a Pioneer PLX-1000 and then a Technics SL-1200.  The AT-OC9/III has been discontinued and replaced by a pair of carts that cost a few hundred dollars more.  I have no idea how they sound.

Ortofon Quintet Black - I thought it was a decent cartridge but nothing to write home about.  I actually preferred the AT-OC9/III at about half the price.

There are a few cartridges that I would love to try, but I doubt I will ever get around to trying them all:

Grado Timbre Series Reference 3
Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua
Lyra Kleos
Soundsmith The Voice

These are all expensive cartridges and my desire to blow thousands of dollars on a phono cartridge isn't what it used to be.  I certainly have no interest in spending about $11,000 on four phono cartridges.  The Lyra Kleos is probably the only cartridge of the four that has any realistic chance of landing on my turntable. 

I have a Rega P10 with a Rega Apheta 3 mc phono cartridge on order that should be here by the end off next week.  I will share my thoughts about that cartridge once I have settled in with it.  I would have bought the P10 with a Lyra Kleos but Rega was offering a bundle deal for the P10 turntable plus the Apheta 3 cartridge with a $1,000 discount.  So I took it.

--Jerome

[jtsnead]

Love the P10 I was seriously thinking about getting one until I went down the direct drive route. I like it's simplicity and coming from a big heavy high end belt drive I wanted ease of use and more accuracy. My friend and moderator on my DS Audio FB group has the P8 with the DS 003 you might want to consider that combo

[jsaliga]

Thanks for the suggestion but the P10 + Apheta 3 combo is already on order.  Ironically, I seriously considered the Technics SL-1200g but in the end chose the P10.  While the P8 is a great turntable I very much wanted the tighter tolerances of the P10 and the RB3000 tone arm.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

The P10 didn't work out so well.  I think there was a problem with the cartridge that was making a very odd noise that the distributor and vendor couldn't figure out so they said to return it.  I am now waiting on a VPI Prime Signature 21 in Rosewood with a fatboy gimbal 10" tonearm.  Should have it by the end of next week, so we will see where that goes.  I will be using a EAT Jo No. 8 MC cartridge with it.

--Jerome

[Dishman442]

Did I miss anyone talking about Hana cartridges?  Low output MC preferably, but I’ll take what I can get!

[Opus Flatus]

Been dabbling with vinyl over the last few years. I am slowly turning towards more expensive MC Carts - thinking about either a ZYX Bloom3, Goldring Ethos, or Hana ML, maybe a Lyra Kleos. Can't see spending more than that, I can buy and enjoy a lot of vinyl for those prices.

1. Denon DL-301 mk2 (loaded at 1000 ohm): Lively, punchy, balanced, extended, smooth cartridge, great tracker. Reaches much more information off the grooves than my other carts. To me, this is an extremely satisfying setup in my system (SL-1210GR, iphono3, Inspire 2030 pre, NAKSA 80, and GR NX Studios)
2. Denon DL-160 (High Output MC): My first MC cart; similar attributes as above but slightly less articulate. That said I still like this cartridge a lot and it's a shame it was discontinued. Sounds much better than the vaunted DL-103R. I haven't heard the 103D which with its non-conical stylus, probably sings.
3. Grado Opus 3 (High Output MI): Deep, rich, full sound, solid bass, and a great value for the money.
4. Soundsmith SMM3 (HO MI): My first MI Cartridge - haven't heard it in a while and on an old B&O RX2 turntable. It wasn't offensive and sounded very balanced. I am going to give it a try on my 1210 with Sounsmiths adapter headshell.
5. Sumiko Moonstone (MM) Came preinstalled on my Pro-Ject X2 turntable. I like this cartridge a lot - it's balanced with nice detail, excellent pace, and rhythm.
6 Ortophon 2M Blue and AT VM95SH (MM): Good value, great soundstage, balanced, and fairly detailed, slightly thinner in sound compared to the Moonstone. Definitely lives up to the hype MM. I give a slight edge to the AT 95 in detail, might be more forward in soundstage.
7. Ortofon OM-40 (MM) Many love this cartridge and it's pricey for an MM; it doesn't do it for me though. Seems detailed but thin. It's OK. Listened to this on an Orbit + Turntable. I gave it to my daughter: The 2M blue sounds much better on the Orbit + IHHO.

Hopefully, more can add to this interesting thread.

[Rover]

Hello, I am using Audio-Technica AT-440. Better than the worn out original Technics

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Ortophon 2m Red- Punchy bass and dynamics, but too bright and grainy.  It is overrated.  The 2m Blue is smoother.  Both have thinner sound than the Nagaoka's below.

Nagaoka MP 150- Warm, punchy bass, good dynamics.  Very good midrange and top end.

Nagaoka MP 200- Warm, punchy bass and good dynamics, similar to the MP-150 but smoother and better midrange and top end.

The 150 and 200 sound similar but the 200 is better.  Both need 30 hours of break in.  They sound like crap the first 10 to 20 hours.  Both are somewhat forgiving of poor recordings.

[Wayner]

I have currently 10 tables and use 3 cartridges among them. My Empire 598 boasts a JICO N95HE SAS stylus in its M95HE body. The empire has never sounded so musical. Then in most of my other decks, I use a hybrid combination, body is the old AT440MLa and stylus is the Shibata ATN150Sa. The detail retrieval from this combo is remarkable. The last configuration is again the AT440MLa with a ATN150MLX. This combo is darker then the other AT hybrid, could be the table, but I doubt it. The 150 stylus is so expensive now (like over $600), that when its gone, its gone and I will move to the new replacement line from Audio Technica.

I have other cartridges sitting in drawers, but only the AT95B is worthy of any mention. A great performer for $50.

Wayner

[Zuman]

I'm really surprised that no one here has mentioned the mm Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood, which became famous after Bob Reina of Stereophile reviewed it back in 2002 and summed it up with this:
"Did the performance of the Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood exceed my expectations?
Yes, by a significant margin.
Can I think of any under-$1000 cartridge I've tried in my system that I would rather own than the Virtuoso Wood?
No.
Can I find at least one criticism of the Virtuoso Wood?
No. The performance of the Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood was so ear-opening that I recommend that anyone thinking of spending up to $2500 on a moving-coil cartridge consider buying the $750 Wood instead, and investing the money saved in better components elsewhere in the system."
I still have one (with maybe 200 hours on it) and I use it about once  a week.
It's very smooth, with no extremes in any area. Even after all these years, it's great at revealing textures, with breaths and bow-sounds clearly reproduced, and as such it's a wonderful combination of depth and detail (with the audiophile attributes that get us excited, yet with an overall musicality). It's great for small jazz combos and singers like Holly Cole, etc. I hope I can nurse it for many years to come.

[Rocket]

Hello,

I'm a journeyman I guess with my vinyl. I've had more turntables than cartridges... I had a Technics SL1200GR and it was a tight race between it and the Bryston BLP 1 turntable. Neither turntables had expensive cartridges one used an ortolan 2m bronze and the other an Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH. I thought the AT was a great sounding cartridge for the price.  I heard my friends Denon DP1200 direct drive turntable which had an Ortofon Quintet Black Cartridge.Its the best cartridge I've heard although I haven't been exposed to high end one's. I do know a good setup is a must and I take my turntablees to Mike at Liquid Audio here in Perth, Western Australia.

In December 2022 I decided to spend a heap on a turntable and I bought a Technics sl1200G with a goldring 1012gx cartridge. I quite like it and my vinyl performs the best with this cartridge. I'd like to get a really good quality cartridge at some stage.

Cheers Rod