Phono Cartridges - Your favorites and least favorites?

Angsty said:
Yeah, my Jelco/Nag combo is really too heavy for this arm. I think that is impacting the sound negatively. I’m getting a lighter headshell in this week.
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After a few months, I got around today to actively addressing this issue. I had been listening less to vinyl on the office setup, which may have been due to the listless sound. The MP-300 just sounded flat, which I suspected was due to set-up, not the cartridge.

Rather than replacing the headshell, I simply removed the KAB fluid damper. That did the trick! With less mass and less damping, the MP-300 opened up like a blooming flower. More detail, more delicacy and more distance ahead of the 2M Blue on the PLX-1000.

Whereas the damper seemed to help the 2M Blue, it seemed to hamper the MP-300 in my set up. Now I’m happier with this much more expensive cartridge.

Go figure. I guess not all vinyl tweaks tweak equally well in all circumstances. Could have put the money for the damper and the new headshell towards the MP-300 upgrade instead. Lesson learned.
 
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Hey all.. hope all is well with everyone.

Just wanted to drop a quick note here about some of my cart experiences over the last 3-4 months or so.

My carts are in my signature, and they have all received between 10-30hrs on each deck during the time frame.

At this time, in my systems, my personal favorite has been the Hana SL. Believe the hype. It just does everything right.. bass sounds the most natural and it does voices and highs extremely well. The other carts in order of my personal preference:

2. ART9XI- can't go wrong here either, a VERY close second. The Hana is slightly more "alive" to my ears.
3. Nagaoka MP-500- No chance I'll find a better, new MM cartridge.
4. Shure V15III w/JICO SAS- Boz Skaggs, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, etc just sound so perfect on this cart. I listen to this one just as much as the Hana.
5. Denon DL103R- a great entry into MC carts... classic sound that doesn't disappoint.
6. MoFi UltraTracker- was my least favorite on both decks and has gotten almost no playing time after initial 10hrs on each table. Just "flat" compared to the others in my setup.. I'll get back to it for another listen eventually.

Hope this helps someone down the line.. outside of the UT (as of now), I could honestly live with any two of these for the rest of my time here on earth.
 
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Slimwhit33 said:
Hey all.. hope all is well with everyone.

Just wanted to drop a quick note here about some of my cart experiences over the last 3-4 months or so.

My carts are in my signature, and they have all received between 10-30hrs on each deck during the time frame.

At this time, in my systems, my personal favorite has been the Hana SL. Believe the hype. It just does everything right.. bass sounds the most natural and it does voices and highs extremely well. The other carts in order of my personal preference:

2. ART9XI- can't go wrong here either, a VERY close second. The Hana is slightly more "alive" to my ears.
3. Nagaoka MP-500- No chance I'll find a better, new MM cartridge.
4. Shure V15III w/JICO SAS- Boz Skaggs, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, etc just sound so perfect on this cart. I listen to this one just as much as the Hana.
5. Denon DL103R- a great entry into MC carts... classic sound that doesn't disappoint.
6. MoFi UltraTracker- was my least favorite on both decks and has gotten almost no playing time after initial 10hrs on each table. Just "flat" compared to the others in my setup.. I'll get back to it for another listen eventually.

Hope this helps someone down the line.. outside of the UT (as of now), I could honestly live with any two of these for the rest of my time here on earth.
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I'm on the Hana SL and Nagaoka MP-500 track, too. If the upgrade from MP-300 to MP-500 yields for me what @Slimwhit33 has experienced, I'm likely at my cartridge end-game.

I need a moving magnet cartridge with my integrated amp and the MP-300 is already really damn good. The Hana SL on the VPI is so sublime, I can't see wanting to change it. ...

Unless it's for a Hana ML 😁. But the ML costs $1200 retail, so, no.
 
Angsty said:
Unless it's for a Hana ML 😁. But the ML costs $1200 retail, so, no.
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Well, I did a thing. I found a $50 Hana ML with a missing stylus online and sent it to Steve Leung at VAS to see if he can repair it. It’s worth a roll of the dice if I can get anything close to a factory ML for less than $450. I had been looking for a backup Hana SL when the ML popped up. Steve sells cartridges that he builds himself, so he’s got the skills.
 
kvetcha said:
Just got a call from Mr Ledermann himself saying it appeared I had ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ my Zephyr and letting me know it was next in line to be rebuilt. So, baby should be home soon. Guess I made the right decision to send it in!
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I’ve met him. He is really nice and and one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.
 
HiFi Guy said:
I’ve met him. He is really nice and and one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met.
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I spoke to him briefly at the Capitol Audio Fest a few years ago and got to listen to his Strain Gauge setup. Seemed like a lovely man. I was honestly thrilled to hear him sounding hale on the call, he’s had a couple separate COVID scares.
 
Can anyone comment on the sound profile (?) characteristics of the Soundsmith Otello and the Grado Opus3 (Is there a difference between low and high output versions)? I appreciate the experience of folks here and the honest feedback.

My criteria is $300-400, made in USA so I am open to what other options might be available. Thanks.
 
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