WAAY OT - Audio Cartridge Recommendation

[foto_fool]

Off and on we see threads here suggesting that some rangefinder aficionados also happen to be audiophiles. I am one.

It was bound to happen that my 3-year-old would boy would sooner or later "explore" my turntable, which resulted in his sending the stylus of my Sumiko Blue Point off to the Twilight Zone.

Audiogeeks will know what I mean when I say there are more flavors of audio cartridge than there are M-mount lenses - and that it is possible to spend more on a cartridge than the price of a new M8+Noctilux.

I don't have that kind of disposable income (and I have a bit of sense) so I was determined to spend less on a replacement for the relatively modest Blue Point. Several hours of research later I settled on...

A Denon DL-110 high-output MC cartridge from needledoctor. Mounted it up last night and have been listening since.

All I can say is WOW. The sound may not be to everyone's taste, but it is to mine - and even at less than half the price of the Blue Point I feel it is more than twice the cartirdge.

Anyone else have cartridge stores to tell?

 

[Trius]

I have a Denon 110 on my eBay watch list right now, but I think I'll wait until I bring the table back into the system.

My favourite (I've never had any really high end cartridges) was the ADC XLM Mk II. I crumpled the stylus of the first one, but the store exchanged it saying "Oh, we'll send it back to the distributor; it looks like it was damaged in transit." (Wink) That cart was detailed without being too clinical, and a big step up from my cheapie Grado.