Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

HiFi Guy said:
I was thinking of a Soundsmith model above the budget. The Rega won’t work with those- but will work fine with any of the higher output models (2.12 mV).

Moving magnet cartridges have the highest moving mass. When you can reduce mass, you gain detail.

Moving coil cartridges have lower moving mass. The magnets are stationary and the much lower mass coils are what moves (by being moved by the cantilever). Downside? Think of a coat hanger. Bend it back and forth. Eventually it gets metal stress and breaks. The same thing happens eventually with a moving coil. At that point, it’s dead. It cannot be rebuilt.

A moving iron cartridge (Goldring makes these too) has the lowest moving mass. Soundsmoth calls them “fixed coil”. Same thing. The only thing that moves inside the cartridge body is the cantilever. The magnets and coils are both stationary. You’ll get the most information out of the grooves with these because the cantilever isn’t taxed with moving another subassembly. Goldring, Soundsmith, Grado and Nagaoka all make MI designs. You also get a higher precision device-it’s easier to get one thing (the cantilever) in perfect alignment with the coils than 2 things- either the cantilever/coil or cantilever/magnet assembly. That’s why MI designs tend to have the best stereo separation.
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Awesome thanks for all this info. I didn't know that MCs don't have replaceable stylus. That's a huge thing. I don't think I can realistically go down that road. I could get the Goldring 2500 but I'm not too sure it would show much of a difference over my 2M Black. In shootouts online it seems they are close to a tie most times. I'll have to check out the Soundsmiths.
 
Mather said:
Awesome thanks for all this info. I didn't know that MCs don't have replaceable stylus. That's a huge thing. I don't think I can realistically go down that road. I could get the Goldring 2500 but I'm not too sure it would show much of a difference over my 2M Black. In shootouts online it seems they are close to a tie most times. I'll have to check out the Soundsmiths.
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Soundsmith doesn’t have a user replaceable stylus either. Will your connection let you borrow a 2500?
 
HiFi Guy said:
Soundsmith doesn’t have a user replaceable stylus either. Will your connection let you borrow a 2500?
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Right true but the rebuild cost is fine by me as long as it's available in Canada. I just can't go dropping $1000 + every 1000 hours on a whole new MC cart. I MIGHT be able to demo the 2500? But my connection is with the distributer, not Goldring themselves. Sometimes I can demo, other times not... Worth an ask though. But it looks like there's about 5 Soundsmiths that would work with my Aria. Voice, Aida, Zepher MK III, Carmen MK III and Otello.
 
Mather said:
Right true but the rebuild cost is fine by me as long as it's available in Canada. I just can't go dropping $1000 + every 1000 hours on a whole new MC cart. I MIGHT be able to demo the 2500? But my connection is with the distributer, not Goldring themselves. Sometimes I can demo, other times not... Worth an ask though. But it looks like there's about 5 Soundsmiths that would work with my Aria. Voice, Aida, Zepher MK III, Carmen MK III and Otello.
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You would have to ship the Soundsmith to upstate NY for a rebuild. I was actually thinking the Carmen would be a good choice.
 
HiFi Guy said:
You would have to ship the Soundsmith to upstate NY for a rebuild. I was actually thinking the Carmen would be a good choice.
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Looks like there's one store in Toronto that carries Soundsmiths. So that makes it a bit easier. They also carry Goldring haha
 
Mather said:
Haha yes, the thing is I'm actually really happy with everything right now. I love how everything sounds, but I'm always curious about what else is out there.
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I totally understand. That’s where I am with my system at this point.

I only bought a new cart because the MasterTracker that came with my table was getting up there in hours, and the replacement cost was high enough that I decided to retire it early and check for alternatives. Now I have it as a backup for when I have to rebuild the Soundsmith (which can take a few weeks, I gather).
 
kvetcha said:
I totally understand. That’s where I am with my system at this point.

I only bought a new cart because the MasterTracker that came with my table was getting up there in hours, and the replacement cost was high enough that I decided to retire it early and check for alternatives. Now I have it as a backup for when I have to rebuild the Soundsmith (which can take a few weeks, I gather).
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Nice yeah I've got a brand new Bronze as my backup on the Black. I haven't kept track of my hours but I've got quite a while to go.
 
Anyone have or have used the Nagaoka MP 150? I’ve been using the 110 and I’m sure I need to get a new stylus for that but was curious how much of an upgrade the 150 is.
 
Ginormousthumbs said:
Anyone have or have used the Nagaoka MP 150? I’ve been using the 110 and I’m sure I need to get a new stylus for that but was curious how much of an upgrade the 150 is.
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According to this shootout review, you might want to consider either an MP-200 for a little more $ or a Grado Silver, which is comparable to the MP-150 but costs less.
 
dansomeone said:
Also @Ginormousthumbs that review is of a Silver1. The current version is the Silver3, which is likely a much better cartridge.
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Thanks! The 110 is the second cart that I’ve had on my table not counting the original Pioneer cart that came with it when I bought the table. I went from that to the AT-95e, which was ok, to the 110, which I love. So I guess anything I buy next will be an improvement. The only other cart that I’ve heard consistently is the 2M Red.
 
Ginormousthumbs said:
Thanks! The 110 is the second cart that I’ve had on my table not counting the original Pioneer cart that came with it when I bought the table. I went from that to the AT-95e, which was ok, to the 110, which I love. So I guess anything I buy next will be an improvement. The only other cart that I’ve heard consistently is the 2M Red.
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I think you’ll really dig a Grado if you prefer your Nagaoka to the Ortofon. And not to throw a monkey wrench into the decision, but the Gold3 is the top tier performing batch of the Silvers for a few bucks more. Bang for your buck, it’s really hard to top a Grado. Unless your ear really craves that top end excitement of an Ortofon, give one a whirl.
 
Anyone here familiar with PSB Speakers 🔊? They're a Canadian brand of loudspeakers which funny enough I'm only discovering now. They seem to have received a lot of awards and accolades from audiophiles and critics alike. I'm curious to know 🤔 how good their products are. Reason being I could get a pair of Alpha T20 floorstanding speakers which retails for $899 on their website for only $539.99 + tax plus free shipping.
Alpha T20 Tower - PSB Speakers | Speaker, Acoustic design, Filter design
 
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Hollywood said:
Anyone here familiar with PSB Speakers 🔊? They're a Canadian brand of loudspeakers which funny enough I'm only discovering now. They seem to have received a lot of awards and accolades from audiophiles and critics alike. I'm curious to know 🤔 how good their products are. Reason being I could get a pair of Alpha T20 floorstanding speakers which retails for $899 on their website for only $539.99 + tax plus free shipping.
Alpha T20 Tower - PSB Speakers | Speaker, Acoustic design, Filter design
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PSBs are quality speakers, although it’s been years since I’ve heard a pair.
 
Hollywood said:
Anyone here familiar with PSB Speakers 🔊? They're a Canadian brand of loudspeakers which funny enough I'm only discovering now. They seem to have received a lot of awards and accolades from audiophiles and critics alike. I'm curious to know 🤔 how good their products are. Reason being I could get a pair of Alpha T20 floorstanding speakers which retails for $899 on their website for only $539.99 + tax plus free shipping.
Alpha T20 Tower - PSB Speakers | Speaker, Acoustic design, Filter design
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I owned a pair of Alphas about 15 years ago and loved them.
 
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