Phono Cartridges - Your favorites and least favorites?

Angsty said:
At 70 μm, the trackability of the cartridge is about average; you could get more mistracking and IGD at inner grooves than a cartridge with higher trackability. You might consider adding 0.1g of VTF to see if that helps.

Here’s a video with some useful hints.



Edit: I realized after looking at the full specs that you are running a Hana SL, which I also have on my office ‘table. I’m using a VPI Traveler and I don’t recall encountering any IGD on a repeated basis. I do run my VTF slightly high, as I recommended, per VPI’s advice. This also reminds me that we should all check VTF periodically, as it’s possible for it to slip over time with many tonearms.
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Yeah I’m not sure if I’m experiencing alignment based IGD. I notice on busy records like say the last song on Hector Lavoe’s Comedia can sound a little bright and crass in the final minute or two but other albums like say Live From The Old Quarter by Townes Van Zandt (VMP press) sound great and well presented all the way through with a smidge of sizzle in louder moments at the end of a side and then other records like an AP press sound phenomenal through and through.

But then I play a record like Julia Jacklin’s Crushing and OH LORD, the last song on each side is unlistenable. I can’t imagine the alignment would be an issue if on some records it’s completely unlistenable and others entirely pleasant. My VTF is running at 2.2g vs the recommended 2.0 for an SL, put it up a lil!

Not sure there’s much I can do about it so im just hanging!
 
And some records just have IGD baked in. It’s also possible that if a well-played record had been previously played with a poorly aligned cartridge that distortion can get etched in.

I think I did this once. I had a nice copy of Art Blakey - Jazz Messengers! that did not sound right when I put it on. Upon examination, I found that my stylus was bent.

Unfortunately, the couple of minutes at the beginning of this record seemed to be damaged and this section never sounded quite right again, even with a new stylus. After the first couple of minutes, all sounds fine again. I’m hoping for a Bernie Grundman re-release!
 
Ghost said:
Yeah I’m not sure if I’m experiencing alignment based IGD. I notice on busy records like say the last song on Hector Lavoe’s Comedia can sound a little bright and crass in the final minute or two but other albums like say Live From The Old Quarter by Townes Van Zandt (VMP press) sound great and well presented all the way through with a smidge of sizzle in louder moments at the end of a side and then other records like an AP press sound phenomenal through and through.

But then I play a record like Julia Jacklin’s Crushing and OH LORD, the last song on each side is unlistenable. I can’t imagine the alignment would be an issue if on some records it’s completely unlistenable and others entirely pleasant. My VTF is running at 2.2g vs the recommended 2.0 for an SL, put it up a lil!

Not sure there’s much I can do about it so im just hanging!
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I think our ears can definitely be more susceptible to certain imperfections of the medium, too - IGD, pitch variance, etc (both 😵‍💫) and it can be helpful to minimize whatever that is in your setup. Not to be a "throw money at the problem" solution, but if you're digging the Hana sound profile, the M would most assuredly cut down on IGD, I would think!

And this is really where lacquer cutting can be make or break, too. Like a staff engineer cutting at a pressing plant is typically not going to be sweating IGD, or even as experienced with minimizing it the way one of the big dawgs does. Then there's also plating, pressing, we all know the lineage. It really just adds up to better product, better listen. Sometimes it's totally out of your system's hands.

Hopefully some of that was helpful and not just chasing its tail!
 
Anyone know of Hi-Fi shops in the UK that ship to the US?

I was thinking of purchasing a Rega Exact cartridge for my turntable. They are $675 USD here in the US (overpriced), but only $370 USD in the UK (after currency conversion). Hell of a markup. I cannot seem to find any UK shops that will ship Rega carts overseas.
 
zdkaiser said:
Anyone know of Hi-Fi shops in the UK that ship to the US?

I was thinking of purchasing a Rega Exact cartridge for my turntable. They are $675 USD here in the US (overpriced), but only $370 USD in the UK (after currency conversion). Hell of a markup. I cannot seem to find any UK shops that will ship Rega carts overseas.
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www.analogueseduction.net are usually very good in that they’ll take the VAT off for export, like all uk shops should, and have fair international shipping rates.

Edit: Sorry, looks like they’re restricted to uk sales for Rega stuff…
 
Angsty said:
At 70 μm, the trackability of the cartridge is about average; you could get more mistracking and IGD at inner grooves than a cartridge with higher trackability. You might consider adding 0.1g of VTF to see if that helps.

Here’s a video with some useful hints.



Edit: I realized after looking at the full specs that you are running a Hana SL, which I also have on my office ‘table. I’m using a VPI Traveler and I don’t recall encountering any IGD on a repeated basis. I do run my VTF slightly high, as I recommended, per VPI’s advice. This also reminds me that we should all check VTF periodically, as it’s possible for it to slip over time with many tonearms.
Click to expand...

Of course, after saying last week that I don’t recall IGD with the Traveler/Hana combo, I put on “The Witch Doctor” by Art Blakey today and … damn!
 
Joe Mac said:
The AT OC9XML is a very talented cartridge indeed. It’s very close to the Hana SL it replaced. If I was to pick the minute differences I might say that I prefer the tone of the Hana but there really is very little between the two.
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I’ve become a huge fan of Shibatas. I’m wondering if the Shibata A/T might be a wash compared to the Hana.

Yes, according to A/T the ML lasts longer. And the ML doesn’t degrade sound wise during use. It goes from fine to shot. No in between.

Also, I have to thing that cleaning one’s records ultrasonically will extend stylus life regardless of stylus profile.
 
HiFi Guy said:
I’ve become a huge fan of Shibatas. I’m wondering if the Shibata A/T might be a wash compared to the Hana.

Yes, according to A/T the ML lasts longer. And the ML doesn’t degrade sound wise during use. It goes from fine to shot. No in between.

Also, I have to thing that cleaning one’s records ultrasonically will extend stylus life regardless of stylus profile.
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Tagging in on @HiFi Guy and his comment citing the positives of ultrasonically cleaning records. Not only do they sound better than vacuum cleaned records but also create less wear on your stylus by removing the last vestiges of grunge on the record surface. Win/Win situation. I must remind you there is a brand, new latest version, unopened box Audio Desk Systeme cleaner, w/ extras, for sale in the For Sale section here at nearly 50% off of US retail. Truly a top notch ultrasonic record cleaning machine.
 
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Jbraswell said:
I know this. Happy to say she's the one but stereo equipment has no place for monogamy 🤷
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More like a Playboy magazine back in the day. About the time you got bored with it along comes a new one! Happiness for, oh, about a month. Maybe it’s because that I’m no longer interested in a Playboy magazine sort of thing that I’m totally infatuated with my system as is and have been happy without change in some time. Coincidence?
 
OMC said:
More like a Playboy magazine back in the day. About the time you got bored with it along comes a new one! Happiness for, oh, about a month. Maybe it’s because that I’m no longer interested in a Playboy magazine sort of thing that I’m totally infatuated with my system as is and have been happy without change in some time. Coincidence?
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Curiosity is a muthafawker.

But it is also why we're here.

Cheers!
 
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