[techenvy]

Quote:

 
 
I have no info on that subject I'm afraid.
 
I have owned many belt drive TTs over the years inc models from Dual, Linn & Rega. They all broke down sooner or later whereas the Technics I bought over 20 years ago are still going strong with v. little maintainence. Simple decision really. If it ain't broke don't waste money on it.
 
 
 
Yes. Despite it's good reputation in audiophile circles it is a little noisy. About 3dB random noise at variable frequencies below 150 Hz. So you cannot really hear it unless you turn the gain way up with no program material but it's annoying knowing it is there and worse than either my old mixer or receiver/amp phono stage, Which are MM only btw so don't need as much gain. 
 
To be fair to Cambridge Audio once I proved it to them ( I have fairly sophisticated signal analysis software courtesy of the MOTU) they exchanged my unit. Unfortunately the replacement was just as bad. Perhaps I was just unlucky and there was a bad batch imported into the country. I plan on leaving it for a while then trying another replacement and if that does not work then buying an alternative. Probably battery powered as it's usually the power supply that is at fault. 
 
Possibly this one. http://www.aqvox.com/phono.html

hi ronald,
  well you were right about the the cam 640p,   it was better than my reciever's crap phono,    but it sure the hell isnt quite,  not super noisy or anything but i was expecting much more, having said that i may hold on to her for a while,,  i only have trouble when listening wit phones, but i am very very picky.   it is nice having two inputs for mm and mc, so i can hook up both tables with different carts and switch nearby.  if she was cheaper i could justify her, but not at that price/performance.
but i may just jump right off into the deep end.   there are way too many preamp/phono stages to choose from.
 
cheers for the heads up bro

 

[golgi]

I've got a somewhat similar setup, and I'm using the Denon DL-160 with great results. That cartridge has great synergy in this system.
 
Technics SL-1210MKII -> Denon DL-160 -> Cambridge Audio 640P Phono Pre-Amp -> Little Dot MK 3 -> HD580s
 
Quote:

Hi everyone,
 
I currently own the following equipment:
 
Technics SL-1200MKII -> Shure M97xE -> Cambridge Audio 640P Phono Pre-Amp -> Woo Audio 6 w/ PDPS -> HD650s
or
Technics SL-1200MKII -> Shure M97xE -> Cambridge Audio 640P Phono Pre-Amp -> M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 -> Audioengine A5 Speakers.
 
I don't have the money for a turntable upgrade at this time, and I'm happy with pretty much every other stage in my chain except for my cartridge. I know the 640P is capable of taking either an MM or MC cart but I'm not too sure of what a "Good match" is for all the components I've listed.
 
Any suggestions?

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm also a big fan of the Denon DL-103. If you pair it with Cinemag step-up transformers, it's really quite good. I don't see any reason to spend a kilobuck or two or three on something that's a wear item. I might be with the DL-103 for the long haul.

 

[Meliboeus]

I also have the 440Mla and the Dl-103 as well, both are very good, but take into account that i'm using the Denon with its dedicated step up transformer and it might not perform very well with your 640p, even if i had tried it with a fully active MC stage of similar quality ( Project II SE ) and it didn't sound bad.
 
The 440Mla offers slightly superior tracking accuracy, it sounds clean and undistorted even in the innermost grooves, the dl-103 even if properly aligned is a bit lacking in this area, due to its more "basic" stylus shape. 
 
 
 

 

[ortofoninc]

 
Hey guys,
 
Sorry I'm late to this thread!  Just got on Head-Fi recently.

Technics 1200s are actually not bad tables at all, and I usually tell people to NOT upgrade unless they plan on spending a substantial amount of money. 
 
As far as a cartridge in the $150-200 range for a Technics 1200, I'd first want to know what sort of headshell you plan to use with it.
 
The effective mass of the arm can change dramatically based on which headshell you're using, and that can definitely have an influence over what will work optimally.  In the Ortofon line, the 2M Red and 2M Blue are your best choices in the $100-200 range.  They're Moving Magnet cartridges.  I wouldn't recommend going for a cheap moving coil - they frequently fall short of expectations in the sub-$200 range.  If you really want to go with a Moving Coil, save your money and wait til you get something that can trump a MM.
 
There's a lot of great cartridges out there, and I'm not here to hawk only the brand I represent.  So if you have something else in mind, shout it out and I'll take a look at the compliance and mass specs as far as how they relate to the tonearm.  If I've heard the cartridge, I'll give you my 2 cents on how I think it sounds.
 

 

[sk3383]

I use the Ortofon 2M Red, it came highly recommended by a local hifi shop. After purchasing the 2M Red, I read a couple of reviews and comments most of which have been very positive. It has been repeated on many forums alike that the 2M Red is one of the best budget/entry level cartridges for the money.
 
It sounds pleasing to my ears.
 
You should definately take a listen, go to a local dealer and check it out. 

 

[Gazza]

Another vote for the 2M Red/Blue.

 

[ortofoninc]

They're actually quite surprising, I have to agree.  Maybe not the final word in detail (you'd have to move up to a different stylus profile for that), but nicely realistic and musical sounding, and a good bit of detail.
 
If you're into the Audio Technica sound, which generally seems to have a strong emphasis on high frequencies, then the 2M is not for you.  The 2Ms are considerably flatter, and people who have become accustomed to AT carts will find the high end emphasis to be conspicuously lacking. 
 
I once had a guy who was coming from an AT tell me that he had to increase his treble control to the maximum in order to get the same sound.  He had gotten used to that sound and probably built his system around it.

 

[sk3383]

Has anyone tried the Sumiko Pearl MM?

 

[techenvy]

are u implying the stock technic headshell are no good?  i
  also yea ive read so many great things about the 2m red so i will eventually give it a try.  however i prefer mc carts and i hope you weren't calling my favorite cart cheap??
Quote:

 
Hey guys,
 
Sorry I'm late to this thread!  Just got on Head-Fi recently.

Technics 1200s are actually not bad tables at all, and I usually tell people to NOT upgrade unless they plan on spending a substantial amount of money. 
 
As far as a cartridge in the $150-200 range for a Technics 1200, I'd first want to know what sort of headshell you plan to use with it.
 
The effective mass of the arm can change dramatically based on which headshell you're using, and that can definitely have an influence over what will work optimally.  In the Ortofon line, the 2M Red and 2M Blue are your best choices in the $100-200 range.  They're Moving Magnet cartridges.  I wouldn't recommend going for a cheap moving coil - they frequently fall short of expectations in the sub-$200 range.  If you really want to go with a Moving Coil, save your money and wait til you get something that can trump a MM.
 
There's a lot of great cartridges out there, and I'm not here to hawk only the brand I represent.  So if you have something else in mind, shout it out and I'll take a look at the compliance and mass specs as far as how they relate to the tonearm.  If I've heard the cartridge, I'll give you my 2 cents on how I think it sounds.
 

 

[ortofoninc]

Stock Technics headshells are just fine, if you don't need azimuth adjustment.  In some cases the Technics headshell is the easiest low mass headshell to find, as it only weighs 7g or so.
 
And no, I wasn't calling your favorite cart 'cheap', as I don't even know what your favorite is!  Many inexpensive MCs have an extreme rising top end.  That doesn't mean every inexpensive model does. 
 
And even if I was calling your favorite cart cheap, what's wrong with cheap?  There are some killer 'cheap' carts out there these days!
 
Louis
 
Quote:

are u implying the stock technic headshell are no good?  i
  also yea ive read so many great things about the 2m red so i will eventually give it a try.  however i prefer mc carts and i hope you weren't calling my favorite cart cheap??

 

 

[salannelson]

Quote:

Another vote for the 2M Red/Blue.

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but can anyone suggest a reputable place to buy the 2M Red? I can't find it on "trusted" sites like Amazon. Even Guitar Center doesn't carry it. Thanks so much.

 

[salannelson]

That's too expensive for me, I'm looking at sub $100 cartridges. The Ortofon 2M Red seems to fit my needs, I'm just having trouble finding it.

 

[Skylab]

http://www.needledoctor.com/Ortofon-2M-Red-Phono-Cartridge?sc=2&category=402

 

[salannelson]

Quote:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Ortofon-2M-Red-Phono-Cartridge?sc=2&category=402

Thank you Skylab! This site came up on Google but I wasn't sure about it's trustworthiness.