Try http://www.needledoctor.com , who have a good list of T4P (P-mount) cartridges – just search on T4P or P-mount. They have the following cartridges available within your price range:
Audio Technica 301EP, AT3482P, 92ECD, 91ECD, 90CD, 300P, 3482H/U
Shure M92E (can be upgraded using the stylus from a more expensive model)
Ortofon OMP 3E, OMP 5E (these can be upgraded using the styli from more expensive Ortofon cartridges later, as all the Ortofon OM series styli are interchangeable)
I’d recommend one of the Ortofon range, because you can upgrade it later using the 10, 20, 30 or 40 styli. Both cost $45 at the Needle Doctor, but the OMP-5E would be the best, as it has an elliptical stylus. You will need to add on a small amount for postage, although you may be able to find other sellers in the US or Canada.
Audio Technica 301EP, AT3482P, 92ECD, 91ECD, 90CD, 300P, 3482H/U
Shure M92E (can be upgraded using the stylus from a more expensive model)
Ortofon OMP 3E, OMP 5E (these can be upgraded using the styli from more expensive Ortofon cartridges later, as all the Ortofon OM series styli are interchangeable)
I’d recommend one of the Ortofon range, because you can upgrade it later using the 10, 20, 30 or 40 styli. Both cost $45 at the Needle Doctor, but the OMP-5E would be the best, as it has an elliptical stylus. You will need to add on a small amount for postage, although you may be able to find other sellers in the US or Canada.
In general, with phono cartridges you get what you pay for. The Grado and Ortofon cartridges I can almost guarantee would sound better than an Audio Technica $20 cheaper. However, an Audio Technica of the same price would probably sound different, but it would be hard to pick which was better. I have a range of cartridges, the best of which are a Denon DL-304 (MC) and a Shure V15 Type VMR (MM), and before hearing them, I wouldn't have believed just how good they sound, compared to a generic Nagaoka cartridge which came on a turntable I bought. But, having heard them, I'd never go back, even if they do cost $400-600! They just sound so much better, it's hard to describe it, but when you hear them, you realise why they cost so much more.
Any of the cartridges would be OK, but if you ever want to get a better cartridge, the Ortofon cartridges can be upgraded from a $45 model all the way up to a $300 model, simply by changing the stylus for a better model, which is why I recommended the Ortofon OMP 5E. It depends how much you are going to be using it - if you won't be using it much, go for one of the cheaper models.
Any of the cartridges would be OK, but if you ever want to get a better cartridge, the Ortofon cartridges can be upgraded from a $45 model all the way up to a $300 model, simply by changing the stylus for a better model, which is why I recommended the Ortofon OMP 5E. It depends how much you are going to be using it - if you won't be using it much, go for one of the cheaper models.
Yeah, there's not only the specs to look, there's also the sound. You can't try it on the Internet tho.
I'm in a cassette tape phase and I just wonder why people tell it's bad. Yes, the specs are not pretty good, but the sound has something good in it that the CD doesn't have. Analog? I just got a Nakamichi deck btw.
The cart. is really just to make the TT useable, while not being crappy as I don't know any LPs we have I'd listen to. Time to get a bit of "classic audio" records.
The Ortofon OM 10 Super is a much better cartridge than the OMP 5E, but you can’t get it in a P-mount (T4P) version. You can get the OMP 10, which is very similar to the slightly upgraded OM 10 Super, in that it uses the same 10 stylus, but doesn’t have the upgraded “Super” magnetic structure body. I own both an OM 40, the best version of the OM series, and an OM 10 Super. I can’t hear any difference between the OM or OM Super bodies, but the OM 40 is very much better sounding than the OM 10 Super, as you would expect, considering the 40 stylus is more than double the price! Make up your own mind whether to go for the OMP 5E or the OMP 10, which is quite a bit more expensive, but should be noticeably better sounding, and possibly cause less record wear with the better stylus.
If you don’t think you’ll notice the difference, then perhaps this story about my non-technical sister-in-law from about 25 years ago may convince you. She asked my advice, as a hi-fi enthusiast with a technical background, as to how best she could upgrade the sound from her records at minimal cost. So I recommended upgrading her cartridge – she had a budget Pioneer system, which had a decent belt drive turntable and amp, but fairly ordinary cartridge. She had already upgraded to better sounding speakers, so the cartridge was the logical thing to change. Being suspicious that something so small could make much difference, she played a record with her old cartridge just before she changed to the new Grado cartridge which the hi-fi shop had recommended. The difference was immediate – she couldn’t believe how much difference buying a $30 cartridge (Grado’s cheapest at the time) could make, and she (and I) could hear things we hadn’t heard in the previous playing of the same record.
Your Nakimichi cassette deck is something that most of us wish we had – they were always regarded as the best available. I doubt I’ll own one though, as I’ve already got 3 cassette decks, including one that I got recently thrown in for free with another purchase, that I have to repair – it needs several new belts, as they’ve stretched and disintegrated. Hopefully that will get it working again!
I think that most cartridges should sound slightly better after a few hours, because the stylus gets bedded in, moving parts loosen up, and so on. I can’t say I’ve really noticed it with any of my cartridges. I doubt it’s too significant though, and doesn’t require the expense of special records that hi-fi dealers want to sell us at inflated prices – just play records for a few days, and enjoy the music. Certainly the Disc Doctor recommends that after using his record cleaners, it usually takes a few days to get the best sound from the clean records as they adapt to the shape of the stylus riding deeper rather than sitting on top of dirt in the grooves, although that’s a record thing, rather than cartridge related. Maybe it’s a matter of your records adapting to a new stylus, and sounding better after a few plays with a new cartridge?
If you don’t think you’ll notice the difference, then perhaps this story about my non-technical sister-in-law from about 25 years ago may convince you. She asked my advice, as a hi-fi enthusiast with a technical background, as to how best she could upgrade the sound from her records at minimal cost. So I recommended upgrading her cartridge – she had a budget Pioneer system, which had a decent belt drive turntable and amp, but fairly ordinary cartridge. She had already upgraded to better sounding speakers, so the cartridge was the logical thing to change. Being suspicious that something so small could make much difference, she played a record with her old cartridge just before she changed to the new Grado cartridge which the hi-fi shop had recommended. The difference was immediate – she couldn’t believe how much difference buying a $30 cartridge (Grado’s cheapest at the time) could make, and she (and I) could hear things we hadn’t heard in the previous playing of the same record.
Your Nakimichi cassette deck is something that most of us wish we had – they were always regarded as the best available. I doubt I’ll own one though, as I’ve already got 3 cassette decks, including one that I got recently thrown in for free with another purchase, that I have to repair – it needs several new belts, as they’ve stretched and disintegrated. Hopefully that will get it working again!
I think that most cartridges should sound slightly better after a few hours, because the stylus gets bedded in, moving parts loosen up, and so on. I can’t say I’ve really noticed it with any of my cartridges. I doubt it’s too significant though, and doesn’t require the expense of special records that hi-fi dealers want to sell us at inflated prices – just play records for a few days, and enjoy the music. Certainly the Disc Doctor recommends that after using his record cleaners, it usually takes a few days to get the best sound from the clean records as they adapt to the shape of the stylus riding deeper rather than sitting on top of dirt in the grooves, although that’s a record thing, rather than cartridge related. Maybe it’s a matter of your records adapting to a new stylus, and sounding better after a few plays with a new cartridge?
OK, I will tell MY secret...
I have had a handful of the Technics Linear-Trackers, the small sized ones. And always looked for a replacement pick-up that would make them perform.
Tried Ortofon, (very neutral, "boring", and picks up too much noise without the 30 or 40 stylus).
Tried several AudioTechnica units; also too much "scratch"-noise.
Shure M92E; No top end whatsoever.
Then I found (at WWW.KABUSA.COM ) they had a few Stanton L680EL; a DJ version "heavy" P-mount pick-up. After some research I also ordered a spare stylus for a Pickering 680/681.
I managed to get off the extra metal-load that was glued to the body, and mounted it. - Put in the new stylus; and there were music! It rocks!
Arne K
I have had a handful of the Technics Linear-Trackers, the small sized ones. And always looked for a replacement pick-up that would make them perform.
Tried Ortofon, (very neutral, "boring", and picks up too much noise without the 30 or 40 stylus).
Tried several AudioTechnica units; also too much "scratch"-noise.
Shure M92E; No top end whatsoever.
Then I found (at WWW.KABUSA.COM ) they had a few Stanton L680EL; a DJ version "heavy" P-mount pick-up. After some research I also ordered a spare stylus for a Pickering 680/681.
I managed to get off the extra metal-load that was glued to the body, and mounted it. - Put in the new stylus; and there were music! It rocks!
Arne K
I can’t say that I’ve heard any of them, Dragonmaster – it’s up to you to choose, and I’d imagine that you’d be happy with any of them. I don’t know much about the Goldring Elan, although the English hi-fi reviewers seem to like most Goldring cartridges. However, based on my own mistrust of the same reviewers, that may be more to do with the fact that they are English! Take the same cartridge, put an American, Canadian, Australian or European brand name on it, and the same reviewers might say the Goldring was a far better cartridge! (Allegedly… for all you English out there, don’t write in!)
However, the Grado or Ortofon cartridges would probably be good choices. I own cartridges from both manufacturers, and they are all excellent for their price. Ortofon are better known for their moving coil cartridges, but their moving magnet cartridges are also pretty good. Grado make some excellent moving magnet cartridges. Well, actually both manufacturers’ cartridges come from the “moving iron” type, where the stylus is actually attached to a lightweight moving piece of iron, between fixed coil and magnet, and moving the stylus varies the magnetic field in the coil. The performance is roughly the same as a moving magnet cartridge. The Grado Prestige range, like the Ortofon OM cartridges, can also be upgraded later by changing to a stylus from one of their better cartridges in that range. One thing that may be in the favour of the Grado or the Ortofon, over the Goldring, is that the Goldring only has a conical stylus, whereas the Grado and Ortofon both have elliptical styli, which should track high frequencies slightly better, and hence should sound better. However, that’s just based on theory, not listening to them. As I said earlier, I haven’t heard any Goldring cartridges, so can’t comment on them.
You’d really only be certain by listening to them all, unless you can find a review by someone who has already done that, and who can be trusted for their impartiality. If you can’t decide, go for the most expensive – unless you want to save money - in which case, do the reverse!
However, the Grado or Ortofon cartridges would probably be good choices. I own cartridges from both manufacturers, and they are all excellent for their price. Ortofon are better known for their moving coil cartridges, but their moving magnet cartridges are also pretty good. Grado make some excellent moving magnet cartridges. Well, actually both manufacturers’ cartridges come from the “moving iron” type, where the stylus is actually attached to a lightweight moving piece of iron, between fixed coil and magnet, and moving the stylus varies the magnetic field in the coil. The performance is roughly the same as a moving magnet cartridge. The Grado Prestige range, like the Ortofon OM cartridges, can also be upgraded later by changing to a stylus from one of their better cartridges in that range. One thing that may be in the favour of the Grado or the Ortofon, over the Goldring, is that the Goldring only has a conical stylus, whereas the Grado and Ortofon both have elliptical styli, which should track high frequencies slightly better, and hence should sound better. However, that’s just based on theory, not listening to them. As I said earlier, I haven’t heard any Goldring cartridges, so can’t comment on them.
You’d really only be certain by listening to them all, unless you can find a review by someone who has already done that, and who can be trusted for their impartiality. If you can’t decide, go for the most expensive – unless you want to save money - in which case, do the reverse!
Yes, I have heard that Grado cartridges have hum problems with some turntables. I can't say that I've had any problems - I have a Grado G+, which is roughly equivalent to a Grado Prestige Silver cartridge these days, and I haven't had any problems with hum. It sounds great, although isn't as good as the Shure V15 Type V or the Denon MC cartridges I also own.
Grado Prestige Blue is more like an OM 10 for the price. People seem to recommend me to get the Blue.
The V15 costs a lot more than these.
I've found that Grado hum prob. is only with direct drive. I have belt drive.
Now, I have a grounding issue with the shaft, it makes a static sound when turning
The V15 costs a lot more than these.
I've found that Grado hum prob. is only with direct drive. I have belt drive.
Now, I have a grounding issue with the shaft, it makes a static sound when turning
Yes, I wasn't saying that you should get a Shure V15, or a Denon MC, although I would recommend them if you want to spend a fair bit more. I can't say that I've tried my Grado on any of my direct drive turntables - it's currently on a belt drive turntable, and has been since I bought it. I believe that they are susceptible to hum pickup, due to inadequate shielding on the cartridge. It probably depends on how well the turntable motor and transformer are shielded, and where the transformer is located on the turntable. I know that my Sansui XR-Q7 direct drive turntable has a manufacturers note saying that some MC cartridges are susceptible to hum pickup with it, and they issued a modification to mount the transformer in an earthed metal box to cure it! It seems very quiet at the moment, though.
Theoretically the Grado Prestige Blue should sound slightly better than an Ortofon OMP5E, because it's slightly more expensive, but as I haven't heard them in a direct comparison, I can't say if that's the case or not.
Theoretically the Grado Prestige Blue should sound slightly better than an Ortofon OMP5E, because it's slightly more expensive, but as I haven't heard them in a direct comparison, I can't say if that's the case or not.
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