Best mm cart for VPI scout/jmv-9 memorial arm

Thanks, I was leaning towards a 2m Bronze and upgrade to the black at a later date.

I might eventually move to a moving coil but I have some other equipment I need to purchase. So it's a mm for me presently. But I will keep the Zephyr in mind when I'm ready.

Get yourself a Grado,as a matter of fact VPI use to sell the Sonata VPI version ! You can give them a call and ask them if they still do. BTW HW loves Grado's. MM and MI are very close in design, kind of a horse of a different color!

Sorry, I don't think that you read my response correctly.

The Zephyr is not a moving coil cartridge, it is a moving iron cartridge like a Grado. It has high output and is responsive to both changes in capacitance and resistance, just like a MM cartridge.

The only difference is that in a MM cartridge a small magnet at the end of the cantilever varies a voltage in a fixed coil, where as in a moving iron cartridge both coil and magnet are fixed and a small piece of iron on the end of the cantilever varies the voltage.

FWIW, years ago, at the suggestion of Mike at VPI, I bought a Grado "The Reference" low-output MI cartridge for my JMW12 arm. The cartridge was not a good match, causing constant woofer pumping (a sure sign of a cartridge compliance/tonearm mass mismatch), despite every effort to correct it through changing the viscosity and amount of damping fluid in the JMW's well. Plus, this combo's sound was bland and boring to my ears, lacking dynamics and also extension in the upper frequencies.

I replaced the Grado with a medium-compliance van den Hul MC Two HOMC and was much happier with the vdH cartridge/JMW arm combo. Used the latter setup for years, always enjoying the dynamic and involving sound, and had no issues with woofer pumping or mistracking.

Why not consider a medium-compliance HOMC cartridge, say maybe a Sumiko Blackbird or even the more economical but similar sounding Sumiko BP Special EVO III. A nice, slightly used one is available for sale here on Agon right now. No affiliation whatsoever with seller.

I would also think that the SS/VPI Zephyr would make a great sounding pairing as Viridian suggests.

Dave