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What's your go-to cheapie cartridge?

Let's say $300 or less. This would be your "y'know, this thing is pretty darn musical even though I've got higher end carts" cartridge. In my case I'd have to say it's my 103R. Not as transparent or fast as a lot of my better carts, but it sails smoothly through the grooves and just sounds good. 
tonyptony
chakster's avatar
chakster
2,482 posts
 
@tonyptony

Let me be clear and say again that the 103R is *my* go-to right now, although I’ve been curious about other carts in this price range. One thing I love about it is, frankly, the elliptical stylus.

You’re wrong, because the original stylus on DL-103R is CONICAL

103R Stylus: 16.5 Micron round tip, 0.2 mm square base diamond, crystal aligned, conical cut.

Also the complianbce is 5 cu @100Hz (very low compliance), so the highest possible tonearm mass is needed, do you have such tonearm? If not, then you ’re wrong with tonearm choice too.

The Denon 103 or 103R is like the Ortofon SPU and Fidelity-Research FR-7f designed for very heavy tonearms. The effective mass can be easily 35g.

How to match a cartridge and tonearm: click here

If you have the right arm for your DL-103R and willing to try a better tip on it just send it to SoundSmith and install Ruby Cantilever with LineContact stylus. With your budget this is probably the best you can do if you want to stick to low compliance MC.

But if your arm is not a high mass tonearm then you can change your oldschool LOMC cartridge to much better mid compliance MM like the AT-ML150 OCC with MicroLine stylus and Beryllium cantilever. This is a real killer for $350-450.   


@viridian

Klipsch MCZ-7 Boron.

Where can you find the rarest Klipsch cartridge for $300 ?
I have Klipsch MCZ-7 Ruby and it will be impossible to find even for triple price. Actually those Klipsch are very rare cartridges, the OP’s budget must be exceeded many times to buy Klipsch, but the problem is that he may never find it :(





tonyptony OP
500 posts
 
IMHO, the Denon 103 is a much better balanced cartridge than the 103R

@viridian, I’m interested in your opinion as to why. I've been very happy with what I hear from the 103R. Granted, it's been transplanted to aluminum body, and that helped it quite a bit. Thanks.

viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 

Chak, paid $50.00 for mine. The question was "What is your go-to cheapie cartridge?", not what cheapie cartridge should I buy, or what is available used. I can only answer the question that is asked, not the one that I imagine in my mind is being asked.

That’s my go-to cheapie. My second choice is my Supex SD900 Super E+.

Tony, having owned quite a few 103 and two 103Rs, I find the 103R to be focused on the upper midrange and low treble, and find the 103 to be darker, but much better balanced overall. These are simply matters of taste and one man’s bright is another man’s detailed.

I’m with Chak on arm choice. The greater the effective mass of the arm the better the 103 series sounds to me, well, except my 103D, which is an entirely different animal and prefers a medium mass arm.

chakster's avatar
chakster
2,482 posts
 
ouch, so i am completely off-topic here with my recommendations 

I must say $50 for Klipsch MCZ is a steal, it's a $500 minimum, lucky you. I paid much more for my MCZ-10 Ruby, but at least it was factory sealed. 

 


viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Chak, I once bought a SOTA Star Sapphire as salvage. It had been separated from the vacuum pump/power supply very early in life and looked like it came out of a time capsule. I didn’t think that I could get it going, but bought it for the original Well Tempered Arm that was on it, again, clearly low use.

Bought the thing locally and when I got it out to the car, as it was one of those Craigslist races where the first one there and out gets the golden ring, I realized that it had a Kiseki Purple Heart Sapphire in the arm. Barely used. I imagine that it is worth more than the rest of the rig combined, several times over.

The cartridge gods were smiling on me that day! And yes, I still have the table, arm and cartridge although the table is no longer the vacuum model, just a plain Sapphire, and I’m holding back the Kiseki for a better day, but use the Klipsch/Hibino on that table from time to time.
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