Ortofon --- A90 or SPU 90th?


Trying to decide between an Ortofon A90 or SPU 90th. They both utilize a lot of the same technologies.

Rest of system is Garrard 301 (grease), Schick 12" G-style Tonearm, Shindo Masseto/Cortese, Devore Nines.

I'm a relative newcomer to vinyl and trying to do it right the first time. I've heard great things about both cartridges but heard neither personally. I've also never heard an SPU in general so not sure what kind of sound characteristic differences i would see between an SPU type and non-SPU type cartridge.

Thoughts?
jcote
I own both the A90 and the SPU 90th Anniversary--but as Br3098 says, the SPU is a match made in heaven for the Schick. It sounds wonderful on my 301/Schick. The A90 is mated to my Micro Seiki setup, and performs very well there. Horses for courses...
I have an SPU 90th on an Ikeda 407 tonearm for my 301.

I think it sounds great with all music from chamber music to jazz to rock to electronica to vocals.

Thant's an impressive system you are putting together BTW
Thanks guys...i'm thinking I'll go with the SPU 90th. In terms of the current SPU's is the 90th still their top or is there a new king of the SPU hill?
Is the SPU 90th Anniversary still available? If so, where can you buy it? I thought it had been discontinued.
I think you can only get the SPU 90th as an NOS aftermarket purchase, which means without the normal Ortofon warranty. Take a look on eBay. 2juki often sells them. I've bought from him before and he's been dependable.

The top of the current SPU lineup is the Royal GM II. I have one, along with an A90. They both have the Replicant 100 stylus, which makes them a little more closely related, but they still occupy different genres, as others have said. I really enjoy the Royal's unusual combination of SPU-like body and coherency plus excellent detail and sparkle on top, for which most SPUs are not usually noted. Still, the A90 is the better all-around cartridge for soundstage depth and layering, imaging, and the other audiophile characteristics while still being IMO very musical. It is extremely sensitive to all set-up parameters, however, especially VTA, so I don't think the Schick is the best arm for it. The Royal is much less finicky though it still wants VTA changes for different record widths. The SPU 90th, without the Replicant, might be less demanding in this regard, I don't know.