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ar turntable resurrection advice

I recently was given a mid 1980's AR ES turntable with an empty Sumiko Premier MMT arm. I'm anxious to get back into my pile of vinyl. What entry level cartridge can you guys recommend to an old guy with too many kids in college. I'm looking to spend $125 or less. I will be hooking this table up to an old NAD 1700 powered by an equally old NAD 2400 and played through Paradigm monitor 9's. I find my system a little on the "forward/edgy" side so a smooth musical cartridge is what I'm looking for. I listen to a lot of blues, guitar hero based classic rock, jazz and accoustic/folk/bluegrassy stuff. Does anyone have any input on the grado "color" series. I have heard good things about the ortofon om 20 but would like some second opinions.I appreciate your time and thoughts.
Tim
tda44
soulbrass
246 posts
 
...back to Tim...try a Shure M97xe. Around $60 and a solid performer. It will definitely keep you amused as you contemplate upgrades later.
opalchip
354 posts
 
I agree with both the M97xe and DL103 at their respective price points. One more, which is right in between those two $$$-wise is the Ortofon OM-20 ($129 at Garage-A-Records). It's an excellent sound in it's own right, and you can later upgrade to the OM-30 or OM-40 stylus without replacing the cartridge body.
narrod
1,064 posts
 
I agree the Denon is a wonderful cartridge but beyond your stated budget especially if you don't have a MC phono stage which would require the additional expense of a step-up transformer. The Shure and Ortofon are excellent recommendation, in my opinion.
tda44 OP
43 posts
 
thanks to all for the recommendations! my dependable nad 1700 does indeed have a mc stage so feel free to give me tips on the moving coils too. how much skill is involved in a diy installation of a cartridge? the only time i did it was 25 years ago on a p mount linear tracking piece of crap technics. is this the kind of job for a ham fisted, spasctic impatient 50 year old geezer? go ahead, be honest i can take it!
elevick
2,439 posts
 
The Goldring and shure 97 are great choices. The ortofon sounds fairly nice. My only beef with upgrades to the ortofon is the needle price is quite high in comparison to finding a whole cartridge on sale.
I have the Goldring (1012?) on my table now and like it better than the ortofon or blue point. Didn't try the Denon. The shure was great for the money but can't keep up with these.
Try www.ewsaunders.com or www.needledoctor.com
Setting up the cartridge properly may be more important than what you buy. Find someone locally with the right guides and a nice scale.
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