Ortofon Super OM10 or Sumiko Pearl cartridge?

03-16-08: Marntz4me
...As for the Denon or the Benz Micro cartridges, I am limited to moving magnet types because of my Bellari preamp. I play rock on my turntable; so it would be nice to find a cartridge that empasizes more bass....

The new Ortofon 2M series carts (including the $99 Red) are known for strong, tight bass.

Also, before dismissing the Denon DL-110/160, remember that these are high output moving coil carts; they typically put out about 2.2mV. I plug mine directly into the MM input of my preamp with good results. Different preamps demand different outputs, however. I recommend you call a Bellari or Denon vendor to see if 30dB gain is sufficient for the DL-110/160 output, because otherwise, it's the perfect cartridge for what you're looking for. The bass clarity, extension, and linearity is well beyond what I expected for $180, and I enjoy listening to rock more than I did before. It's also superb on electro-acoustic folk/rock/country and jazz, whether acoustic or electric fusion.

In addition to the Sumiko Pearl, I would suggest any of these cartridges in the $100 price range: Shure M97XE, Ortofon 2M Red, Grado Blue Prestige, or Stanton EEE Mk III. I recently purchased the Grado Blue and find it a clear step up from the Black that I owned previously in terms of broader overall frequency range and tighter bass. Both cartridges track like a champ at about 1.5 grams. The Denon's are supposed to perform very well, but cost more too.

Thanks for all your input. I took a second look at my Bellari and found out it had a bad channel. Not a total loss because I have a lot of ideas for my next cartridge. Don't know whether I am relieved or dissapointed because now I no longer have an excuse to buy a new cartridge.

Thanks again!

So... if you get the Bellari fixed and it means your cartridge is all right, when it's time to upgrade you'll get the biggest performance improvement for the least hassle & cost by replacing the stylus with an OM20 stylus.

or OM30 or even OM40. At those prices though, they certainly have competition but at least you're only paying for a new stylus.

Also, I've had good luck in pairing off the plastic guide for the stylus on the Pearl and Oyster for more transparency.