Record surface noise Right Channel?

It is interesting that you brought up the Mint. He said to me "the cartridge appears to be aligned properly" I said I did it, and I used the MintLP so that is proof that it works. As for twisting the wire, we did that, it helped "a little" but it still was not right and it was easy to see on his test equipment. He said that I need the antiskate for the best performance regardless of what VPI says. In so many words he said MC cartridges are a waste of money and do not track as well as MM cartridges. He said save some money next time and get a good moving magnet (more performance per dollar). He said there are some very good MM type cartridges available now and it will track better, especially during demanding clssical passages. He said this was his experience with the two. I was shocked how poorly my cartridge tracked given the price. He said my cartridge tracked only average compared to others. I have a Benz Micro H2. He did say the antiskate will do wonders.

If your MC is a Micro H2, or virtually any HOMC, I agree with your dealer. Your money would have been better spent on a good MM. For less money you could have tried quite a few to find one that works well in your system and meets your tastes.

IME the only MC's worth having are LOMC's. Only they provide the benefit of low mass on the cantilever, which was the purpose behind the MC design in the first place. Even there, to get performance that clearly beats a good MM costs at least $2K, often much more.

Further, good LOMC phono amplification is also very costly. My LOMC phono stage costs $6-7K and I've not heard any phono stage for less than $5K (new) that I'd bother with for top level LOMC's. Don't buy a Stradivarius if your going to string it with nylon or use a cheap bow. ;-)

Are the costs of doing LOMC's well really worth it? That's obviously up to each individual. But at lower price points I completely agree with your dealer. Raul's MM/MI thread, now approaching 2000 posts, is ample evidence that many other A'goners agree too.

Doug, that is very informative. Now I feel like an idiot for getting the H2. Not your fault, just inexperience on my part. Hey, my name is Doug too! I will look for that thread and do some research